"I was passin' by," he began, by way of apology, "and I thought I'd just step in and see how things was gittin' on with Tennessee thar—my pardner. It's a hot night. I disremember any sich weather before on the Bar."
Explanation:
Dialect refers to a type of language that is used in colloquial settings and is different from the standard version of that particular language. Dialects tend to be socially subordinated to the standard version, and because of this, they can carry a negative connotation. Dialects tend to be present in particular regions or social groups, and are not common to the whole of the population who speaks that particular language.
The word steal is meant to show that it was against the law for slaves to become educated. The author most likely used this word to emphasize how risky it was for a slave to learn to read
