Beadle's Dime Novels No. 33: Maum Guinea and Her Plantation Children — page 152: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

142 MAUM GUINEA. jiong and stopped fore de house. *Tain’t much, to hear me tell de little pertickelers; but it was much to me, in dem days, and I’s nebber forgot de smallest circumstance. W’en Massa Dudley sprung out de stage, light as a feader, de people dey all rushed ’round a-kissin’ him and shakin’ hands—ole - nurse she hugged him right ’round de neck, and he laughed and was mighty good-natured, but hurried ’way from us up to de porch, where missus was standin’ wid her shawl ’round her, waiting to welcome him home. J didn’ speak to him, nor shake hands like de rest; and w’en dinner was on de table, I didn’ like to go in de room to wait on it. He looked so perfeck wen he sprung out de stage, dat I jus’ shrunk away and didn’ dar’ to speak to him. Sassy as I was, and full of laugh and fun, I hadn’ a word -to say, but jus’ stood back so he wouldn’ notice me. “Ts a-going to tell you jus’ how foolish I was; L shan’t spare myself. W’en de bell rung for dinner, I went into cook’s bedroom, off de cabin, and took a look in a little glass. she kep’ hanging dar. "Twas de firs’ time in my life I had tought "bout how-I looked. Ah! w’at a silly chile I was! as if it made speck o’ difference to Massa Dudley how a nigger look! but I'd been sp’iled and petted, and I was jus’ sixteen year ole, and nebber had felt serious, cept on Sundays, since I was born. I tought my pink frock was mighty purty, and I tossed my goold ear-rings for all de worl’ as Rose tosses “her’s when she feels sperited and bright. I was proud of my hair, ‘cause "twas long enuff to braid, and real shiny; but w’en I looked in de glass I wished I wasn’t nigger at all. I wished I was all white ’stead of part. “Dey had a merry dinner—so much talk, so many tings to tell; and Massa Dudley, he tell such cur’ous stories he keep ’em laughing half de time. I could see how proud his mudder was. He was so glad to be to home, his eyes shone - comiclooks.conn