It might be something crazy and harmless, or it might be crazy and harmful.
He had been holding some revival meetings in nigger churches right there in that very county, and was at it not fur away from there right then.
The idea had got around he was preaching some most unusual foolishness to the blacks.

Fur the niggers was all acting like they knowed something too good to mention to the white folks, all about there.

But some white men had gone to one of the meetings, and the bishop had preached one of his old-time sermons whilst they was there, telling the niggers to be orderly and agriculturous--he was considerable of a fox yet.

But he and the rest of the niggers was so DERNED anxious to be thought agriculturous and servitudinous that the whites smelt a rat, and wished he would go, fur they didn't want to chase him without they had to.
Jest when we was getting along fine one of them prominent citizens asts the doctor was we there figgering on buying some land?
"No," says the doctor, "we wasn't." They was silence fur quite a little spell.

Each prominent citizen had mebby had his hopes of unloading some.