“Hit do seem,” Mandy said, “dat Jim feel de weight o’ his sins mos’ powahful.”

“I reckon hit’s de rheumatics,” said Dinah.

    [Illustration:  Jim.]

“Don’ mek no diffunce what de inst’ument is,” Mandy replied, “hit’s de ’sult, hit’s de ’sult.”

When the news reached Stuart Mordaunt’s ears he became intensely interested.  Anything that would convert Jim, and make a model Christian of him would be providential on that plantation.  It would save the overseers many an hour’s worry; his horses, many a secret ride; and the other servants, many a broken head.  So he again went down to labor with Parker in the interest of the sinner.

“Is he mou’nin’ yit?” said Parker.

“No, not yet, but I think now is a good time to sow the seeds in his mind.”

“Oomph,” said the old man, “reckon you bettah let Jim alone twell dem sins o’ his’n git him to tossin’ an’ cryin’ an’ a mou’nin’.  Den’ll be time enough to strive wid him.  I’s allus willin’ to do my pa’t, Mas’ Stuart, but w’en hit comes to ol’ time sinnahs lak Jim, I believe in layin’ off, an’ lettin’ de sperit do de strivin’.”

“But Parker,” said his master, “you yourself know that the Bible says that the spirit will not always strive.”

“Well, la den, mas’, you don’ spec’ I gwine outdo de sperit.”

But Stuart Mordaunt was particularly anxious that Jim’s steps might be turned in the right direction.  He knew just what a strong hold over their minds the Negroes’ own emotional religion had, and he felt that could he once get Jim inside the pale of the church, and put him on guard of his salvation, it would mean the loss of fewer of his shoats and pullets.  So he approached the old preacher, and said in a confidential tone.

“Now look here, Parker, I’ve got a fine lot of that good old tobacco you like so up to the big house, and I’ll tell you what I’ll do.  If you’ll just try to work on Jim, and get his feet in the right path, you can come up and take all you want.”

“Oom-oomph,” said the old man, “dat sho’ is monst’ous fine terbaccer, Mas’ Stua’t.”

“Yes, it is, and you shall have all you want of it.”

“Well, I’ll have a little wisit wid Jim, an’ des’ see how much he ‘fected, an’ if dey any stroke to be put in fu’ de gospel ahmy, you des’ count on me ez a mighty strong wa’ior.  Dat boy been layin’ heavy on my mind fu’ lo, dese many days.”

As a result of this agreement, the old man went down to Jim’s cabin on a night when that interesting sinner was suffering particularly from his rheumatic pains.

“Well, Jim,” the preacher said, “how you come on?”

“Po’ly, po’ly,” said Jim, “I des’ plum’ racked an’ ’stracted f’om haid to foot.”

“Uh, huh, hit do seem lak to me de Bible don’ tell nuffin’ else but de trufe.”

“What de Bible been sayin’ now?” asked Jim suspiciously.

“Des’ what it been sayin’ all de res’ o’ de time.  ‘Yo’ sins will fin’ you out’”