~x-81&V Stories	Page Four	177
(Texas)







wh9.t I‘ e dø . Dat nigger jump up and he mad. He isok 1 ike d. wild boar. Ee Btarte for de bu~ik and I jumps quick ter de poker. It am ‘boi.tt three foot len1!; p~d when h. comee at me I lets him have it over d.c head. Did dat nigger stop in he tracks? I‘ e eay he did.. He 1~oks p.t ma. steady for a jni~ute and vo~t‘a could tell he thinking hard. Den he gs and. set on de boich and say, ‘Jus wait. Thu thinks it ~m saart, but you‘s aa foolish in de head. Dey ‚ e gwine lam you s orne thu ‚.

	ft ‚ Rush yOUB b ig mouth and st ~ ‚ way from dis nigger ‚ dat all I wants, ‚ I say, and j~s~ sets and hold dat poker in de hand. He jus‘ sets lookin‘ like de bull. Dere wet~uns sèts and sets for ‘bout an ho~ir and den he go out and I bare de door.

	“De next da~r I goes to de missy and tells her what Riiftte wante and missy say dat am de massa‘ s wishes. She Bey, I~~3 ~ ~‚ portly gal ~nd Rufus em de portly man. De mas sa waflt S yOW~UflS for t. briig f0 rth portly chilien.

	“I‘s thinkin‘ ‘bout what de missy say, but say to ayse‘f, ‘I‘s not gwine live with dat Bufus. ‚ Dat ni ~it when him come in de cabin, I grabs de piker and sits on de bench and says ‚ ‚ Git ‚ way froid me, nigger, ‘fore I busts yous brains out and etotnp •n dem.‘ He say nothin‘ and git



	fine ~ day de massa call me arid tell me, ‘Wom~gi, l‘s pay big fl1O~ey for y~ and. I‘s done dat for de Canse I wants yU5 to raise me ohil~ lens. I‘, s put y~ous t o live with Rufus for dat purpose. Now, if you doesn‘ t want whippini at de stake ‚ y,us d.. what I wants.
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