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her little white children, acting the same way the little niggers was doing. She

was smiling all over so she could hardly stand -- and says:

"It's you, at last I -- ain't it?"

I out with a "Yes'm," before I thought.

She grabbed me and hugged me tight; and then gripped me by both hands

and shook and shook; and the ssssssssss

tears come in her eyes, and run ssssssssss

down over; and she couldn't ssssssssss

seem to hug and shake enough, ssssssssss

and kept saying, "You don't ssssssssss

look as much like your mother ssssssssss

as I reckoned you would, but ssssssssss

law sakes, I don't care for that, ssssssssss

I'm so glad to see you! Dear, ssssssssss

dear, it does seem like I could ssssssssss

eat you up! Childern, it's your ssssssssss

cousin Tom! -- tell him howdy." ssssssssss

But they ducked their heads,

and put their fingers in their ssssssssss

mouths, and hid behind her. So ssssssssss

she run on: ssssssssss

"Lize, hurry up and get him

a hot breakfast, right away -- or ssssssssss

did you get your breakfast on the ssssssssss

boat?"

I said I had got it on the boat. So then she started for the house, leading me

by the hand, and the children tagging after. When we got there, she set me down

in a split-bottomed chair, and set herself down on a little low stool in front of me,

holding both of my hands, and says: ssssssssss

"Now I can have a good look at you: and laws-a-me, I've been hungry for it

a many and a many a time, all these long years, and it's come at last! We been

expecting you a couple of days and more. What's kep' you? -- boat get aground?"

ssssssssss

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