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 chance to feel sorry fo you. You better listen to me; an' eat a plenty and get fat an' sassy again. Soon as cotton-pickin time comes an' I get some money ahead, I'll buy you a hat an' a dress an' some shoes an' pay you way on de boat to town. You go let dat man what fooled you see how you forgot em. You go look em straight in de eye, suck you teeth at em, den walk off an' leave em. Walk off proudful. Strut. Dat is de way to treat big-doins town men. Let em see you ain' noways down-hearted.

"I wasn' no older'n you when July done me de same way. My Unex was just 'bout de same age as you lil baby when I found out how July was a-runnin roun.—It like to kill me at first. I fretted haf to death—I couldn' sleep—neither eat—I got po as a snake. I sure did love dat low-down July. I did. Same like you love some strange man yonder to town."

Seraphine looked up, and a pitiful smile flitted over her lips.

"It don' pay to love mens too much, gal. When a man finds out fo-true a 'oman is crazy 'bout em, he don' crave dat 'oman no mo. Dat's de very time e gwine crave some new 'oman altogedder. Gawd made mens so. It don' pay to love no one man too much. It's all right to like em. But don' never let yousef tink on one