"Here"s a present for you, Joe.
"What"s dis?" asked Joe, unable to guess what possible use he could have for such a paper as that, inasmuch as he couldn"t read it to save his life.
"These are your _free papers_, Joe," said Sam. "Father has bought you from Mr. Butler, for the purpose of setting you free, as a reward for your good conduct."
Joe evidently wanted to say something, but did not know how.
"Are you glad to be free, Joe?" asked Mr. Hardwicke.
"Ain"t I though?" and Joe"s feet began to shuffle as if a jig were coming in spite of his desire to behave well.
"Well, Joe," said Mr. Hardwicke, "I mean to give you a fair chance in life, and I"ve thought the matter over carefully. You are free now to do precisely as you please, and you can live where you like. But I"ve a proposition to make--a plan for you. Do you know my cypress farm,--the little one down in the fork of the two creeks?"
"De one whar" ole uncle Peter Dun lived so long?"
"Yes, the one uncle Peter manages for me."
"Yes, master, I knows dat place mighty well."
"Well, how would you like to buy it, Joe?"
"Buy the farm, master? What"s Joe got to buy wid? I ain"t got no money, "thout it"s a quarter Mas" Tandy Walker dun gim me fur to clean his boots sence we comed back to de fort, an" I jest know that a quarter won"t buy no sich low grounds as dem dar down twix" dem dar creeks is.
Dat"s de very bes" lan" in Alabama. Leastways I dun hear de folks say "tis heaps o" times. You"s jokin" wid Joe, master."
"No, I am not, Joe. You can buy the land if you want it, and there are a hundred and ten acres in the tract, besides the strip of woods along both creeks."
"How"s I gwine to buy it, master?"
"Well, let me see. You"re about thirteen now. It will be nine years yet before you will be a man, and if you choose to live with me until you are twenty-one, I"ll feed and clothe you till then, and the day you are twenty-one the farm shall be yours in payment of wages."
"How you mean, master?"
"I mean, that besides feeding and clothing you as I feed and clothe my people, I will give you the farm for your nine years" work. If you like the place, I will have all the papers made out, so that the farm will be yours, even if I should die before the time is up. I have more land than I care to keep, and you see I want to sell that one farm to you, if you"ll buy it."
"Looks to me, heap more like"s if you was gwine to give it to me, master; dis on"y your fun to say I buy"s it."
"No, the bargain is a fair one, Joe. I could give you the farm now, but I think it will be better for you to work for it, and then you"ll feel that it"s yours by right and not by favor. I want to make a man of you, Joe, and my children shall always think of you as one of their best friends. Go out of doors if you want to dance, Joe," seeing the feet beginning to shuffle, and understanding the mingled joy and embarra.s.sment of the boy.
Joe hesitated a moment, and then with a sudden straightening of his shoulders, as if the future manliness were already beginning to a.s.sert itself in him, he advanced to Mr. Hardwicke, and shaking his hand, said:
"Joe ain"t got no learnin" an" no manners nuther, master, but Joe"s _grateful_ anyhow," and bursting into tears the boy left the room.
THE END