“I mean,” said Herbert, “what started him last night?”

“Them cigareets,” said Kitty Silver.  “Them cigareets whut thishere Noble Dills smoke whiles he settin’ out on the front po’che callin’ on you’ Aunt Julia.  You’ grampaw mighty funny man about smellin’!  You know’s well’s I do he don’t even like the smell o’ violet.  Well, ma’am, if he can’t stan’ violet, how in the name o’ misery he goin’ stan’ the smell nem cigareets thishere Dills smoke?  I can’t hardly stan’ ’em myse’f.  When he light one on the front po’che, she sif’ all through the house, an’ come slidin’ right the whole way out to my kitchen, an’ bim! she take me in the nose!  You’ grampaw awready tole Miss Julia time an’ time again if that li’l Dills light dess one mo’ on his front po’che he goin’ to walk out there an’ do some harm!  Co’se she nev’ tuck an’ pay no ’tention, ‘cause Miss Julia, she nev’ pay no ‘tention to nobody; an’ she like caller have nice time—­she ain’ goin’ tell ’em you’ grampaw make such a fuss.  ’Yes, ‘deed, kine frien’,’ she say, she say, when they ast her:  ‘Miss Julia, ma’am,’ they say, ’I like please strike a match fer to light my cigareet if you please, ma’am.’  She say:  ’Light as many as you please, kine frien’,’ she say, she say.  She say:  ‘Smell o’ cigareet dess deligh’ful li’l smell,’ she say.  ’Go ‘head an’ smoke all you kin stan’,’ she say, ‘’cause I want you injoy you’se’f when you pay call on me,’ she say.  Well, so thishere young li’l Dills settin’ there puffin’ an’ blowin’ his ches’ out and in, an’ feelin’ all nice ’cause it about the firs’ time this livin’ summer he catch you’ Aunt Julia alone to hisse’f fer while—­an’ all time the house dess fillin’ up, an’ draf’ blowin’ straight at you’ grampaw whur he settin’ in his liberry.  Ma’am, he sen’ me out an’ tell her come in, he got message mighty important fer to speak to her.  So she tell thishere Dills wait a minute, an’ walk in the liberry.  Oh, ladies!”

“What’d he say?” Herbert asked eagerly.

“He di’n’ say nothin’,” Mrs. Silver replied eloquently.  “He hollered.”

“What did he holler?”

“He want know di’n’ he never tell her thishere Dills can’t smoke no mo’ cigareets on his property, an’ di’n’ he tell her he was’n’ goin’ allow him on the place if he did?  He say she got to go back on the po’che an’ run thishere li’l Dills off home.  He say he give her fair choice; she kin run him off, or else he go on out and chase him away hisse’f.  He claim li’l Dills ain’ got no biznuss roun’ callin’ nowhere ’t all, ‘cause he on’y make about eighteen dollars a week an’ ain’t wuth it.  He say——­”

She was confirmed in this report by an indignant interruption from Florence.  “That’s just what he did say, the old thing!  I heard him, myself, and if you care to ask me, I’ll be glad to inform you that I think grandpa’s conduck was simply insulting!”

“‘Deed it were!” said Mrs. Silver.  “An’ dess whut he claim hisse’f he mean it fer!  But you tell me, please, how you hear whut you’ grampaw say?  He mighty noisy, but you nev’ could a-hear him plumb to whur you live.”