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Show 116 UNCLE TOM'S CABIN : OR, "Why, but Sam, ycr tolled me, only this mornin', that you'd help this ycr MM'r to cotch L1zy , seems to me ycr talk don't hang together," said Andy. "I tell you now, Andy," said Sam, w-ith awful superiority, "don't yer be a talkin' 'bout what ycr don't know nothin' on; boys like you, Andy, means well, but they can't be spectcd to collusimte the great principles of action." Andy looked rebuked, pc1ticularly by the hard word collusimte which most of the youngerly members of the company s~emed to consider as a settler in the case, while Sam proceeded. . "Dat ar was conscience, Andy; when I thought of gwme arter Lizy, I railly spected MM'r w!l.'l sot dat way. When I found Missis was sot the contrar, dat ar was conscience rnorc yet, -cause fellers allers gets more by stickin' to Missis' side,- so yer see I 'a persistent either way, and sticks up to conscience, and holds on to principles. Yes, principles,'' said Sam, giving an enthusiastic toss to a chicken's neck, - "what 's principles good for, if we isn't persistent, I wanter know? Thar, Andy, you may have dat ar bone,- ' tan't picked quite clean." Sam's audience banging on his words with open mouth, he could not but proceed. "Dis yer matter 'bout persistence, fcllcr-niggers," sa!d Sam, with the air of one entering into an abstruse subject, " dis yer 'sistcncy 's a thing what an't seed into very clar, by most anylxxly. Now, ycr sec, when a fc11er stands up for a thing one day and night, de contrar de next, folks ses (and nat' rally enough dey scs), why ho an't persistent,- hand me dat ar bit o' corn-cake, Andy. But let's look inter it. I hope the gen'lmen and der fair sex will scuse my usin' an or'nary sort o' 'parison. Here! I'm a tryin' to get top o' LIFE AMONG THE LOWLY. 117 dcr hay. Wal, I puts up my larder dis yer side; 'tan't no go; - den, cause I don't try derc no more, but puts my larder right de contrar side, an't I persistent 1 I 'm persistent in wantin' to get up which ary side my larder is; don't you sec, aU on yer?" "It's the only thing yc ever was persistent in, Lord knows ! " muttered Aunt Chloe, who was getting rather resti\'e; the merriment of the evening being to her somewhat after the Scripture comparison, - like "vinegar upon nitre." "Yes, indeed ! " said Sam, rising, full of supper and glory, for a closing effort. "Yes, my feller-citizens and ladies of do other sex in general, I has principles, -I'm proud to 'oon 'em, - they 's perquisite to dose ycr times, and tor all times. I has principles, and I sticks to 'em like forty,-jest anything that I thinks is principle, I goes in to 't; - I wouldn't mind if dey burnt me 'live,- I 'd walk right up to de stake, I would, and say, here I comes to shed my lost blood fur my principles, fur my country, fur dcr gen'l interests of s'cicty." ~~'Veil," said Aunt Chlod, "one o' ycr principles will have to bo to get to bed some time to-night, and not be a kcepin' everybody up ti1l morlliu' ; now, every one of you young uns that don't want to be cracked, had better be scase, mighty sudden." "Niggers ! all on ycr," said Sam, waving his palm-leaf with benignity, ~~I give ycr my blcssiu'; go to bed now, and be goo<.! boys." And, with this pathetic bonediction, tho !l.'lsembly dispersed. |
