“Well, they’d be in this house yet and we wouldn’t if I could ’a’ got my advice listened to.”

The king sassed back as much as was safe for him, and then swapped around and lit into me again. He give me down the banks for not coming and telling him I see the niggers come out of his room acting that way — said any fool would ’a’ knowed something was up. And then waltzed in and cussed himself awhile, and said it all come of him not laying late and taking his natural rest that morning, and he’d be blamed if he’d ever do it again.

So they went off a-jawing; and I felt dreadful glad I’d worked it all off onto the niggers, and yet hadn’t done the niggers no harm by it.