Marching Through Georgia by S.M. Stirling

quahtahs, send fo' me." She held up the knitting, pursed her lips and undid a stitch, then giggled. "Glada tha rest; naace havin" they both heah, buta little, strenuous-ifyin
    , does yaz be knowin' wha' Ah mean."
    "Ah," he said noncommittally, lips tightening. This is either the best actress I've ever met, or what southerners used to call the "perfect nigger ," he thought.
    The serf dropped the wool into her lap; she was looking cool and crisp and elegant in a pleated silk skirt and embroidered blouse of white linen. A slim gold chain lay about the smooth olive column of her neck, sparkling against the blue-black curls falling to her shoulders. He forced his attention back to her face; it had been a long time since he left home and wife.
    "Yaz doan laahk me ovahmuch, suh, does yaz?"
    The young woman's voice carried the usual soft, amiable submissiveness, but the words were uncomfortably sharp.
    "No… what makes you think that?" He felt slightly guilty agreement, and a sharp wish he had been better at concealing it. Goddamit, you're a newsman, act like it ! he thought savagely to himself.
    "Masta Dreiser, moas' freemen tink bondfolk be foolish, which ama foolishness itself. Mebbe moah 'scusable ina Yankee, wha doan see us day by day."
    She looked over to the pool. Brother and sister had climbed up on the rocks beneath the waterfall, and Eric had just pitched his sister backwards into the torrent.
    "Ah doan' remembah mucha mah fam'ly," she said meditatively. " 'Cept lying undah they-ah bodies, an' being pulled out." She turned her eyes to the Draka. "They didn' do it, Mastah Drieser," she said. "Ah unnahstood that, soon's Ah stahted thinkin' bout things. Coulda spent alia mah taahm hatin"; what it get me? Just twisted up insaahd, laak them is what makes a life a hatin'." She smiled grimly.
    " 'Sides, what Ah do remembah, is mah fathah hittin' me fb'
    makin' noise. An' mommah, she give th' food't' mah brothahs, on
    'count they boys, leave me cryin' an' hongry. Ifn the Draka hadn'
    come, Ah'd a growed up inna hut with the goats, been sold fo'
    goats, hadta put onna tent't' go out. Chador , hey? Nevah been clean, nevah had 'nuff't' eat, nevah seen anytin' pretty…
    "So-an." She touched the numerals behind her ear. "This doan mean Ah's a plough, oah a stove. Cain' nohow see how a man's thinkin' undah his face. Serf need that moah thana freemen."
    She paused. "Yo" a Godshoutah, suh?" At his blank look:
    'Christ-man, laahk somma they-ah down in't'Quahtahs. What jects to folks pleasurin' as they-ah sees fit?"
    "No, not really." Not altogether true, but he should have remembered that illiteracy was not synonymous with stupidity.
    "Besides, you don't have much choice in the matter."
    "Oh, but Ah does . Luckiah than 'lotta folks, thayt way." She leaned closer. "Masta Dreiser, yo' a Yankee-man, means well, so Masta Eric tell thissun'. Say talk if'n yo' wanna, so Ah bean'
    talkin', not justa Yassuh, masta , an' Nossuh, masta laahk Ah could. So Ah says, keep youah pity an' youah look-down-nose foah them as needs it. Two 'tings y'otta 'tink on, masta: Ah laahks Masta Eric well 'nuff. Good man, when he-ah doan'
    git't'tinkin' so much. Laahk Mistis Jo lot moah; she allays been naahce't'me. Weeeell, near allays as no mattah, nobody naahce alia taahm.
    "Othah ting: serf, buck oah wench needa good masta, good mistis. Tings diffren yaz contry, mebbe; heah anytin can happen't' the laahk'sa me. Anytin . Yaz tinks onna thayt. Ah grows up witta Mistis Jo, Masta Eric, t'othahs. Laahk… pet, hey?
    Ah knows they; they knows me, near as good. Doan't gonna laahk me if n Ah doan laahk they, yaz see? Easy 'nuff to laahk they, so-ah? Doan't nuthin' bayd happen if n Ah wuz ta act sullen. Ah jus end up cookin', oah pullin' spuds, milkin' cows. Thayt mah choice."
    For a moment the softly pretty face looked almost fierce.
    "So-ah, yaz doan' hayve mah laaf't'live, mah de-cisions't'mayk, does yaz, masta ? So, mebbe little lessa drawin asaahd't'skirts of tha