Page:Scarlet Sister Mary (1928).pdf/264

 "When I get tired seein pleasure. A lot o mighty fine men round here ain' so awful satisfied wid dey wives. I might try one more round befo I stop fo good."

"Shut you mout', May-e. You can' talk such brazen talk in de house o Gawd. You must be forgot, enty?" Doll's tubby body, her husky, breathy voice, her little sharp eyes all made Mary feel suddenly cross.

"When did Gawd appint you to run His house, Doll?" she snapped out before she knew it.

Doll answered that she would rather live without a drop of bacon grease for her bread or a speck of molasses for sweetened water than to be like Mary with a pack of men for ever at her heels and bringing a poor little fatherless child into the world every other year God sent. Hatred for Doll scraped against Mary's heart.

She felt like slapping her. "Don' fret about me, Doll. You don' have but one man when I has a plenty, but dat don' make you so much better'n me. I couldn' stand to have de same man a-snorin in my face evy night Gawd sends. No Lawd. I rather change. I like to shoot down de ducks as dey rise. But I don' forget my manners like some women I know. I treats my men fine. When I sees em a-feelin down-hearted I cheers em up and sends em off