The Law of the Land | Page 6

leg across the other, but staring out at nothing, his
lower lip drooping laxly. When the servant finally brought back the
milk-pail and placed it beside him, he gave no word of thanks. The
sunbonnet shifted to include the mulatto girl within its full vision, as
the latter stood leaning her weight on one side-bent foot, idly wiping
her hands upon her apron.
"Folks all well down to yo' place, Mistah Bowles?" said she, affably.
"Right well."
"Um-h-h." Silence then fell until Jinny again found speech.
"Old Bess, that's the Cunnel's favoright dawg, you-all know, she done
have 'leven puppies las' night."
"That so?"
"Yassah. Cunnel, he's off down on the Sun-flowah."
"Um-h-h."
"Yassah; got most all his dawgs wid 'im. We goin' to have b'ah meat
now for sho',"--this with a wide grin.
"Reckon so," said the visitor. "When's Cunnel coming back, you
reckon?"
"I dunno, suh, but he sho' won't come back lessen he gets a b'ah. If
you-all could wait a while, yon-all could take back some b'ah meat, if
you wantuh."
"Um-h-h," said the man, and fell again into silence. To all appearances,
he was willing to wait here indefinitely, forgetful of the pail of milk,

toward which the sun was now creeping ominously close. The way
back home seemed long and weary at that moment. His lip drooped still
more laxly, as he sat looking out vaguely.
Not so calm seemed his consort, she of the sun-bonnet. Eestored to
some extent by her tarrying in the shade, she began to shift and hitch
about uneasily upon the board-pile. At length she leaned a bit to one
side, reached into a pocket and, taking out a snuff-stick and a parcel of
its attendant compound, began to take a dip of snuff, after the habit of
certain of the population of that region. This done, she turned with a
swift jerk of the head, bringing to bear the tube of her bonnet in full
force upon her lord and master.
"Jim Bowles," she said, "this heah is a shame! Hit's a plumb shame!"
There was no answer, save an uneasy hitch on the part of the person so
addressed. He seemed to feel the focus of the sunbonnet boring into his
system. The voice in the bonnet went on, shot straight toward him, so
that he might not escape.
"Hit's a plumb shame," said Mrs. Bowles, again.
"I know it, I know it," said her husband at length, uneasily. "That is,
about us having to walk up heah. That whut you mean?"
"Yassir, that's whut I do mean, an' you know it."
"Well, now, how kin I help it? We kain't take the only mewel we got
and make the nigger stop wu'k. That ain't reasonable. Besides, you
don't think Cunnel Blount is goin' to miss a pail o' melk now and then,
do you?"
A snort of indignation greeted this supposition.
"Jim Bowles, you make me sick," replied his wife. "We kin get melk
heah as long as we want to, o' co'se; but who wants to keep a-comin' up
heah, three mile, for melk? It ain't right."

"Well, now, Sar' Ann, how kin I help it?" said Jim Bowles. "The cow is
daid, an' I kain't help it, an' that's all about it. My God, woman!" this
with sudden energy, "do you think I kin bring a cow to life that's been
kilt by the old railroad kyahs? I ain't no 'vangelist."
"You kain't bring old Muley to life," said Sarah Ann Bowles, "but
then--"
"Well, but then! But _whut?_ Whut you goin' to do? I reckon you do
whut you do, huh! You just walk the track and come heah after melk, I
reckon, if you want it. You ought to be mighty glad I come along to
keep you company. 'Tain't every man goin' to do that, I want to tell you.
Now, it ain't my fault old Muley done got kilt."
"Ain't yo' fault!"
"No, it ain't my fault. Whut am I goin' to do? I kain't get no otheh cow
right now, an' I done tol' you so. You reckon cows grows on bushes?"
"Grows on bushes!"
"Yes, or that they comes for nuthin'?"
"Comes for nuthin'!"
"Yes, Sar' Ann, that's whut I said. I tell you, it ain't so fur to come, ain't
so fur up heah, if you take it easy; only three mile. An' Cunnel Blount'll
give us melk as long as we want. I reckon he would give us a cow, too,
if I ast him. I s'pose I could pay him out o' the next crop, if they wasn't
so many things that has to be paid out'n the crop. It's too blame bad
'bout Muley." He scratched his head thoughtfully.
"Yes," responded his spouse, "Muley was a