Beadle's Dime Novels No. 33: Maum Guinea and Her Plantation Children — page 54: what you’re looking at

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

48. MAUM GUINEA. “Laws-a-massy! I ain’t nuthin’ to tell,” she murmured quite overcome by the idea. ‘‘ Nuthin’ nebber happened «o me, ’cept gitting married, and you all knows dat.” “ Wa'n’t you nebber sold?” queried one of the group. “ Laws, yes, two, tree times; but dat ain’t nuthin’. Fust time, I was a baby, and can’t ’member nuthin’ ’bout it; den I was sole to a lady to play wid her chil'ren, and she brought me down to Lousiany ; and. et she Sad Shs. missus bought me, and allers keep me.” a “ An’ so you nebber did nuthin’ but git married, hey, July?” “No, nuthin’ nebber happened to me, ‘cept when I see a spook one night in Go. gsciem. T’ought I was clean gone den, sartain.” “How dat spook look, July ?” - “Laws, I don’no how it look; I didn’ stop to. see. All I see was suthin white, and heerd it moanin’! ‘Spec’s it was missus’ chile as died a long time ago.” “Oh, my!” ejaculated several, with fearful glances out of the window. «| “‘S'posin’ *twas,” said Maum Guinea; “sperit of little innocent chile would do no hurt, I'll warrant.” “Don’t talk ’bout ghostesses,” pleaded an apprehensive fellow, who looked big and:stout enough to vanquish score of the dreaded phantoms. — “Woll, July, ef you hain’t. got de gift’ of tongues, spokin of in de good book, course you can’t be 'spected to use ‘em,” said another. ‘ We'll hab to draw ag’in—dat’s so!” The lot this time fell to Scipio. He gave a desponding groan, shaking his head and making all kinds of contortions. “Ts in de same fix as July,” said he, “only I ain't eben got married.” “Sho! Scipio, ’tain’t fair,’ remonstrated Johnson ; “Ts told mine, and now de rest wants to back out.” Cconmicooolks.conn