"I goes over to the little house the clerk points out, 'n' knocks. A right fat nigger woman, with her sleeves rolled up, comes to the door. "'What you want?' she says. "'I want to see Miss Goodloe,' I says. "'You cyant see her. She ain' seein' nobody,' says the nigger woman, 'n' starts to shut the door. "'Wait a minute, aunty," I says. 'I got to see her--it's business, sure-enough business.' "'Doan you aunty me!' says she. 'Now, you take yo' bisniss with you an' ramble! Bisniss has done sole off eve'y stick an' stone we got! I doan want to hyar no mo' 'bout bisniss long as I live'--'n' bang goes the door. "I waits a minute 'n' then knocks again--nothin' doin'. I knocks fur five minutes steady. Pretty soon here she comes, but this time she's got a big brass-handled poker with her. "'Ef I has to clout you ovah de haid wid dis pokah you ain' gwine to transack no mo' bisniss fo' a tollable long time!' she says. She's mad all right, 'n' she hollers this at me pretty loud. "'Fore I can say anythin' a dame steps out in the hall 'n' looks at me 'n' the nigger woman 'n' the poker. "'What's the matter, Liza?' she says to the nigger woman, 'n' her voice is good to listen at. You don't care what she says, just so she keeps a-sayin' it. She's got on a white dress with black fixin's on it, 'n' she just suits her dress, 'cause her hair is dark 'n' her face is white, 'n' she has great big eyes that put me in mind of--I don't know what! She ain't very tall, but she makes me feel littler'n her when she looks at me. She's twenty-four or five, mebby, but I'm a bum guesser at a dame's age. "'Dis pusson boun' he gwine to see you an' I boun' he ain', Miss Sally,' says the nigger woman. The little dame comes out on the porch. "'I am Miss Goodloe,' she says to me. 'What do you wish?' "'I want to buy a hoss from you, ma'am,' I says to her. "'The horses are being sold across the way at that biggest barn,' she says. "'Yes'm,' I says, 'I've just come from there. I--' "'Have you been watching the sale?' she says, breakin' in. "'Yes'm--some,' I says. "'Liza, you may go to your kitchen now,' she says. 'Can you tell me if they have sold the mare, Mary Goodloe, yet?' she says to me when the nigger woman's gone. "'Yes'm, she was sold,' I says. "She flinches like I'd hit her 'n' I see her chin begin to quiver, but she bites her lip 'n' I looks off down the road to give her a chance. Pretty soon she's back fur more. I'm feelin' like a hound. "'Do you know who bought her?' she says. "'A nigger man they call Uncle Jake buys her,' I says. "'Uncle Jake!' she says. 'Are you sure? Was he an old man with poor eyesight?' "'He was old all right,' I says. 'But I don't notice about his eyes. He give twenty dollars fur her.' "'Is that all she brought?' she says.