Page:Scarlet Sister Mary (1928).pdf/87

 "Jedus, Gawd, is dat possum I smell? I ever was raven about possum. Do, for Gawd's sake, le me taste em."

She spoke with her old bold ease, and asked for the possum as if she had a perfect right to it.

Mary got up and filled two pans, one for Cinder and one for herself, for she had not stopped to eat any food since early breakfast. Cinder took up her spoon and began eating slowly and looking around the room. "You house looks nice and clean, Si May-e," she praised. "You ever was a good scourer. But how-come you ain' got no chimney on you lamp?"

Mary swallowed a mouthful before she answered. "De chimney got broke, but de fire gives plenty of light. Me an' July don' set up late."

Cinder's round eyes narrowed a little.

"It's awful bad luck for a lamp chimney to break, enty?"

"I don' know, I never did hear so."

"You didn'? Great Gawd, gal, I been knowin dat ever since I was knee high. It's de worst sign ever was when a lamp chimney breaks in you house."

Mary looked straight and hard into Cinder's eyes, but they turned away and gazed out of the window where a dark cloud was banked in the west. What was the use to dispute?