Yer always jes dat peart an" jolly dat n.o.body couldn"t git put out wid yer."
"Tink so, Bre"er Nimbus? Wal, now, I"shures ye dat yer couldn"t be wuss mistaken ef yer"d tried. On"y jes" dis mornin" Ma.r.s.e Sykes got put out wid me jes de wus kind."
"How"s dat, Berry?"
"Wal, yer see, I"se been a wukkin" fer him ebber sence de s"rrender jes de same ez afore, only dat he pays me an" I owes him. He pays me in sto" orders, an" it "pears like I owes him mo" an" mo" ebbery time we settles up. Didn"t use ter be so when we lied de Bureau, kase den Ma.r.s.e Sykes" "count didn"t use ter be so big; but dese las" two year sence de Bureau done gone, bress G.o.d, I gits nex"
ter nuffin" ez we goes "long, an" hez less "n nuffin" atterwards."
"What wages d"ye git?" asked Nimbus.
"Ma.r.s.e Sykes, he sez I gits eight dollahs a month, myself, an"
Sally she gits fo"; an" den we hez tree pounds o" meat apiece an"
a peck o" meal, each on us, ebbery week. We could git along right peart on dat--we an" de chillens, six on "em--wid jes" a drop o"
coffee now an" agin, yer know; but yer see, Sally, she"s a leetle onsartin an" can"t allus wuk, an" it "pears like it takes all ob my wuk ter pay fer her rations when she don"t wuk. I dunno how "tis, but dat"s de way Ma.r.s.e Sykes figgers it out,"
"Yer mus" buy a heap ob fine clo"es," said one of the bystanders.
""Wall, ef I does, I leaves "em ter home fer fear ob wearin" "em out, don"t I?" said Berry, glancing at his dilapidated costume.
"Dat"s what"s de matter. I"se bad "nough off, but yer jest orter see dem chillen! Dey war"s brak ebbery day jes" like a minister, yer knows--not sto" clo"es dough, oh, no! home-made all de time!
Mostly bar"-skins, yer know! Yah, yah!"
"An" yer don"t drink, nuther," said one whose words and appearance clearly showed that he regarded it as a matter of surprise that any one should not.
""Ceptin" only de Christmas an" when some feller treats," responded Berry.
"P"raps he makes it outen de holidays," said a third.
"Dar"s whar my boss sloshes it on ter me. Clar ef I don"t hev more holidays than dar is wuk-days, "cordin "ter his "count."
"Holidays!" said Berry; "dat"s what"s de matter. Hain"t hed but jes tree holidays "cep" de Chris"mas weeks, in all dat time. So, I "llowed I"d take one an" come ter dis yer meetin". Wal, "long de fust ob de week, I make bold ter tell him so, an" ebber sence dat "pears like he"s gwine ter hu"t hisself, he"s been so mad. I"se done tried not ter notice it, kase I"se dat solemn-like myself, yer knows, I couldn"t "ford ter take on no mo" ob dat kind; but every day or two he"s been a lettin" slip somethin" "bout n.i.g.g.as gaddin"
roun", yer know."
"That was mean," said Nimbus, "kase ef yer is allus laughin" an"
hollerin" roun", I"m boun" ter say dar ain"t no stiddier han" in de county at enny sort ob wuk."
"Jes" so. Much obleeged ter ye, Squar", fer dat. Same ter yeself "tu. Howsomever, _he_ didn"t make no sech remark, not ez I heerd on, an" dis mornin" bright an" airly, he comed roun" an"
axes me didn"t I want ter take de carry-all and go ter Lewyburg; an" when I "llowed dat I didn"t keer tu, not jes to-day, yer know, he axed me, was I comin" h"yer ter dis yer meetin", an" when I "llowed I was, he jes" got up an" rar"d. Yah, yah! how he did make de turf fly, all by hissef, kase I wur a whistlin" "Ole Jim Crow"
an" some other nice psalm-tunes, jes" ter keep myself from larfin"
in his face! Till finally he sez, sez he, "Berry Lawson, ef yer goes ter dat er Radikil meetin", yer needn"t never come back ter my plantation no mo". Yer can"t stay h"yer no longer--" jes so.
Den I made bold ter ax him how our little "count stood, kase we"s been livin" mighty close fer a while, in hopes ter git a mite ahead so"s ter sen" de two oldes" chillen ter school h"yer, "gin winter.
An" den sez he, "Count be d.a.m.ned!"--jes so; "don"t yer know hit"s in de papers dat ef yer don"t "bey me an" wuk obedient ter my wishes, yer don"t git nary cent, nohow at all?" I tole him I didn"t know dat ar, and didn"t reckon he did. Den he out wid de paper an"
read it ober ter me, an" shure "nough, dar "tis, dough I"ll swar I nebber heerd nothin" on"t afo". Nebber hed no sech ting in de papers when de Bureau man drawed "em up, dat"s shuah."
"How de debble yer come ter sign sech a paper, Berry?" said Nimbus.
"Dod burned ef I know, Cousin Nimbus. Jes kase I don" know no better, I s"pose. How I gwine ter know what"s in dat paper, hey? Does you read all de papers yer signs, Squar" Nimbus? Not much, I reckons; but den you keeps de minister right h"yer ter han" tu read "em for ye. Can"t all ob us afford dat, Bre"er Nimbus."
"Yah, yah, dat"s so!" "Good for _you,_ Berry!" from the crowd.
"Wal, yer orter hev a guardian--all on us ought, for dat matter,"
said Nimbus; "but I don"t s"pose dere"s ary man in de country dat would sign sech a paper ef he know"d it, an" n.o.body but Granville Sykes that would hev thought of sech a dodge."
"It"s jes so in mine," said one of the bystanders. "And in mine;"
"an" mine," added one and another.
"And has any one else offered to turn men off for comin" here?"
asked Nimbus.
To his surprise, he learned that two thirds the men in the crowd had been thus threatened.
"Jes let "em try it!" he exclaimed, angrily. "Dey da.s.sent do it, nohow. They"ll find out dat a man can"t be imposed on allus, ef he _is_ pore an" black. Dat dey will! I"se only jes a pore man, but I hain"t enny sech mean cuss ez to stan" roun" an" see my race an" kin put on in dat ar way, I hain"t."
"All right, Cousin Nimbus, ef Ma.r.s.e Sykes turns me outen house an"
home, I knows right whar I comes ter, now."
"Co"se yer do," said Nimbus, proudly. "Yer jes comes ter me an" I takes keer on ye. I needs anudder han" in de c.r.a.p, ennyhow."
"Now, Cousin Nimbus, yer ain"t in airnest, is yer? Yer don"t mean dat, pop-suah, does yer now?" asked Berry anxiously. "Dat I does, Cousin Berry! dat I does!" was the hearty response.
"Whoop, hurrah!" cried Berry, throwing up his hat, turning a hand-spring, and catching the hat as it came down. "Whar"s dat Sally Ann? H"yeah, you fellers, clar away dar an" let me come at her. H"yer I goes now, I jes tole her dis yer bressed mornin" dat it tuk a fool fer luck. Hi-yah!" he cried, executing a sommersault, and diving through the crowd he ran away. As he started off, he saw his wife walking along the road toward Nimbus" house by the side of Eliab Hill in his rolling-chair. Berry dashed back into the circle where Nimbus was engaged in earnest conversation with the crowd in relation to the threats which had been made to them by their employers.
"H"yer, Cousin Nimbus," he cried, "I done fergot ter thank ye, I was dat dar" fl.u.s.tered by good luck, yer know. I"se a t"ousan"
times obleeged ter ye, Bre"er Nimbus, jes" a t"ousan" times, an"
h"yer"s Sally Ann, right outside on de road h"yer, she"ll be powerful glad ter hear on"t. I"d jes ez lief wuk fer you as a white man, Bre"er Nimbus. I ain"t proud, I ain"t! Yah! yah!"
He dragged Nimbus through the crowd to intercept his wife, crying out as soon as they came near:
"H"yer, you Sally Ann, what yer tinks now? H"yer"s Bre"er Nimbus sez dat ef dat ole cuss, Ma.r.s.e Sykes, should happen ter turn us off, he"s jest a gwine ter take us in bag an" baggage, traps, chillen and calamities, an" gib us de bes" de house affo"ds, an" wuk in de c.r.a.p besides. What yer say now, you Sally Ann, ain"t yer "shamed fer what yer sed "bout Bre"er Nimbus only dis yere mornin"?"
"Dat I be, Cousin Nimbus," said Sally, turning a comely but careworn face toward Nimbus, and extending her hand with a smile. "Bre"er "Liab was jest a-tellin" me what a fool I was ter ever feel so toward jes de bes" man in de kentry, ez he sez."
"An" I be d.a.m.ned ef he ain"t right, too," chimed in Berry.
"Sho, you Berry. Ain"t yer"shamed now--usin" cuss-words afore de minister!" said Sally.
"Beg yer parding, Bre"er Hill," said Berry, taking off his hat, and bowing with mock solemnity to that worthy. "Hit"s been sech a long time sence Sunday come ter our house dat I nigh "bout forgot my "ligion."
"An" yer manners too," said Sally briskly, turning from her conversation with Nimbus.
"Jes so, Bre"er Hill, but yer see I was dat ar fl.u.s.tered by my ole woman takin" on so "bout dat ar sneakin" cuss ob a Ma.r.s.e Sykes a turnin" on us off, dat I hardly knowed which from todder, an"
when Cousin Nimbus "greed ter take me up jes de minnit he dropped me down, hit kinder tuk me off my whoopend.i.c.kilar, yer know."
CHAPTER XXV.
A DOUBLE-HEADED ARGUMENT.