"Polly," the last tale in the volume, finds comic relief in the relationship between "the Colonel" and his slave Tom, whom every calls "Drinkwater Torm," because, the Colonel said, "if he were to drink water once he would die." "Torm" drinks the Colonel's whisky, and is often drunk -- as in this opening scene. That's Tom in the foreground, sprawled on the parlor floor. On the Colonel's lap sits Polly, his niece, the only person who believes the Colonel's oft-repeated threats to sell Torm.
The larger story focuses on the Colonel's refusal to allow Polly to marry Bob, and the distance this puts between the old man and the growing young lady. "Torm" remains fiercely loyal to both his "ole marster" and his "young mistis."
The Barrett Collection, UVA PS 2514 .I6 1896