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fergot all ā€™bout takinā€™ de baby doll back ter Aunā€™ Peggy, en it kepā€™ wukkinā€™ fer a wā€™ile, en makinā€™ Hannibalā€™s feet buā€™n moā€™ er less, ā€™tel all de folks on de plantation got ter callinā€™ ā€™im Hot-Foot Hannibal. He kepā€™ gittinā€™ moā€™ en moā€™ triflinā€™, ā€™tel he got de name er beinā€™ de mosā€™ no ā€™countesā€™ nigger on de plantation, en Marsā€™ Dugalā€™ had ter thā€™eaten ter sell ā€™im in de spring, wā€™en bimeby de goopher quit wukkinā€™, en Hannibal ā€™menceā€™ ter pick up some en make folks set a little moā€™ stoā€™ by ā€™im.

ā€œNow, dis yer Hannibal was a monstā€™us smaā€™t nigger, en wā€™en he got rid er dem soā€™ feet, his minā€™ kepā€™ runninā€™ on ā€™is udder troubles. Heah thā€™ee er foā€™ weeks befoā€™ heā€™d had aā€™ easy job, waitinā€™ on de wā€™ite folks, libbinā€™ offā€™n de fat er de lanā€™, en promusā€™ de finesā€™ gal on de plantation fer a wife in de spring, en now heah he wuz back in de coā€™n-fielā€™, wid de oberseah a-cussinā€™ en a-rā€™arinā€™ ef he didnā€™ get a haā€™d tasā€™ done; wid nuffin but coā€™n bread en bacon en merlasses ter eat; en all de fielā€™-hanā€™s makinā€™ remaā€™ks, en pokinā€™ fun at ā€™im ā€™caā€™se heā€™d beā€™n sont back fum de big house ter de fielā€™. En de moā€™ Hannibal studied ā€™bout it de moā€™ madder he got, ā€™tel he finā€™lly swoā€™ he wuz gwine ter git eben wid Jeff en Chloe, ef it wuz de lasā€™ acā€™.

ā€œSo Hannibal slipped ā€™way fum de quaā€™ters one Sunday en hid in de coā€™n up close ter de big house, ā€™tel he see Chloe gwine down de road. He waylaid her, en sezee:ā ā€”

ā€œā€Šā€˜Hoddy, Chloe?ā€™

ā€œā€Šā€˜I ainā€™ got no time fer ter fool wid fielā€™-hanā€™s,ā€™ sez Chloe, tossinā€™ her head; ā€™wā€™at you want wid me, Hot-Foot?ā€™

ā€œā€Šā€˜I wants ter know how you en Jeff is gittinā€™ ā€™long.ā€™

ā€œā€Šā€˜I ā€™lows datā€™s none er yoā€™ bizness, nigger. I doan see wā€™at ā€™casion any common fielā€™-hanā€™ has got ter mix in wid de ā€™fairs er folks wā€™at libs in de big house. But ef itā€™ll do you any good ter know, I mought say dat me en Jeff is gittinā€™ ā€™long mighty well, en we gwine ter git married in de spring, en you ainā€™ gwine ter be ā€™vited ter de weddinā€™ nuther.ā€™

ā€œā€Šā€˜No, no!ā€™ sezee, ā€˜I wouldnā€™ ā€™specā€™ ter be ā€™vited ter de weddinā€™ā ā€”a common, low-down fielā€™-hanā€™ lack I is. But Iā€™s glad ter heah you en Jeff is gittinā€™ ā€™long so well. I didnā€™ knowed but wā€™at he had ā€™menceā€™ ter be a little tiā€™ed.ā€™

ā€œā€Šā€˜Tiā€™ed er me? Datā€™s rediklus!ā€™ sez Chloe. ā€˜Wā€™y, dat nigger lubs me so I bā€™liebe heā€™d go thā€™oo fire en water fer me. Dat nigger is des wropā€™ up in me.ā€™

ā€œā€Šā€˜Uh huh,ā€™ sez Hannibal, ā€˜den I reckon it musā€™ be some udder nigger wā€™at meets a ā€™oman down by de crick in de swamp eveā€™y Sunday ebeninā€™, ter say nuffin ā€™bout two er thā€™ee times a week.ā€™

ā€œā€Šā€˜Yas, hit is ernudder nigger, en you is a liah wā€™en you say it wuz Jeff.ā€™

ā€œā€Šā€˜Mebbe I is a liah, en mebbe I ainā€™ got good eyes. But ā€™lessā€™n I is a liah, en ā€™lessā€™n I ainā€™ got good eyes, Jeff is gwine ter meet dat ā€™oman dis ebeninā€™ ā€™long ā€™bout eight oā€™clock right down dere by de crick in de swamp ā€™bout half-way betwixā€™ dis plantation en Marsā€™ Marrabo Utleyā€™s.ā€™

ā€œWell, Chloe tolā€™ Hannibal she didnā€™ bā€™liebe a woā€™d he said, en callā€™ ā€™im a low-down nigger, who wuz tryinā€™ ter slander Jeff ā€™caā€™se he wuz moā€™ luckier ā€™n he wuz. But all de same, she couldnā€™ keep her minā€™ fum runninā€™ on wā€™at Hannibal had said. She ā€™membered sheā€™d heared one er de niggers say dey wuz a gal ober at Marsā€™ Marrabo Utleyā€™s plantation wā€™at Jeff useā€™ ter go wid some befoā€™ he got ā€™quainted wid Chloe. Den she ā€™menceā€™ ter figger back, en shoā€™ ā€™nuff, dey wuz two er thā€™ee times in de lasā€™ week wā€™en sheā€™d beā€™n heā€™pinā€™ de ladies wid dey dressinā€™ en udder fixinā€™s in de ebeninā€™, en Jeff mought ā€™aā€™ gone down ter de swamp widout her knowinā€™ ā€™bout it at all. En den she ā€™menceā€™ ter ā€™member little things wā€™at she hadnā€™ tuk no notice of befoā€™, en wā€™at ā€™uā€™d make it ā€™pear lack Jeff had sumpā€™n on his minā€™.

ā€œChloe set a monstā€™us heap er stoā€™ by Jeff, en would ā€™aā€™ done mosā€™ anythinā€™ fer ā€™im, so long ez he stuck ter her. But Chloe wuz a mighty jealous ā€™oman, en wā€™iles she didnā€™ bā€™liebe wā€™at Hannibal said, she seed how it could ā€™aā€™ beā€™n so, en she ā€™termineā€™ fer ter finā€™ out fer herseā€™f whuther it wuz so er no.

ā€œNow, Chloe hadnā€™ seed Jeff all day, fer Marsā€™ Dugalā€™ had sont Jeff ober ter his daughterā€™s house, young Misā€™ Maā€™gā€™retā€™s, wā€™at libbed ā€™bout foā€™ miles fum Marsā€™ Dugalā€™s, en Jeff wuznā€™ ā€™spected home ā€™tel ebeninā€™. But des atter supper wuz ober, en wā€™iles de ladies wuz settinā€™ out on de piazzer, Chloe slipā€™ off fum de house en run down de roadā ā€”dis yer same road we come; en wā€™en she got mosā€™ ter de crickā ā€”dis yer same crick right befoā€™ usā ā€”she kinā€™ er kepā€™ in de bushes at de side er de road, ā€™tel finā€™lly she seed Jeff settinā€™ on de bank on de udder side er de crickā ā€”right unner dat ole willer-tree droopinā€™ ober de water yander. En eveā€™y now en den heā€™d git up en look up de road toā€™ds Marsā€™ Marraboā€™s on de udder side er de swamp.

ā€œFusā€™ Chloe felt lack sheā€™d go right ober de crick en gib Jeff a piece er her minā€™. Den she ā€™lowed she better be shoā€™ befoā€™ she done anythinā€™. So she helt herseā€™f in de besā€™ she could, gittinā€™ madder en madder eveā€™y minute, ā€™tel bimeby she seed a ā€™oman cominā€™ down de road on de udder side fum toā€™ds Marsā€™ Marrabo Utleyā€™s plantation. En wā€™en she seed Jeff jump up en run toā€™ds dat ā€™oman, en thā€™ow his aā€™ms rounā€™

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