Page:Scarlet Sister Mary (1928).pdf/294

 man all de time. It'll run you crazy if it don' kill you."

Seraphine's face was thoughtful. It had a faraway look. She stood with her arms akimbo. Her full skirts, tied up short with a string around her hips, were wet with dew. Her plain homespun waist, buttoned straight down the front, was open at the neck where swift beats showed how fast her heart was running, but her bare feet, brown as the dirt they stood on, held her weight up firmly.

She was almost crying, yet ready to smile again, as she gave Mary a hug around the neck. "Si May-e, you's de best ting ever was, yes, you is. I love you too good, Si May-e."

"I'm glad, honey, I need a lot o lovin. Now, le's go home and milk de cow an' de goat an' give all dem babies a good supper."

"I hungry myself. I'm gwine cook some fried corn-cakes to eat wid dem peas I left in de pot dis mawnin."