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ā€˜you is got ter do sumpā€™n fer me, er eā€™se Iā€™ll be in de poā€™-house fusā€™ thing I know.ā€™

ā€œā€Šā€˜Well, suh,ā€™ sez Aunā€™ Peggy, ā€˜Iā€™s beā€™n doinā€™ all I knows how, but deyā€™s a root Iā€™s bleedzd ter hab, en it doan grow nowhar but down in Robeson County. En I got ter go down dere en gether it on a Friday night in de full er de moon. En I wonā€™t be back yer fer a week or ten days.ā€™

ā€œMars Donalā€™ wuz mosā€™ outā€™n his minā€™ wid waitinā€™ en losinā€™ money. ā€˜But sā€™posen dem niggers dies on my hanā€™s wā€™iles you er gone,ā€™ sezee, ā€˜wā€™at is I gwine ter do?ā€™

ā€œAunā€™ Peggy studied en studied, en den she up en sez, sez she:

ā€œā€Šā€˜Well, ef dey dies I reckon youā€™ll hatter bury ā€™em. Dey is one thing you mought try, en I sā€™pecā€™s itā€™s ā€™bout de only thing wā€™atā€™ll keep yoā€™ niggers alibe ā€™tel I gits back. You mought see ef dey wonā€™ eat chickā€™n.ā€™

ā€œWell, Mars Donalā€™ wanted ter sabe his niggers. Dey wuz all so poā€™ en so skinny en so feeble dat he couldnā€™ sell ā€™em ter nobody, en dey wouldnā€™ eat nuffinā€™ eā€™se, so he des had ter feed ā€™em on chickā€™n. Wā€™en he had useā€™ up all de chickā€™ns on his place, he went rounā€™ ter his nabers ter buy chickā€™ns en dey say dey wuz sorry, but deyā€™d solā€™ all dey chickā€™ns ter a man in town. Mars Donalā€™ went ter dis yer man, en he say dem chickā€™ns doan bā€™long ter him but ter ernudder man wā€™at wuz gethā€™inā€™ chickā€™ns fer ter ship ter Wimā€™lā€™ton, er de Noā€™f, er someā€™ers. Mars Donalā€™ say he des bleedzd ter hab chickā€™ns, en fer dat man to see de yuther genteā€™man en ax ā€™im wā€™at heā€™d take fer dem chickā€™ns. De nexā€™ day de man say Mars Donalā€™ could hab de chickā€™ns fer so much, wā€™ich wuz ā€™bout twicet ez much ez chickā€™ns had beā€™n fetchinā€™ in de mahket befoā€™. It mosā€™ broke Mars Donalā€™s heaā€™t, but he ā€™lowed dem chickā€™ns would lasā€™ ā€™tel Aunā€™ Peggy come back en tuk de goopher offā€™n de niggers.

ā€œBut wā€™en de eenā€™ er de week wuz retchā€™, ole Aunā€™ Peggy hadnā€™ come back, en Mars Donalā€™ had ter hab moā€™ chickā€™ns, fer chickā€™n-meat des barely ā€™peared ter keep de niggers alibe; en so he went out in de country fer ter hunt fer chickā€™ns. En evā€™ywhar heā€™d go, dis yuther man had beā€™n befoā€™ ā€™im en had bought up all de chickā€™ns, er contracted fer ā€™em all, en Mars Donalā€™ had ter go back ter dis man in town en pay two prices ter git chickā€™ns ter feed his niggers.

ā€œDe nexā€™ week it wuz de same way, en Mars Donalā€™ ā€™menceā€™ ter git despā€™rit. He sont way off in two er thā€™ee counties, fer ter hunt chickā€™ns, but high er low, no matter whar, dis yuther man had beā€™n befoā€™, ā€™tel it ā€™peared lak he had bought up all de chickā€™ns in Noā€™f Caā€™lina.

ā€œBut wā€™at wuz dribinā€™ Mars Donalā€™ mosā€™ crazy wuz de money he had ter spenā€™ fer dese chickā€™ns. It had mosā€™ broke his heaā€™t fer ter kill all his hawgs, en he had felt wuss wā€™en he hatter kill all his cows. But wā€™en dis yer chickā€™n business begun, it come mighty nigh ruininā€™ ā€™im. Fusā€™, he spenā€™ all de money he had saved feedinā€™ de niggers. Den he spent all de money he had in de bank, er stoā€™ed away. Den he borried all de money he could on his notes, en he des ā€™bout retchā€™ de pint whar heā€™d hatter mawgidge his plantation fer ter raise moā€™ money ter buy chickā€™ns fer his niggers, wā€™en one day Aunā€™ Peggy come back fum Robeson County en tolā€™ Mars Donalā€™ she had founā€™ de root she ā€™uz lookinā€™ fer, en gun ā€™im a mixtry fer ter take de goopher offā€™n de niggers.

ā€œā€Šā€˜Dis yer mixtry;ā€™ sez she, ā€˜ā€Šā€™ll fetch yoā€™ niggers apā€™tites back en make ā€™em eat dey rashuns en git dey strenk back agā€™in. But you is useā€™ dat yuther mixtry so strong, en put dat goopher on so haā€™d, dat I ā€™magine its got in dey blood, en Iā€™s feared dey ainā€™ nobody ner nuffin kin eber take it all offā€™n ā€™em. So I ā€™specā€™s youā€™ll hatter gib yoā€™ niggers chickā€™n at leasā€™ oncet a week ez long ez dey libs, ef you wanter git de wuk outā€™n ā€™em dat you oughter.

ā€œDey wuz so many niggers on ole Mars Donalā€™s plantation,ā€ continued Julius, ā€œen dey got scattered rounā€™ so befoā€™ de wah en sence, dat dey ainā€™ haā€™dly no culluā€™d folks in Noā€™f Caā€™lina but wā€™atā€™s has got some er de blood er dem goophered niggers in dey vames. En so eber sence den, all de niggers in Noā€™f Caā€™lina has ter hab chickā€™n at leasā€™ oncet er week fer ter keep dey healtā€™ en strenk. En datā€™s wā€™y culluā€™ folks laks chickā€™n moā€™dā€™n wā€™ite folks.ā€

ā€œWhat became of Tom and his sweetheart?ā€ asked my wife.

ā€œYasā€™mā€ said Julius, ā€œI wuz a-cominā€™ ter dat. De nexā€™ week atter de goopher wuz tuk offā€™n de niggers, Mars Tom come down ter Aunā€™ Peggy, en paid her back de money he borried. En he tolā€™ Aunā€™ Peggy he had made moā€™ money buyinā€™ chickā€™ns en sellinā€™ ā€™em ter his Uncle Donalā€™ dan his daddy had lefā€™ ā€™im wā€™en he died, en he say he wuz gwine ter marry Miss ā€™Liza en buy a big plantation en a lot er niggers en holā€™ up his head ā€™mongsā€™ de big wā€™ite folks des lak he oughter. En he tolā€™ Aunā€™ Peggy he wuz much bleedzd ter her, en ef she got tiā€™ed cunjā€™inā€™ en wanter resā€™ en lib easy, she could hab a cabin on his plantation en a stool by his kitchen fiah, en all de chickā€™n en wheat-bread she wanter eat, en all de terbacker she wanter smoke ez long ez she mought stay in dis worlā€™ er sin en sorrer.ā€

I had occasion

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