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wouldnā€™ ā€™aā€™ mine cominā€™ ten er fifteen mile at night ter see Tenie, but Mars Marraboā€™s uncleā€™s plantation wuz moā€™ dā€™n forty mile off. Sandy wuz mighty sad en casā€™ down atter wā€™at Mars Marrabo tolā€™ ā€™im, en he says ter Tenie, sezee:ā ā€”

ā€œā€Šā€˜Iā€™m gittinā€™ monstā€™us tiā€™ed er dish yer gwine rounā€™ so much. Here I is lent ter Mars Jeems dis montā€™, en I got ter do so-en-so; en ter Mars Archie de nexā€™ montā€™, en I got ter do so-en-so; den I got ter go ter Miss Jinnieā€™s: en hitā€™s Sandy dis en Sandy dat, en Sandy yer en Sandy dere, tel it ā€™pears ter me I ainā€™ got no home, ner no marster, ner no mistiss, ner no nuffin. I canā€™t eben keep a wife: my yuther ole ā€™oman wuz solā€™ away widout my gittinā€™ a chance fer ter tell her good-by; en now I got ter go off en leab you, Tenie, en I dunno wheā€™r Iā€™m eber gwine ter see you agā€™in er no. I wisht I wuz a tree, er a stump, er a rock, er sumpā€™n wā€™at could stay on de plantation fer a wā€™ile.ā€™

ā€œAtter Sandy got thoo talkinā€™, Tenie didnā€™ say naer word, but des sot dere by de fier, studyinā€™ en studyinā€™. Bimeby she up ā€™nā€™ says:ā ā€”

ā€œā€Šā€˜Sandy, is I eber tolā€™ you I wuz a cunjuh ā€™oman?ā€™

ā€œCoā€™se Sandy hadnā€™ nebber drempā€™ er nuffin lack dat, en he made a great ā€™miration wā€™en he hear wā€™at Tenie say. Bimeby Tenie went on:ā ā€”

ā€œā€Šā€˜I ainā€™ goophered nobody, ner done no cunjuh wuk, fer fifteen year er moā€™; en wā€™en I got religion I made up my mine I wouldnā€™ wuk no moā€™ goopher. But dey is some things I doan bā€™lieve itā€™s no sin fer ter do; en ef you doan wanter be sent rounā€™ fum pillar ter posā€™, en ef you doan wanter go down ter Robeson, I kin fix things so you wonā€™t haf ter. Ef youā€™ll des say de word, I kin turn you ter wā€™ateber you wanter be, en you kin stay right whar you wanter, ez long ez you mineter.ā€™

ā€œSandy say he doan keer; heā€™s willinā€™ fer ter do anythinā€™ fer ter stay close ter Tenie. Den Tenie ax ā€™im ef he doan wanter be turnt inter a rabbit.

ā€œSandy say, ā€˜No, de dogs mought git atter me.ā€™

ā€œā€Šā€˜Shill I turn you ter a wolf?ā€™ sez Tenie.

ā€œā€Šā€˜No, eveā€™ybodyā€™s skeered er a wolf, en I doan want nobody ter be skeered er me.ā€™

ā€œā€Šā€˜Shill I turn you ter a mawkinā€™-bird?ā€™

ā€œā€Šā€˜No, a hawk mought ketch me. I wanter be turnt inter sumpā€™n wā€™atā€™ll stay in one place.ā€™

ā€œā€Šā€˜I kin turn you ter a tree,ā€™ sez Tenie. ā€˜You wonā€™t hab no mouf ner years, but I kin turn you back oncet in a wā€™ile, so you kin git sumpā€™n ter eat, en hear wā€™atā€™s gwine on.ā€™

ā€œWell, Sandy say datā€™ll do. En so Tenie tuk ā€™im down by de aidge er de swamp, not fur fum de quarters, en turnt ā€™im inter a big pine-tree, en sot ā€™im out ā€™mongsā€™ some yuther trees. En de nexā€™ mawninā€™, ez some er de fielā€™ hanā€™s wuz gwine long dere, dey seed a tree wā€™at dey didnā€™ ā€™member er habbinā€™ seed befoā€™; it wuz monstā€™us quare, en dey wuz bleedst ter ā€™low dat dey hadnā€™ ā€™membered right, er eā€™se one er de saplinā€™s had beā€™n growinā€™ monstā€™us fasā€™.

ā€œWā€™en Mars Marrabo ā€™skiverā€™ dat Sandy wuz gone, he ā€™lowed Sandy had runned away. He got de dogs out, but de lasā€™ place dey could track Sandy ter wuz de foot er dat pine-tree. En dere de dogs stood en barked, en bayed, en pawed at de tree, en tried ter climb up on it; en wā€™en dey wuz tuk rounā€™ thoo de swamp ter look fer de scent, dey broke loose en made fer dat tree agā€™in. It wuz de beatenisā€™ thing de wā€™ite folks eber hearn of, en Mars Marrabo ā€™lowed dat Sandy must ā€™aā€™ climā€™ up on de tree en jumpā€™ off on a mule er sumpā€™n, en rid fur ernuff fer ter spile de scent. Mars Marrabo wanted ter ā€™cuse some er de yuther niggers er heppinā€™ Sandy off, but dey all ā€™nied it ter de lasā€™; en eveā€™ybody knowed Tenie sot too much stoā€™ by Sandy fer ter heā€™p ā€™im run away whar she couldnā€™ nebber see ā€™im no moā€™.

ā€œWā€™en Sandy had beā€™n gone long ernuff fer folks ter think he done got clean away, Tenie useter go down ter de woods at night en turn ā€™im back, en den deyā€™d slip up ter de cabin en set by de fire en talk. But dey haā€™ ter be monstā€™us keerful, er eā€™se somebody would ā€™aā€™ seed ā€™em, en dat would ā€™aā€™ spileā€™ de whole thing; so Tenie alluz turnt Sandy back in de mawninā€™ early, befoā€™ anybody wuz a-stirrinā€™.

ā€œBut Sandy didnā€™ git erlong widout his trials en tribberlations. One day a woodpecker come erlong en ā€™menceā€™ ter peck at de tree; en de nexā€™ time Sandy wuz turnt back he had a little rounā€™ hole in his arm, des lack a sharp stick beā€™n stuck in it. Atter dat Tenie sot a sparrer-hawk fer ter watch de tree; en wā€™en de woodpecker come erlong nexā€™ mawninā€™ fer ter finish his nesā€™, he got gobbleā€™ up mosā€™ ā€™foā€™ he stuck his bill in de bark.

ā€œNudder time, Mars Marrabo sent a nigger out in de woods fer ter chop tuppentime boxes. De man chop a box in dish yer tree, en hackā€™ de bark up two er thā€™ee feet, fer ter let de tuppentime run. De nexā€™ time Sandy wuz turnt back he had a big skyar on his lefā€™ leg, des lack it beā€™n skunt; en it tuk Tenie nigh ā€™bout all night fer ter fix a mixtry ter kyo it up. Atter dat, Tenie sot a hawnet fer ter watch de tree; en wā€™en de nigger come back agā€™in fer ter cut ernudder box on de yuther sideā€™n de tree, de hawnet stung ā€™im so hard dat de ax

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