"Well, de nex' mawnin'--Chris'mas mawnin' dat was--ole Sam come
a-bustin' in de kitchen do', a-hollerin' loud as he could
holler"--Aunt Chloe was now rocking herself back and forth, clapping
her hands as she talked--"dat dere was a trunk on de front po'ch for
Miss Nannie dat was dat heavy it tuk fo' niggers to lif it. I run, an'
Dinah run, an' when we got to de trunk mos' all de niggers was thick
'round it as flies, an' Miss Nannie was standin' over it readin' a
card wid her name on it an' a 'scription sayin' dat it was 'a
Chris'mas gif', wid de compliments of a friend.' But who dat friend
was, whether it was Marse Henry, who sent it dat way so dat woman
wouldn't tear his hair out; or whether Mis' Morgan sent it, dat hadn't
mo'n 'nough money to live on; or whether some of her own kin in
Indiany, dat was dirt po', stole de money an' sent it; or whether de
young Dr. Tom Boling, who had mo' money dan all de banks in Lexin'ton,
done did it, don't nobody know till dis day, 'cept me an' ole Sam, an'
we ain't tellin'.
"But, my soul alive, de insides of dat trunk took de bref clean out o'
de mist'ess an' Miss Rachel. Sam opened it, an' I tuk out de things.
Honey! dere was a weddin' dress all white satin dat would stand
alone,--jes' de ve'y mate of de one you got in dat picter 'fore
ye,--an' a change'ble silk, dat heavy! an' a plaid one, an' eve'ything
a young lady could git on her back from her skin out, an' a
thousand-dollar watch an' chain. I wore dat watch myse'f; Miss Nannie
was standin' by me, a-clappin' her han's an' laughin', an' when dat
watch an' chain came out she jes' th'owed de chain over my neck an'
stuck de leetle watch in my bosom, an' says, 'Dere, you dear ole
mammy, go look at you'se'f in de glass an' see how fine you is.'
"De nex' week come de weddin'. I'll never forgit dat weddin' to my
dyin' day. Marse Tom Boling driv in wid a coach an' four an' two
outriders, an' de horses wore white ribbons on dere ears; an' de
coachman had flowers in his coat mos' big as his head, an' dey whirled
up in front of de po'ch, an' out he stepped in his blue coat an' brass
buttons an' a yaller wais'coat,--yaller as a gourd,--an' his
bell-crown hat in his han'. She was a-waitin' for him wid dat white
satin dress on, an' de chain 'round her neck, an' her lil footses tied
up wid silk ribbons de ve'y match o' dem you got pictered, an' her
face shinin' like a angel. An' all de niggers was a-standin' 'roun' de
po'ch, dere eyes out'n dere heads, an' Marse Henry was dere in his new
clo'es lookin' so grand, an' Sam in his white gloves, an' me in a new
head han'chief.
"Eve'ybody was happy 'cept one. Dat one was de mist'ess, standin' in
de door. She wouldn't come out to de coach where de horses was
a-champin' de bits an' de froth a-droppin' on de groun', an' she
wouldn't speak to Marse Tom. She kep' back in de do'way.
"Miss Rachel was dat mean she wouldn't come downstairs.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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