People, if they was close by, spoke to me, if at a distance they hollered, but none of 'em ever wrote." After gazing at the written characters with satisfaction Mr.Yancy made a taper of the letter and lit his pipe, which he puffed meditatively.
"Sonny, when you grow up you must learn so you can send writings to yo' Uncle Bob fo' him to light his pipe with." "What was in the paper, Uncle Bob ?" asked Hannibal.
"Writin'," said Mr.Yancy, and smoked.
"What did the writin' say, Uncle Bob ?" insisted the boy.
"It was private," said Mr.Yancy, "very private." "What's your answer ?" demanded the stranger.
"That's private, too," said Mr.Yancy.

"You tell him I'll be monstrous glad to talk it over with him any time he fancies to come out here." "He said something about some one I was to carry back with me," objected the man.
"Who said that ?" asked Mr.Yancy.
"Bladen did." "How's a body to know who yore talking about unless you name him ?" said Yancy severely.
"Well, what am I to tell him ?" "It's a free country and I got no call to dictate.

You-all can tell him whatever you like." Further than this Mr.Yancy would not commit himself, and the man went as he came.
The next day Yancy had occasion to visit Balaam's Cross Roads.
Ordinarily Hannibal would have gone with him, but he was engaged in digging out a groundhog's hole with Oglethorpe Bellamy, grandson of Uncle Sammy Bellamy, the patriarch of Scratch Hill.

Mr.Yancy forbore to interrupt this enterprise which he considered of some educational value, since the ground-hog's hole was an old one and he was reasonably certain that a family of skunks had taken possession of it.

When Yancy reached the Cross Roads, Crenshaw gave him a disquieting opinion as to the probable contents of his letter, for he himself had heard from Bladen that he had decided to assume the care of the boy.
"So you reckon it was that--" said Yancy, with a deep breath.
"It's a blame outrage, Bob, fo' him to act like this!" said the merchant with heat.
"When do you reckon he's going to send fo' him ?" asked Yancy.
"Whenever the notion strikes him." "What about my having notions too ?" inquired Yancy, flecked into passion, and bringing his fist down on the counter with a crash.
"You surely ain't going to oppose him, Bob ?" "Does he say when he's going to send fo' my nevvy ?" "He says it will be soon." "You take care of my mule, Mr.John," said Yancy, and turned his back on his friend.
"I reckon Bladen will have the law on his side, Bob!" "The law be damned--I got what's fair on mine, I don't wish fo' better than that," exclaimed Yancy, over his shoulder.