‚ÄúYes‚ÅÝ‚Äîonly‚ÅÝ‚ÄîI don‚Äôt know‚ÅÝ‚Äî‚Äù and he grew thoughtful.
The road turned now and far away to the eastward rose the first straggling cabins of the town.
Creeping toward them down the road rolled a dark squat figure. It grew and spread slowly on the horizon until it became a fat old black woman, hooded and aproned, with great round hips and massive bosom.
Her face was heavy and homely until she looked up and lifted the drooping cheeks, and then kindly old eyes beamed on the young teacher, as she curtsied and cried:
“Good evening, honey! Good evening! You sure is pretty dis evening.”
“Why, Aunt Rachel, how are you?” There was genuine pleasure in the girl’s tone.
“Just tolerable, honey, bless de Lord! Rumatiz is kind o’ bad and Aunt Rachel ain’t so young as she use ter be.”
“And what brings you to town afoot this time of day?”
The face fell again to dull care and the old eyes crept away. She fumbled with her cane.
‚ÄúIt‚Äôs de boys again, honey,‚Äù she returned solemnly; ‚Äúdey‚Äôse good boys, dey is good to de‚Äôre old mammy, but dey‚Äôse high strung and dey gits fighting and drinking and‚ÅÝ‚Äîand‚ÅÝ‚Äîlast Saturday night dey got took up again. I‚Äôse been to Jedge Grey‚ÅÝ‚ÄîI use to tote him on my knee, honey‚ÅÝ‚ÄîI‚Äôse been to him to plead him not to let ‚Äôem go on de gang, ‚Äôcause you see, honey,‚Äù and she stroked the girl‚Äôs sleeve as if pleading with her, too, ‚Äúyou see it done ruins boys to put ‚Äôem on de gang.‚Äù