And presently Jim would retaliate by saying,

"Granny, Polly nuber sed nuf'n 'bout her 'cruspusses.'"

"Lord-ee! jes' lis'n at dat nigger," Polly would say. "Granny, don't
yer min' 'im; I sed furgib us cruspusses, jes' ez plain ez anybody, and
Ginny hyeard me; didn't yer, Ginny?"

At these interruptions Aunt Nancy would stop to investigate the matter,
and whoever was found in fault was punished with strict and impartial
justice.

Another very interesting time to visit the quarters was in the morning
before breakfast, to see Aunt Nancy give the little darkies their
"vermifuge." She had great faith in the curative properties of a very
nauseous vermifuge that she had made herself by stewing some kind of
herbs in molasses, and every morning she would administer a teaspoonful
of it to every child under her care; and she used to say,

"Ef'n hit want fur dat furmifuge, den marster wouldn't hab all dem
niggers w'at yer see hyear."

Now, I don't know about that; but I do know that the little darkies
would rather have had fewer "niggers" and less "furmifuge;" for they
acted shamefully every time they were called upon to take a dose. In the
first place, whenever Aunt Nancy appeared with the bottle and spoon, as
many of the children as could get away would flee for their lives, and
hide themselves behind the hen-coops and ash-barrels, and under the
cabins, and anywhere they could conceal themselves.