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met a stranger, de ham would be de fusā€™ thing de stranger would see. Most un ā€™em would ā€™menceā€™ ter laf, en whareber Dave went he could see folks pā€™intinā€™ at him, en year ā€™em sayinā€™:ā ā€”

ā€œā€Šā€˜Wā€™at kine er collar dat nigger got rounā€™ his neck?ā€™ er, ef dey knowed ā€™im, ā€˜Is yer stole any moā€™ hams lately?ā€™ er ā€˜Wā€™at yer take fer yoā€™ neckliss, Dave?ā€™ er some joke er ā€™nuther ā€™bout dat ham.

ā€œFusā€™ Dave didnā€™ mine it so much, caze he knowed he hadnā€™ done nuffin. But bimeby he got so he couldnā€™ stanā€™ it no longer, en heā€™d hide hisseā€™f in de bushes wā€™eneber he seed anybody cominā€™, en alluz kepā€™ hisseā€™f shet up in his cabin atter he come in fum wuk.

ā€œIt wuz monstā€™us hard on Dave, en bimeby, wā€™at wid dat ham eberlastinā€™ en etarnally dragginā€™ rounā€™ his neck, he ā€™menceā€™ fer ter do en say quare things, en make de niggers wonder ef he waā€™nā€™t gittinā€™ outā€™n his mine. He got ter gwine rounā€™ talkinā€™ ter hisseā€™f, en singinā€™ corn-shuckinā€™ songs, en laffinā€™ fit ter kill ā€™bout nuffin. En one day he tole one er de niggers he had ā€™skivered a noo way fer ter raise hamsā ā€”gwine ter pick ā€™em offā€™n trees, en save de expense er smoke-ā€™ouses by kyoinā€™ ā€™em in de sun. En one day he upā€™n tole Mars Walker he got sumpā€™n pertickler fer ter say ter ā€™im; en he tuk Mars Walker off ter one side, en tole ā€™im he wuz gwine ter show ā€™im a place in de swamp whar dey wuz a whole tracā€™ er lanā€™ covered wid ham-trees.

ā€œWen Mars Walker hearn Dave talkinā€™ dis kine er fool-talk, en wā€™en he seed how Dave wuz ā€™mencinā€™ ter git behine in his wuk, en wā€™en he axā€™ de niggers en dey tole ā€™im how Dave beā€™n gwine on, he ā€™lowed he reckonā€™ heā€™d punishā€™ Dave ernuff, en it mouā€™t do moā€™ harm dan good fer ter keep de ham on his neck any longer. So he sont Dave down ter de blacksmif-shop en had de ham tuk off. Dey waā€™nā€™t much er de ham lefā€™ by dat time, fer de sun had melt all de fat, en de lean had all swivelā€™ up, so dey waā€™nā€™t but thā€™ee er foā€™ pounā€™s lefā€™.

ā€œWā€™en de ham had beā€™n tuk offā€™n Dave, folks kinder stopped talkinā€™ ā€™bout ā€™im so much. But de ham had beā€™n on his neck so long dat Dave had sorter got useā€™ ter it. He look des lack heā€™d losā€™ sumpā€™n fer a day er so atter de ham wuz tuk off, en didnā€™ ā€™pear ter know wā€™at ter do wid hisseā€™f; en fineā€™ly he upā€™n tukā€™n tied a lighterd-knot ter a string, en hid it under de floā€™ er his cabin, en wā€™en nobody wuznā€™ lookinā€™ heā€™d take it out en hang it rounā€™ his neck, en go off in de woods en holler en sing; en he allus tied it rounā€™ his neck wā€™en he went ter sleep. Facā€™, it ā€™peared lack Dave done gone clean outā€™n his mine. En atter a wā€™ile he got one er de quarest notions you eber hearn tell un. It wuz ā€™bout dat time dat I come back ter de plantation fer ter wukā ā€”I had beā€™n out ter Mars Dugalā€™s yuther place on Beaver Crick for a montā€™ er so. I had hearn ā€™bout Dave en de bacon, en ā€™bout wā€™at wuz gwine on on de plantation; but I didnā€™ bā€™lieve wā€™at dey all say ā€™bout Dave, fer I knowed Dave waā€™nā€™t dat kine er man. One day atter I come back, meā€™n Dave wuz choppinā€™ cotton tergedder, wā€™en Dave leanā€™ on his hoe, en motionā€™ fer me ter come ober close ter ā€™im; en den he retchā€™ ober en wā€™ispered ter me.

ā€œā€Šā€˜Julius,ā€™ sezee, ā€˜did yer knowed yer wuz wukkinā€™ long yer wid a ham?ā€™

ā€œI couldnā€™ ā€™magine wā€™at he meant. ā€˜Gā€™way fum yer, Dave,ā€™ says I. ā€˜Yer ainā€™ wearinā€™ no ham no moā€™; try en fergit ā€™bout dat; ā€™t ainā€™ gwine ter do yer no good fer ter ā€™member it.ā€™

ā€œā€Šā€˜Look a-yer, Julius,ā€™ sezee, ā€˜kin yer keep a secret?ā€™

ā€œā€Šā€˜Coā€™se I kin, Dave,ā€™ says I. ā€˜I doan go rounā€™ tellinā€™ people wā€™at yuther folks says ter me.ā€™

ā€œā€Šā€˜Kin I trusā€™ yer, Julius? Will yer cross yoā€™ heart?ā€™

ā€œI crossā€™ my heart. ā€˜Wush I may die ef I tells a soul,ā€™ says I.

ā€œDave lookā€™ at me des lack he wuz lookinā€™ thoo me en ā€™way on de yuther side er me, en sezee:ā ā€”

ā€œā€Šā€˜Did yer knowed I wuz turninā€™ ter a ham, Julius?ā€™

ā€œI tried ter ā€™suade Dave dat dat wuz all foolishness, en dat he oughtnā€™t ter be talkinā€™ dat-a-wayā ā€”hit waā€™nā€™t right. En I tole ā€™im ef heā€™d des be patienā€™, de time would shoā€™ly come wā€™en eveā€™ything would be straightenā€™ out, en folks would fine out who de rale rogue wuz wā€™at stole de bacon. Dave ā€™peared ter listen ter wā€™at I say, en promiseā€™ ter do better, en stop gwine on dat-a-way; en it seem lack he pickā€™ up a bit wā€™en he seed dey wuz one pusson didnā€™ bā€™lieve dem tales ā€™bout ā€™im.

ā€œHit waā€™nā€™t long atter dat befoā€™ Mars Archie McIntyre, ober on de Wimbleton road, ā€™menceā€™ ter complain ā€™bout somebody stealinā€™ chickens fum his hen-ā€™ouse. De chickens kepā€™ on gwine, en at lasā€™ Mars Archie tole de hanā€™s on his plantation dat he gwine ter shoot de fusā€™ man he ketch in his hen-ā€™ouse. In lessā€™n a week atter he gin dis warninā€™, he cotch a nigger in de hen-ā€™ouse, en fillā€™ ā€™im full er squirā€™l-shot. Wā€™en he got a light, he ā€™skivered it wuz a strange nigger; en wā€™en he callā€™ one er his own sarvenā€™s, de nigger tole ā€™im it wuz our Wiley. Wā€™en Mars Archie founā€™ dat out, he sont ober ter our plantation fer ter tell Mars Dugalā€™ he had shot one er his niggers, en dat he could senā€™ ober dere en git wā€™at wuz lef un ā€™im.

ā€œMars Dugalā€™ wuz mad at fusā€™; but wā€™en he got ober dere

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