"
During the next few days it was evident that Jeff was falling from
grace rapidly. Never had he been so slow and careless in his
tasks. More than once the thought crossed his mind that he had
better take his box and "cut stick" for Washington, where he
believed that wealth and his fiddle would give him prominence over
his race. For prudential and other reasons he was in no haste to
open the box, preferring rather to gloat over it and to think how
he could spend the money to the greatest advantage. He had been
paying his court to a girl as black as himself on a neighboring
plantation; but he now regarded that affair as preposterous.
"She ain' good nuff fer me no mo'," he reasoned. "I'se a-gwine ter
shine up ter dat yeller Suky dat's been a-holdin' her head so high
ober ter Marse Perkins's. I'se invited ter play ober dar ter-
night, an' I'll make dat gal open her eye. Ki! she tinks no culled
gemmen in dese parts fit ter hole a cannle when she braid her long
straight ha'r, but when she see de ribbin I kin git her ter tie
dat ha'r up wid, an' de earrings I kin put in her ears, she larf
on toder side ob her face.
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