“Tenie ‘peared ter be out’n her min’ fer a long time, en her marster ha’ ter lock her up in de smoke-’ouse ’tel she got ober her spells.  Mars Marrabo wuz monst’us mad, en hit would ‘a’ made yo’ flesh crawl fer ter hear him cuss, ’caze he say de spekilater w’at he got Tenie fum had fooled ‘im by wukkin’ a crazy ’oman off on him.  Wiles Tenie wuz lock up in de smoke-’ouse, Mars Marrabo tuk ‘n’ haul de lumber fum de sawmill, en put up his noo kitchen.

“Wen Tenie got quiet’ down, so she could be ’lowed ter go ‘roun’ de plantation, she up’n’ tole her marster all erbout Sandy en de pine-tree; en w’en Mars Marrabo hearn it, he ’lowed she wuz de wuss ‘stracted nigger he eber hearn of.  He did n’ know w’at ter do wid Tenie:  fus’ he thought he ‘d put her in de po’house; but fin’ly, seein’ ez she did n’ do no harm ter nobody ner nuffin, but des went ‘roun’ moanin’, en groanin’, en shakin’ her head, he ’cluded ter let her stay on de plantation en nuss de little nigger chilluns w’en dey mammies wuz ter wuk in de cotton-fiel’.

“De noo kitchen Mars Marrabo buil’ wuz n’ much use, fer it had n’ be’n put up long befo’ de niggers ‘mence’ ter notice quare things erbout it.  Dey could hear sump’n moanin’ en groanin’ ’bout de kitchen in de night-time, en w’en de win’ would blow dey could hear sump’n a-hollerin’ en sweekin’ lack it wuz in great pain en sufferin’.  En it got so atter a w’ile dat it wuz all Mars Marrabo’s wife could do ter git a ’oman ter stay in de kitchen in de daytime long ernuff ter do de cookin’; en dey wa’n’t naer nigger on de plantation w’at would n’ rudder take forty dan ter go ’bout dat kitchen atter dark,—­dat is, ‘cep’n’ Tenie; she did n’ ‘pear ter min’ de ha’nts.  She useter slip ‘roun’ at night, en set on de kitchen steps, en lean up agin de do’-jamb, en run on ter herse’f wid some kine er foolishness w’at nobody could n’ make out; fer Mars Marrabo had th’eaten’ ter sen’ her off’n de plantation ef she say anything ter any er de yuther niggers ’bout de pine-tree.  But somehow er ’nudder de niggers foun’ out all erbout it, en dey all knowed de kitchen wuz ha’nted by Sandy’s sperrit.  En bimeby hit got so Mars Marrabo’s wife herse’f wuz skeered ter go out in de yard atter dark.

“Wen it come ter dat, Mars Marrabo tuk en to’ de kitchen down, en use’ de lumber fer ter buil’ dat ole school’ouse w’at you er talkin’ ’bout pullin’ down.  De school’ouse wuz n’ use’ ‘cep’n’ in de daytime, en on dark nights folks gwine ’long de road would hear quare soun’s en see quare things.  Po’ ole Tenie useter go down dere at night, en wander ‘roun’ de school’ouse; en de niggers all ’lowed she went fer ter talk wid Sandy’s sperrit.  En one winter mawnin’, w’en one er de boys went ter school early fer ter start de fire, w’at should he fin’ but po’ ole Tenie, layin’ on de flo’, stiff, en col’, en dead.  Dere did n’ ’pear ter be nuffin pertickler de matter wid her,—­she had des grieve’ herse’f ter def fer her Sandy.  Mars Marrabo didn’ shed no tears.  He thought Tenie wuz crazy, en dey wa’n’t no tellin’ w’at she mought do nex’; en dey ain’ much room in dis worl’ fer crazy w’ite folks, let ’lone a crazy nigger.