d
the amen died a-borning. "But do hit say dat?" he asked earnestly.

"It certainly does read that way," said the promoter glibly.

"Uh, huh," replied the old man, settling himself back in his chair. "I
been preachin' dat t'ing wrong fu' mo' dan fo'ty yeahs. Dat's whut comes
o' not bein' able to read de wo'd fu' yo'se'f."

Buford had no sense of the pathetic or he could never have done what he
did--sell to the old gentleman, on the strength of the knowledge he had
imparted to him, a house and lot upon terms so easy that he might drowse
along for a little time and then wake to find himself both homeless and
penniless. This was the promoter's method, and for so long a time had it
proved successful that he had now grown mildly affluent and had set up a
buggy in which to drive about and see his numerous purchasers and
tenants.

Buford was a suave little yellow fellow, with a manner that suggested
the training of some old Southern butler father, or at least, an
experience as a likely house-boy. He was polite, plausible, and more
than all, resourceful. All of this he had been for years, but in all
these years he had never so risen to the height of his own uniqueness as
when he conceived and carried into execution the idea of the "Buford
Colonizing Company."

Humanity has always been looking for an Eldorado, and, however mixed the
metaphor may be, has been searching for a Moses to lead it thereto.
Behold, then, Jason Buford in the role of Moses. And equipped he was to
carry off his part with the very best advantage, for though he might not
bring water from the rock, he could come as near as any other man to
getting blood from a turnip.

The beauty of the man's scheme was that no offering was too small to be
accepted. Indeed, all was fish that came to his net.

Think of paying fifty cents down and knowing that some time in the dim
future you would be the owner of property in the very heart of a great
city where people would rush to buy. It was glowing enough to attract a
people more worldly wise than were these late slaves. They simply fell
into the scheme with all their souls; and off their half dollars,
dollars, and larger sums, Mr. Buford waxed opulent. The land meanwhile
did not materialise.

It was just at this time that Sister Jane Callender came upon the scene
and made glad the heart of the new-fledged Moses. He had heard of Sister
Jane before, and he had greeted her coming with a sparkling of eyes and
a rubbin