He wuz allers arfter your mar ter sell all of us, en sell the place en go
Norf with him ter live. Sumhow he diden' lak culured peepel ter wate on
him. Jes lak hees sister, who cum down here to visit Mis July, en bro't
her little gal with her. When enny of us wud go ni the child, shee'd draw
bak en say, 'och-y,' jes lak our black skins wuz nasty. She seed Judy with
her hans en the biskit do', and she wuden' eat the biskits. She said the
blak rubbed orf in 'em. Shee'd never heered of worfles 'til she cum out
here, en she wuden' tech 'em, cors she tho't we made the holes in em with
our fingers. Yer mar felt mity bad cors de chile wuden' eat nuffin', for
she wuz a po' little wite-face thing ennyhow.

"Well, you wanter know erbout your par en your mar. It ain' nuffin' but
natchel, en I'll tell you the best I know how. One day I wuz cleneen' your
mar's room. Your par en your mar wuz en de setten' room, en I heered him
say:

"'It's unly a queshun of er little time, en they'll all be free. Sell 'em
now wile you kin en put the money en your pocket. Ef you wate, they'll be
er dead loss ter you. You made one fulis mistake en not selling Squire;
don't make another.'

"Lemme tell you wot he mean by that, honey. Squire's mammy, Free Fanny,
cum down here fum the city, en tried ter buy Squire fum yer mar. She
orfered her er big price fur Squire; she wuz rich, en mity keen ter git
her unly son. But Squire, he jes' went on so, got down on his knees ter
your mar en begged her not to sell him ter his mammy. Axel cried, en got
your mar ter cryen', en Mis Betsy en Mars Charley. You never seed enny
thin' lak et. En your mar tole Free Fanny she wud leave it with Squire, en
do jes' ez he sed. Yer par wuz jes' out-dun. Pear-lak he cuden' git over
your mar payen' mo' tenshun ter Squire then ter him.