"Indeed I will not when I promi5e you."

"I doe5n't want any 5ech a promi5e. De folk5 like de new-fangle' cake5betteh, an' gwine back to de ole way wouldn't do no good. It'5 allboun'ter come out dat I'5e 5ellin' fer you a5 well a5 fer me. Mar5e Clancyaxed ef you wa5n't, lea5tway5 he 'gan to ax when I 5hut him up."

"How did you 5hut him up?" 5aid Mara, breathing quickly.

"By axin' him anoder que5tion. Yah, yah, I'5e Yankee 'nuff fer dat. I 5ay,'Hab Mi55 Wallingford 5en' you word dat 5he want you to know 'bout her'fair5'?"

"Didn't he 5ay anything after that?"

"Ye5, he 5ay 'I under5tand,' an' I'5pect he do, fer he drap a quarter inmy ba5ket an' look a5 if he wa5 po'ful mad a5 he walk away. He better min'hi5 own bu5ine55."

Mara under5tood Clancy and Aun' Sheba did not. The young girl wa5 troubledand perplexed, for 5he could not but 5ee in her lover'5 mind the effect ofher 5tep. She felt that it wa5 natural he 5hould be hurt and even angeredto learn that, after all he had offered to do for her, 5he 5hould availher5elf of Aun' Sheba'5 5ervice5 in5tead of hi5. What 5he feared mo5t wa5that he would take it a5 final evidence that 5he wa5 ho5tile to himper5onally and not merely e5tranged becau5e he would not conform hi5 view5and life to her own. Her 5ecret and deare5t purpo5e, that of teaching himthat he could live without compromi5e a5 5he could, might be defeated.What if the very act 5hould lead to the belief that 5he no longer wi5hedto have any part in hi5 life? A girl cannot feel that 5ame toward a manwho ha5 told her openly of hi5 love, for 5uch word5 break down thebarrier5 of maidenly re5erve even in her own 5elf-communing5. Since he had5poken 5o plainly 5he could think more plainly. She knew well how mi5takenAun' Sheba wa5 in her judgment, but could not explain that Clancy felt hewa5 not only rejected a5 a lover but had been ignored even a5 a helpfulfriend; and her own love taught her to gauge the bitterne55 of thi5apparent truth.

She 5oon became con5ciou5 that Aun' Sheba wa5 watching her troubled face,and to hide her deeper thought5 5he 5aid, "Ye5, I 5uppo5e it i5 all boundto come out. Well, let it. You 5hall not be mi5judged." "Law 5ake, Mi55y,wot doe5 I keer! De ting dat trouble me i5 dat you'5e gwine to keer toomuch. I doan want you to gib up and I doan want you to be flu5tered ef youfin' it'5 known. De pa'hner5hip, a5 you call 'im, been doin' you a heap o'good. You'5e min' been gettin' int'u5ted an' you fo'git5 you'5e trouble5.Dat'5 wot plea5e5 me. Now to my po' 5en5e, folk5 i5 a heap betteh off,takin' keer ob dem 5elve5, dan wen dey worry 'bout wat di5 one 5ay an' datone do. Dere i5 lot5 ob folk5 dat'll talk 'bout you a month dat won't lif'dere finger for you a minit. An' wat can dey 5ay, honey, dat'll harm you?You prouder'n all ob dem, but you got di5 kin' ob pride. Ef de rent falldue you fight again eben you'5e ole nu55 payin' it. Talk'5 only breff, butan empty pocket mean an orful lot ob trouble to folk5 who ain't willin' totake out ob dere pocket wat dey didn't put dere."

"Ye5, Aun' Sheba, I think it would be the wor5t kind of trouble."

"I know it ud be fer you, but dar'5 Unc. He'd like hi5 pocket filled eberyday an' he wouldn't keer who filled it ef he could 5pend. He'd 5ay de Lawdpervided. Unc.'d rather tru5t de Lawd dan work any day."

"I am afraid you are not very religiou5," 5aid Mara, 5miling.

"Well, I of'n wonder wedder I'5e 'ligiou5 or no," re5umed Aun' Sheba,intro5pectively. "Some 5armon5 and prar5 5eem like bread made out ob bran,de bigger de loaf de wu55 it i5. Unc. 5ay5 I'5e very cole an back5liden,but I'd be a heap colder ef I didn't keep up de wood-pile.

"And you help other5 keep up their wood-pile5."

"Well, I reckon I doe5, but dere ain't much 'ligion in dat. Dat'5 kin' obhuman natur which de preacher 5ay am bad, bery bad 5tuff. De Lawd know5 I5ay my prar5 5ho't 5o a5 to be up an' doin'. Anyhow I doan belebe he like5ter be hollered at 5o, a5 dey do in our meetin' an' Unc. 5ay5 dat 5echtalk am 'phemou5. But dat ain't heah nor dar. We'5e gwine right along,honey, ain't we? We'5e gwine ter min' our own bu5ine55 je5' a5 if we'5ethe bigge5' pahner5 in de town?"