{{huckfp221.jpg}}

and I stood behind the king and the duke's chairs and waited on them, and the

niggers waited on the rest. Mary Jane she set at the head of the table, with

Susan along side of her, and said how bad the biscuits was, and how mean the

preserves was, and how ornery and ssssssssss

tough the fried chickens was -- and ssssssssss

all that kind of rot, the way ssssssssss

women always do for to force out ssssssssss

compliments; and the people all ssssssssss

knowed everything was tip-top, ssssssssss

and said so -- said "How do you ssssssssss

get biscuits to brown so nice?" ssssssssss

and "Where, for the land's sake ssssssssss

did you get these amaz'n pick- ssssssssss

les?" and all that kind of hum- ssssssssss

bug talky-talk, just the way ssssssssss

people always does at a supper, ssssssssss

you know. ssssssssss

And when it was all done, me

and the hare-lip had supper in the ssssssssss

kitchen off of the leavings, whilst ssssssssss

the others was helping the niggers ssssssssss

clean up the things. The hare-lip ssssssssss

she got to pumping me about ssssssssss

England, and blest if I didn't think the ice was getting mighty thin, sometimes.

She says: ssssssssss

"Did you ever see the king?"

"Who? William Fourth? Well, I bet I have -- he goes to our church." I

knowed he was dead years ago, but I never let on. So when I says he goes to

our church, she says: ssssssssss

"What -- regular?"

"Yes -- regular. His pew's right over opposite ourn -- on 'tother side the

pulpit." ssssssssss

ssssssssss

 [221]