2o6 



MARK TWAIN'S SKETCHES. 



I jist a-s\vellin' an' a-swellin' up! Pooty soon, 'long comes sich a spruce young 

 nigger a-sailin' down de room wid a yaller wench roun' de wais' ; an' roun' an' 

 roun' an' roun' dey went, enough to make a body drunk to look at 'em ; an' 

 when dey got abreas' o' me, dey went to kin' o' balancin' aroun' fust on one leg 

 an' den on t'other, an' smilin' at my big red turban, an' makin' fun, an' I ups 

 an' says ' Git along wid you ! — rubbage ! ' De young man's face kin' o' changed, 

 all of a sudden, for 'bout a second, but den he went to smilin' ag'in, same as he 



was befo'. Well, 

 comes some nig- 

 music and b'long' 

 nejier could git 

 tin' on airs. An' 

 dey put on d a t 

 'em! Dey laughed, 

 wuss. De res' o' 

 laughin', an' den 

 I was hot ! My 

 blazin' ! I j i s t 

 self up, so, — jist as 

 de ceilin', mos', — 

 into my hips, an' I 

 heah ! ' I says, ' I 

 to understan' dat 



'bout dis time, in 

 gers dat played 

 to de ban', an' dey 

 along widout put- 

 de very fust air 

 night, I lit into 

 an' dat made me 

 de niggers got to 

 my soul alive but 

 eye was jist a - 

 straightened m y - 

 I is now, plum to 

 an' I digs my fists 

 says, 'L6ok-a- 

 want you niggers 

 I wa'nt bawn in 



de mash to be fool' by trash ! I's one o' de ole Blue Hen's Chickens, / is! ' an' 

 den I see dat young man stan' a-starin' an' stiff, lookin' kin' o* up at de ceilin' 

 like he fo'got somefin, an' couldn't 'member it no mo'. Well, I jist march' on 

 dem niggers, — so, lookin' like a gen'l, — an' dey jist cave' away befo' me an' out 

 at de do'. An' as dis young man was a-goin' out, I heah him say to another 

 nigger, 'Jim,' he says, 'you go 'long an' tell de cap'n I be on han' 'bout eight 

 o'clock in de mawnin'; dey's somefin on my mine,' he says; 'I don't sleep no 

 mo' dis night. You go 'long, he says, 'an' leave me by my own se'f ' 

 "Dis was 'bout one o'clock in de mawnin'. Well, 'bout seven, I was up an' 



