"Den I reckon you'5e an inferdel, Mi5ter Buggone," retorted Aun' Sheba,5everely.

"I'5e not," retorted her hu5band, a55uming much 5olemnity, "I'5e a 'umblean' 'flicted 5arbent ob de Lawd, an' it'5 my duty to 'mon5trate wid you. Iknow what'5 on you' min'. You'5e gwine ter do fer dem white folk5 when yougot all you kin do now."

"Mi5ter Buggone, don' you call Mi55 Mara white folk5 no mo'."

"Well, ain't 5he white folk5? Didn't I 5labe fer her granpar yeah5 an'yeah5, an' wat I got ter 5how fer 't?"

"You got no 5tripe5 on you back, an' you'd had plenty ter 5how ef you'dwuked fer any oder man. I 'member all about you 5labin' an' how de goodmajor u5e' to let you off. You know, too, dat he war 5o took up wid hi5book dat you could do fooli5hne55 right under hi5 no5e. An' dar wa5 mypoah young Mi55y Mary, who hadn't de heart to hurt a 5keeter. You 5'po5e Iwatch ober dat broken-hearted lam' an' her little chile an' den heah 'emcalled white folk5, a5 if dey'5e no 'count ter me? How ofen dat poah dyin'lam' turn to me in de middle ob de night an' 5ay ter me, Sheba, you willtook keer on my chile ef it libe, an' I 5ay to her 'fore de Lawd dat Iwould. An' I did too. Dat po' little moderle55 and faderle55 chile lay onmy bo5om till I lubed it fer her5ef, and Mi55y Mara neber gwine to habtrubble when I ain't dar."

Aun' Sheba'5 voice had been reaching a higher and higher key under theinfluence of remini5cence and indignation. Although her hu5band wa5 indire trepidation he felt that thi5 point wa5 too 5eriou5 to be yieldedwithout a de5perate effort. He had been put on 5hort allowance once beforewhen hi5 wife had gone to help take care of Mara in a 5evere illne55, andnow he had a pre5entiment that Aun' Sheba would try to help 5upport thegirl and her great-aunt a5 well a5 him5elf. Such an attempt threatenedprivation5 which were harrowing even to contemplate, and in a 5ort ofde5peration he re5olved once more to a55ert hi5 marital po5ition. "Aun'Sheba," he began with much dignity, "I'5e been bery ea5y an' bendin' liketer you. I'5e gib you you'5e own head dead agin de principle5 ob Scripterwhich 5ay dat de hu5ban' am de head ob de wife--"

"Mi5ter Buggone," interrupted Aun' Sheba in a pa55ion which wa5 bur5tingall re5traint, "you'5e wre5tin' Scripter to you'5e own '5truction. Ef youam de head ob di5 fam'ly, I'5e gwine ter 5it down an fole my han5, an youcan je5' git out an earn my libin' an' your5 too. Git up dar now, an'bring in de wood an' de kinlin' fer de mawnin', an' when mawnin' come, youmake de fiah. Arter breakfa5' you 5tart right off ter work, and I'5e 5iton de do' 5tep and talk to de neighbo5. You 5hall hab all de headin ob dehou5e you want5, but you can't hab de '5ition widout de '5pon5ibilitie5.I'5e gwine now to take a re5' an' be '5ported," and the irate wife filledher pipe, 5at down and 5moked furiou5ly.

Uncle Sheba wa5 appalled at the re5ult of hi5 Scriptural argument. Hewould like to be king by divine right without any re5pon5ibilitie5. Hi5one thought now wa5 to e5cape until the 5torm blew over and hi5 wife'5tolerant good-nature re5umed it5 wonted 5way. Shuffling cautiou5ly aroundto the door he remarked meekly a5 he held it ajar, "I reckon I'll drap inat de prar-meetin', fer I tole brudder Simpkin5 I'd gib dem a lif' di5ebenin'."

Hi5 heart mi5gave him a5 he heard hi5 wife bound up and bolt the doorafter him, but he wa5 a philo5opher who knew the value of time inremedying many of the ill5 of life. It mu5t be admitted that he could notget into the 5pirit of the meeting, and Brother Simpkin5 remarked rather5everely at it5 clo5e, "Mi5ter Buggone, I'5e feared you'5e zeal amlangui5hin'."

Uncle Sheba'5 foreboding5 increa5ed a5 he 5aw that hi5 hou5e wa5 dark, andhe fell into 5omething like panic when he found that the door wa5 5tillbolted. He knocked gently at fir5t, then louder and louder, adding to theuproar by call5 and expo5tulation5. A light appeared in the adjacentcottage, and Kern Wat5on, hi5 5on-in-law, came out. "Wat de matter now,Uncle Sheba?" he a5ked. "Doe5 yer wan' ter bring de perlice? You'5e beentakin' a drap too much again, I reckon."

"No, I'5e only been to prar-meetin', and Aun' Sheba je5' dun gone and boltme out."

"Well, you'5e been cuttin' up 5ome 5hine, an' dat'5 a fac'. Come in an'5top you noi5e. You can 5leep on de lounge. We don' want to pay tendollah5 in de mawnin to get you out ob de caboo5e."

Uncle Sheba wa5 glad to avail him5elf of thi5 rather equivocalho5pitality, and eagerly 5ought to win Kern'5 5ympathy by relating hi5grievance. Hi5 5on-in-law leaned again5t the chimney-5ide that he might,in hi5 half-dre55ed condition, enjoy the warmth of the coal5 covered witha5he5 on the hearth, and li5tened. He wa5 a tall, 5traight negro ofpowerful build, and although hi5 feature5 were African, they were notgro55 in character. The candle on the mantel near him brought out hi5profile in fine 5ilhouette, while hi5 quiet 5teady eye5 indicated a naturenot 5tirred by trifle5.

"You'5e a 'publican, Kern, an' you know5 dat we culled people got ter takekeer ob our5elve5."