"'I t'ought dere was a roast goose, Chad?' "'I ain't yerd nothin' 'bout no goose,' I says. 'I'll ask de cook.' "Next minute I yerd old marsa a-hollerin':-- "'Mammy Jane, ain't we got a goose?' "'Lord-a-massy! yes, marsa. Chad, you wu'thless nigger, ain't you tuk dat goose out yit?' "'Is we got a goose?' said I. "'_Is we got a goose_? Didn't you help pick it?' "I see whar my hair was short, an' I snatched up a hot dish from de hearth, opened de oven do', an' slide de goose in jes as he was, an' lay him down befo' Marsa John. "'Now see what de ladies'll have for dinner,' says old marsa, pickin' up his caarvin' knife. "'What'll you take for dinner, miss?' says I. 'Baked ham?' "'No,' she says, lookin' up to whar Marsa John sat; 'I think I'll take a leg ob dat goose'--jes so. "Well, marsa cut off de leg an' put a little stuffin' an' gravy on wid a spoon, an' says to me, 'Chad, see what dat gemman'll have.' "'What'll you take for dinner, sah?' says I. 'Nice breast o' goose, or slice o' ham?' "'No; I think I'll take a leg of dat goose,' he says. "I didn't say nuffin', but I knowed bery well he wa'n't a-gwine to git it. "But, Major, you oughter seen ole marsa lookin' for der udder leg ob dat goose! He rolled him ober on de dish, dis way an' dat way, an' den he jabbed dat ole bone-handled caarvin' fork in him an' hel' him up ober de dish an' looked under him an' on top ob him, an' den he says, kinder sad like:-- "'Chad, whar is de udder leg ob dat goose?' "'It didn't hab none,' says I. "'You mean ter say, Chad, dat de gooses on my plantation on'y got one leg?' "'Some ob 'em has an' some ob 'em ain't. You see, marsa, we got two kinds in de pond, an' we was a little boddered today, so Mammy Jane cooked dis one 'cause I cotched it fust.' "'Well,' said he, lookin' like he look when he send for you in de little room, 'I'll settle wid ye after dinner.' "Well, dar I was shiverin' an' shakin' in my shoes, an' droppin' gravy an' spillin' de wine on de table-cloth, I was dat shuck up; an' when de dinner was ober he calls all de ladies an' gemmen, an' says, 'Now come down to de duck pond. I'm gwineter show dis nigger dat all de gooses on my plantation got mo' den one leg.' "I followed 'long, trapesin' after de whole kit an' b'ilin', an' when we got to de pond"--here Chad nearly went into a convulsion with suppressed laughter--"dar was de gooses sittin' on a log in de middle of dat ole green goose-pond wid one leg stuck down--so--an' de udder tucked under de wing." Chad was now on one leg, balancing himself by my chair, the tears running down his cheeks. "'Dar, marsa,' says I, 'don't ye see? Look at dat ole gray goose! Dat's de berry match ob de one we had to-day.' "Den de ladies all hollered an' de gemmen laughed so loud dey yerd 'em at de big house. "'Stop, you black scoun'rel!' Marsa John says, his face gittin' white an' he a-jerkin' his handkerchief from his pocket. 'Shoo!'