and allus a-goin’ on about it and a-cryin’ over it and a-carryin’ on, and wouldn’t leave it out of her sight a minute.  And Ezry said ’at she could write so purty, and made sich purty pictures far the childern; and how they all liked her better’n ther own mother.  And, sence she’d moved, he said it seemed so lonesome like ‘thout her about the house—­like they’d lost one o’ ther own fambly; said they didn’t git to see her much now, on’y sometimes, when her man would be at work, she’d run over far awhile, and kiss all the childern and women-folks about the place,—­the greatest hand far the childern, she was; tell ’em all sorts o’little stories, you know, and sing far ’em; said ’at she could sing so sweet-like,’at time and time agin she’d break clean down in some song o’nuther, and her voice would trimble so mournful-like ‘at you’d find yourse’f a-cryin’ afore you knowed it.  And she used to coax Ezry’s woman to let her take the childern home with her; and they used to allus want to go, ’tel Bills come onc’t while they was there, and they said he got to jawin’ her far a-makin’ some to-do over the baby, and swore at her and tuck it away from her and whipped it far cryin’, and she cried and told him to whip her and not little Annie, and he said that was jist what he was a-doin’.  And the childern was allus afear’d to go there any more after that—­’fear’d he’d come home and whip little Annie agin.  Ezry said he jist done that to skeer ’em away—­’cause he didn’t want a passel o’ childern a-whoopin’ and a-howlin’ and a-trackin’ ’round the house all the time.

But, shore enough, Bills, after the fight, ’peared like he ’d settled down, and went ’bout his business so stiddy-like, and worked so well, the neighbors begin to think he was all right after all, and railly some got to likin’ him.  But far me, well, I was a leetle slow to argy ’at the feller wasn’t “a-possumin’.”  But the next time I went over to the mill—­and Steve went with me—­old Ezry come and met us, and said ’at Bills didn’t have no hard feelin’s ef we didn’t, and ’at he wanted us to fergive him; said ’at Bills wanted him to tell us ’at he was sorry the way he’d acted, and wanted us to fergive him.  Well, I looked at Ezry, and we both looked at him, jist perfectly tuck back—­the idee o’ Bills a-wantin’ anybody to fergive him!  And says I, “Ezry, what in the name o’ common sense do you mean?” And says he, “I mean jist what I say; Bills jined meetin’ last night and had ’em all a-prayin’ far him; and we all had a glorious time,” says old Ezry; “and his woman was there and jined, too, and prayed and shouted and tuck on to beat all; and Bills got up and spoke and give in his experience, and said he’d be’n a bad man, but, glory to God, them times was past and gone; said ’at he wanted all of ’em to pray far him, and he wanted to prove faithful, and wanted all his inemies to fergive him; and prayed ’at you and Steve and your folks would fergive him, and ever’body