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Show Si G.': '-;vL A Novd-.cki-) 5 Reconstruction 3 I TOT I TVFP i P - 2. yJL-l-I V 1 I. E j Joel Chandler Harris 3 C fCorvrtght. 190S. by Joel Chandler Harris.) jj CHAPTER XVI.-Contlnued. I "Shall I tell her. Paul? I may as well." Whereupon she told the negro woman the cause of Paul's anger, and ended by saying that she didn't blame him for showing the spirit of a Southern South-ern gentleman. "Well, he'll never J'lne de 'Publican party in dia county," . Rhody declared emphatically. "I hope you are right," said Pulaski Tomlin, - speaking for the first time. "There's enough trouble in the land without having a scalawag in the Tomlin Tom-lin family." . v "Well, you nee'nte "worry 'bout dat, kaze I'll sho put a stop ter dem kinder doin's. Honey." Rhody went on, addressing ad-dressing Paul, "you come on home when you git sleepy; I'm gwinter 6et up fer you, an' ef you ion't come, yo pa '11 hatter cook his own vittles ter-morrer mornln'." . "Good night, Rhody, and pleasant dreams," said Miss Fanny, as the negro woman started out. , .... "I dunner how anybody kin . have pleasin' drams ef dey sleep in de same lot wld Marse- Silas," replied Rhody. "Good night, all." Now the cook at th'e Tomlin place was the wife of the Rev. Jeremiah. She was a tall, thin woman, some years older than her husband, and she ruled him with a rod of iron. The new conditions, con-ditions, combined with the insidious flattery of the white rascals, had made her vicious against the whites. Rhody knew this, and from the "big house," she went into the kitchen, where Mrs. Jeremiah was cleaning up for the night. Her name was Patsy.- "You glttin' mighty thick wid de white folks. Sis' Rhody." said Patsy, pausing in her work as the other entered the door. . For answer, Rhody fell Into a chair, held both hands high above her head, and then let them drop In her lap. The gesture was effective for a. dozen Interpretations. Inter-pretations. "Well:" she exclaimed, and then paused Patsy watching her narrowly nar-rowly the while. "I dunner how . 'tis wid you, Sis' Patsy, but wid me. It's live an' Tarn live an' l'arn. Ah' I'm a-larnin', roon, spite er de fack de white folks think niggers ain't got no sense." "Dey does! Dey does!" exclaimed Patsy. "But dey'll fin out better, an' den Ah-h-h!" The last exclamation was a hoarse guttural cry of triumph. 'You 6ho Is talkln' now!" cried Riiody, with an admiring 6mile. "I knows it ter-night, ef I never is know'd it be-for" be-for" , . Patsy knew that some disclosure was coming-, and she invited it by putting Rhody on the defensive. 'Ts de trufe," she declared. "Dat what make me feel so quare. Sis' Rhody, when I see you so ready fer ter collogue wid de white folks." . Rhody leaned forward with a frown that was almost tragic In its heaviness, and spoke in a deep, unnatural toneslhat added immensely to the emphasis of her words. " 'Oman, lemme tell you; I done It, ar I'm glad I done it; an' you'll be glad I done it; an' he'll be glad I done it." Patsy was drying the dishpan with a towel, but suspended operations the better to hear what Rhody had to say. "Dey done got it fixt up fer ol' Silas ter J'ine in wid de 'Publican party. He gwlneter J'lne so he kin fin' out all der doin's, an' all der camln's an' der gwines, so he kin tell yuthers. Dey got it all planned. He gwinter J'ine de Nunlon league, an git all de names. Dey talk 'bout It, Sis Patsy, right befo' my face an eyes. Dey mus' take me fer a start-hatchel fool." "Dey does dey does!" cried Patsy; "dey takes us all fer fools. But won't dey be a wakin' up when de time come?" ' (Continued tomorrow.) |