Under the Man-Fig

As a "Southern Lady of charm and grace," Mollie Evelyn Moore Davis may have been sympathetic toward slavery, the Texas Revolution, and the Confederate States of America. Nonetheless, her literary talent was outstanding, and her stories [especially The Little Chevalier] vastly entertaining. Under the Man-Fig is no exception, even though it contains the following cringe-inducing passage:

"Very well," continued his master, without disappointment. "Then you'd rather I gave you your freedom?"

"Mars Johnny," Liberty said, edging up to him and speaking in a confidential tone, "don't you do no sech foolishness ez dat. I ain' made fer no free-nigger. I has lived all my life 'long o' white folks, an' I ain' fitten to live 'long o' free-niggers. Lawd, Mars Johnny, I run away once in ole Mars's lifetime; an' I stayed down yander in de Brazos bottom 'long o' some yether runaway niggers 'bout fo' days. An' 'fo' Gawd, Mars Johnny, I was glad when I was cotch, an' fotch in! But what is de mos' consequenche is Betty. Betty is my ole 'ooman. An' Betty ain' got no use fer free-niggers!" He laughed softly.

"Who owns your wife?"

"Mars Van Herrin', sah; Betty's a lakly gal. Spry on her foot ez a sparrer. No, Mars Johnny, thanky all de same. I don't want no freedom 'dout Betty. An' Betty would'n leave her white folks not ef she was set free ter-morrer."

"Well, Lib," said his master carelessly, setting foot on the ferry-boat which had answered the negro's sonorous call, "if you do not wish to come with me, and are not willing to be set free, I suppose you will have to go on the block."

"I reckin so, Mars Johnny," Liberty returned dejectedly. "Gawd sen' dey don't sell me fur away fum Betty."

However, I consider censorship of such a work far more repugnant than willingness to study it in its historical context, and have every desire to preserve this work as much for enjoyment as for scholarship.

The text is from this scan of the 1895 edition, backed up by this scan. While most of the original spelling was preserved, contractions such as "did n't" and "could n't" were joined. Otherwise, only obvious typographical errors were corrected, and a few inconsistent spellings were standardized.