heifer; they got her of old Joe Sanders, on the Creek. And they sold one
of their horses--the sorrel--and a mule; they hadn't no use fur 'em
here, fur the land's not worth much, and hasn't seen no guano nor
nothin' fur three or four years; and the money they got was enough to
start a mighty good cooper-shop, ef Sam don't spend it all, or most of
it, in Richmond, which I think he will; and of course, he being away,
Sarah Ann wanted to go to her mother's, and she got herself ready and
took them four children--and I pity the old lady, fur Sam's children
never had no bringin' up. I disremember how old Tommy is, but it isn't
over eight, and just as noisy as ef he wasn't the oldest. And so I come
here to take care of the place; but I can't stay no longer than Tuesday
fortnight, as I told Sarah Ann, fur I've got to go to Betsey Cropper's
then to help her with her spinnin'; and there's my own things--seven
pounds of wool to spin fur Truly Mattherses people, besides two bushel
baskets, easy, of carpet-rags to sew, and I want 'em done by the time
Miss Jane gits her loom empty, or I'll git no weavin' done this year,
and what do you think? I've had another visitor to-day, and your comin'
right afterwards kind o' struck me as mighty queer, both bein' Akeville
people, so to speak tho' it's been a long day since he's been there, and
you'll never guess who it was, fur it was George Mason."

And she stopped and wiped her face with her calico apron.

"So George Mason was here, was he?" said Tony. "Where is he now?"

"Oh! he's gone," replied Cousin Maria. "It wasn't more 'n ten or fifteen
minutes before you came in, and he was a-sittin' here talking about ole
times--he's rougher than he was, guess he didn't learn no good down
there in Mississippi--when all ov a sudden he got up an' took his hat
and walked off. Well, that was jist like George Mason. He never had much