Page:The leopard's spots - a romance of the white man's burden-1865-1900 (IA leopardsspotsrom00dixo).pdf/204

 Aunt Mary, Mrs. Durham's cook, got salvation over again every summer with increasing power and increasing degeneration in her work. Some nights she got home at two o'clock and breakfast was not ready until nine. Some nights she didn't get home at all, and Mrs. Durham had to get breakfast herself.

It was a hard time for Dick who had not yet experienced religion, and on whom fell the brunt of the extra work and Mrs. Durham's fretfulness besides.

"I tell you what less do, Charlie!" he cried one day. "Less go down ter dat nigger chu'ch, en bus' up de meetin'! I'se gettin' tired er dis."

"How'll you do it?"

"I show you somefin'?" He reached under his shirt next to his skin, and pulled out Dr. Graham's sun glass.

"Where'd you get that, Dick?"

"Foun' it whar er man lef' it." He walled his eyes solemnly.

"Des watch here when I turns 'im in de sun. I kin set dat pile er straw er fire wid it!"

"You mustn't set the church afire!" warned Charlie.

"Naw, chile, but I git up in de gallery, en when ole Uncle Josh gins ter holler en bawl en r'ar en charge, I fling dat blaze er light right on his bal' haid, en I set him afire sho's you bawn!"

"Dick, I wouldn't do it," said Charlie, laughing in spite of himself.

Charlie refused to accompany him. But Dick's mind was set on the necessity of this work of reform. So in the afternoon he slipped off without leave and quietly made his way into the gallery of the Negro Baptist church.

The excitement was running high. Uncle Josh had preached one sermon an hour in length, and had called up the mourners. At least fifty had come forward. The