e had purchased as her first step toward self-support. The generous meal, and especially the coffee combining

' de lady ebery inch while she doin' kitchen work! Quar pahner fer sech an ole woman as me ter hab, but I dun declar dat her han's, ef dey am little, se

art of the room. "I reckon you are the only one t

e you now he'd

re was a little bitter

like to know? Habn't I seen all de quality ob dis town? and dat fer de new quality," with a snap of her fingers, "an you take de shine off'n dem all eben in

imply because we cannot agree on certain subjects. But I would rather you would not talk about him to me or to any one else. Come now, you must giv

es dat ain't in my big black han'. Arter all, tain't de han's; it's de min'. Dere's my darter Mis Watson. Neber could larn her much mo'n plain cookin'. Dere's a

of her craft. Mara was up with the dawn on the following day, and achieved fair success. Other lessons followed, and it was not very lo

id to Aun' Sheba: "There's

ut bellus. Ain't

ou've got some

vender warily. "De pint am, ho

ut they are not the same every day.

a, wo't you mean

e cakes?" was a

r'us. Wot de Scripter say? Ask no

u begin to wrest Scripture, I'

I didn't hab much min' to put in an' folks know de dif'ence," she soliloquized. Later on she was down among the cotton warehouses, and finding herself weary

he stopped and fixed upon her his penetrating gray eyes. His gaze was so persistent and stern that she was disconcerted, but she spoke

f to himself, that for the time being he detested the woman. Love is not a judicial quality, and rarely has patience with those who interfere with its success. He had hoped that eventually the pressure of poverty would turn Mara's th

hing on your mind?" he asked, coolly removing the cover of the basket

y, what you

n how honest yo

liged ter a

're afra

en, you'se a 'ceivin ob stolen good

pert, Au

bin' in dese yer times, but I can do it fum dem

l me if Miss

ford sent you word dat she want

savagely, and throwing a quarte

r own class. The chief and controlling motive for secrecy, however, had been distrust, the fear that the undertaking would not be successful. As the days had passed this fear had been removed. Aun' Sheba did not come to make her returns until after she had taken her supper in the

tried to conceal the fact. It would be hard to find two women more ignorant of the world, or more averse to being known by it, yet from it the unsophisticated girl now hoped to divert a little sustaining rill of currency without a ripple of general comment until the hour shoul

ara was writing them down and explaining the margin of profit, as the girl was always careful to do, for it satisfied her conscience that her over-loyal partner was prospering now as truly as before. After everything had bee

r say it, but

you had, A

uth, was the question that troubled her. The kind soul hoped that it would make no difference, and proposed to use all her tact to induce the girl to continue her enterprise openly, believing that this course would be best

ed Mara, fl

tin' new reseets or dat somebody was coachin' me, whateber

have continued to make the cakes just as you did, and it was only

bout dat

l not when I

k to de ole way wouldn't do no good. It's all boun'ter come out dat I'se sellin' fer you as

him up?" said Mara

e 'nuff fer dat. I say, 'Hab Miss Wallingford sen'

ay anything

drap a quarter in my basket an' look as if he was po'fu

he was hostile to him personally and not merely estranged because he would not conform his views and life to her own. Her secret and dearest purpose, that of teaching him that he could live without compromise as she could, might be defeated. What if the very act should lead to the belief that she no longer wished to have any part in his life? A girl cannot feel that same toward a man who has told her openly of hi

ef you fin' it's known. De pa'hnership, as you call 'im, been doin' you a heap o' good. You'se min' been gettin' int'usted an' you fo'gits you'se troubles. Dat's wot pleases me. Now to my po' sense, folks is a heap betteh off, takin' keer ob dem selves, dan wen dey worry 'bout wat dis one say an' dat one do. Dere is lots ob folks dat'll talk 'bout you a mont

hink it would be the

ebery day an' he wouldn't keer who filled it ef he could spend. He'

not very religious,

sarmons and prars seem like bread made out ob bran, de bigger de loaf de wuss it is. Unc. s

thers keep up t

rars sho't so as to be up an' doin'. Anyhow I doan belebe he likes ter be hollered at so, as dey do in our meetin' an' Unc. says dat sech talk am 'phemous.

ome and go openly. I should have taken the stand before and saved you from c

lkin' agin you. You see. You knows I doan' mean no disrespec' to ole Missus, but she'd jes sit down an' starbe, tinkin' ob de good dinners she orter hab, an' did hab in de ole times. All you'se folks in hebin

nk they know about my present lif

n' on well an' wen you doin' good to some po' soul de Lawd'll sen' an angel to tell 'em. W

ldhood and did not detract from the sacred themes suggested. "Oh, that I could have seen

r blue eyes ebin wen he pettin' her, an' he was tall an' straight an' strong wid eyes dat laffed or flashed jes as de 'casion was. I kin see him now come marchin' down Meetin' Street at de head ob his men, all raised hisself. He walk straight as an arrow wid his sword flashin' in de sunshine an' a hundred men step tromp, tromp, arter him as ef dey proud to follow. Missy Mary stood on de balc'ny lookin' wid all her vi'let eyes an' wabin' her hank'chief. Oh, how purty she look! de roses in her cheek, her bref comin' quick, bosom risin' an' fallin', an' she a-tremblin' an' ali

e cried, "And I too can see him, with his little band, dashing against almost an

a, you are your father's child. Never forget; never forgive," a

do wid de Lawd's prar? Dar, dar, honey, 'pose you'se nerves. 'Taint bes