dem stories I'se bin yerin 'bout 'em."

"Where did you see 'em?"

"Down in de woods whar Marster tole us to hide. Yesterday ole Marse sent
for me to come in de settin'-room. An' what do you think? Instead ob
makin' me stan' wid my hat in my han' while he went froo a whole
rigamarole, he axed me to sit down, an' he tole me he 'spected de
Yankees would want us to go inter de army, an' dey would put us in front
whar we'd all git killed; an' I tole him I didn't want to go, I didn't
want to git all momached up. An' den he said we'd better go down in de
woods an' hide. Massa Tom and Frank said we'd better go as quick as eber
we could. Dey said dem Yankees would put us in dere wagons and make us
haul like we war mules. Marse Tom ain't libin' at de great house jis'
now. He's keepin' bachellar's hall."

"Didn't he go to the battle?"

"No; he foun' a pore white man who war hard up for money, an' he got him
to go."

"But, Tom, you didn't believe these stories about the Yankees. Tom and
Frank can lie as fast as horses can trot. They wanted to scare you, and
keep you from going to the Union army."

"I knows dat now, but I didn't 'spect so den."

"Well, when did you see the soldiers? Where are they? And what did they
say to you?"