"What does she whip ye for?"

"Laws, sake, for noffin at all; jest when she takes a notion;
jest for ex'cise, like. Owes me one, now," said the girl.
"I breaked de pitcher dis mornin', and, ho, ho, ho! how missus flied!
I runned and 'scaped her, though."

"She'll catch ye some time."

"No, she don't, not for dat score. Specs I'll dodge till she's
got suffin' else to tink about. Dat's de way dis chile fix it.
Shouldn't hab no skin leff, ef I didn't. Laws, now, ye ought
to seen toder day, when I's done stept on missus' toe.
Didn't do it a purpose, sartain true, ef ye do laugh,"
said she, shaking her head at the tittering tribe at her heels.
"Dat are leetle Luce pushed, and missus jest had her hand up to gib
Luce an old-fashioned crack on the head wid dat big brack key of hern.
Hi! didn't she fly roun', and forgot all 'bout Luce, a tryin'
to hit dis nig--and dis nig scooted and runned, and when missus'
hand come down wid de big key, thar warn't no nigger's head
at all thar--and missus was gwine to lay it on so drefful hard,
dat she falled ober hersef right down into de kitchen,
and by de time she picked hersef up, bof de nigs war done gone.
Ho, ho, ho! I tells ye she was mad enough ter eat 'em.
'Pears as ef sparks comed right out of dem brack eyes."

The girl's loud voice, as she grew animated in telling her exploits,
and the boisterous glee of her hearers, might have drawn the mistress
with whip in hand from the house, to inflict with double severity