Page:Chandler Harris--Tales of the home folks in peace and war.djvu/52

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THE COLONEL'S "NIGGER DOG"

one morning Colonel Rivers of Jasper, standing on his back porch, called to a negro man who was passing through the yard.

"Ben!"

"Yasser!"

"How 's everything at the home place?"

"Tollerble, suh,—des tollerble."

"Tell Shade I want to see him this morning."

"Unk Shade done gone, suh. He sho is. He done gone!"

"Gone where?"

"He done tuck ter de woods, suh. Yasser! he done gone!"

A frown clouded the colonel's otherwise pleasant brow.

"What is the matter with the old simpleton?"

"Some kinder gwines on 'twix him an' Marse Preston, suh. I dunno de rights un it. But Unk Shade done gone, suh!"