“Es ole es Shadrach were, an’ es doubled up, de oberseer hatter lay de whup on him two er free times, an’ hit make de Ole Marster feel mighty bad; an’ all de time de debil des er-aggin’ uv hit on, an’ er-showin’ him down de white folks’ chimblies ever’ night, ’case Shadrach done git too uppish ter wanter know nuffin ’bout niggers. “But bimeby he retch de eend uv he rope, an’ he retch hit so powerful suddent dat hit putty nigh fling him outen he senses. “He git manisher an’ manisher wid de debil; he done furgit all erbout de bargain, an’ who de debil were, an’ ’low he hain’t gotter borry no wings ner nuffin ter rise wid, if de debil do. Dat he gwine rise wid he own coat-tails—dat any hoodoo kin, an’ he gwine do hit. Po’ fool Shadrach!—he done furgit he hain’t no hoodoo ner nuffin—nuffin but er po’ ole sarvent er de debil, an’ hit all fru he power! [Illustration: “SHADRACH HE RIZ WID HE OWN COAT-TAILS”] “But de debil do he pleasurin’ an’ hain’t say nuffin; so dat night when dey riz, de debil he borry de buzzard’s wings ergin fur hese’f; but Shadrach he riz wid he own coat-tails, an’ de debil he do mighty ’umble, an’ make lack Shadrach doin’ all dis here by hese’f. De debil gwine let him git mixed an’ tangled up lack er fly in er spider’s web, an’ Shadrach he sho boun’ ter do hit; fur dat night he hear things dat sot him putty nigh plum crazy, ’case he done hear too much at las’; an’ de nex’ day de debil hatter leabe de quarters an’ go back inter de bad place. He taken Shadrach’s soul wid him, an’ sumpen else dat oughter b’long ter er good man, ’case Shadrach hain’t eben passable no mo’. “Arter de debil go ’way, Shadrach’s years taken ter growin’, an’ dey grows long an’ high an’ thin, an’ hit ’pear lack Shadrach hear ever’thing at oncet, lack er big roarin’ er waters, so’s he cain’t make out nuffin. “He cry out, when nobody ain’ hearin’ nuffin, dat he hear Cindy ’way down in de cotton-fiel’ er-talkin’ ter herself, an’ he cain’t make out what she say. Den he hear Missar Jones’s Sambo, five mile erway, er-yellin’ out sumpen, but he cain’t make hit out; an’ he sot in ter cryin’ an’ er-moanin’ wid de pain an’ de noises dat ’mos’ bustin’ he head opin. “He Ole Marse say he plum crazy, ’case he so mighty ole; but he Ole Miss ’low he need quinine; an’ dat quinine des de stuff dat de debil want him ter hab, ’case hit kin work mo’ ’fusion in one hour ’n de debil kin in er whole day, an’ hit hope de debil mightily, es he couldn’ be on de groun’ fur ter make Shadrach mo’ painful hese’f. “An’ Shadrach git ter be so painful wid de hearin’ uv ever’thing plum mixed up, dat he taken ter w’arin’ big wads er cotton in he years fur ter shet hit out er de years, dat keeps er-growin’ longer an’ longer, narrerer an’ narrerer; but de cotton cain’t shet hit out, ’case half uv hit kim fum de inside, an’ was de wakin’ up uv all dat de debil lef’ Shadrach dat b’long ter er good man.