f service.

Jerry camped that night across the road from what remained of his former
dwelling. Cindy Ann and the children, worn out and worried, went to
sleep in spite of themselves, but he sat there all night long, his chin
between his knees, gazing at what had been his pride.

Well, the beasts lay in wait for him again, and when he came to them
they showed their fangs in greeting. And the velvet was over their
claws. He had escaped them before. He had impugned their skill in the
hunt, and they were ravenous for him. Now he was fatter, too. He went
away from them with hard terms, and a sickness at his heart. But he had
not said "Yes" to the terms. He was going home to consider the almost
hopeless conditions under which they would let him build again.

They were staying with a neighbour in town pending his negotiations and
thither he went to ponder on his circumstances. Then it was that Cindy
Ann came into the equation. She demanded to know what was to be done and
how it was to be gone about.

"But Cindy Ann, honey, you do' know nuffin' 'bout bus'ness."

"T'ain't whut I knows, but whut I got a right to know," was her
response.

"I do' see huccome you got any right to be a-pryin' into dese hyeah
things."

"I's got de same right I had to w'ok an' struggle erlong an' he'p you
get whut we's done los'."

Jerry winced and ended by telling her all.

"Dat ain't nuffin' but owdacious robbery," said Cindy Ann. "Dem people
sees dat you got a little some'p'n, an' dey ain't gwine stop ontwell
dey's bu'nt an' stoled evah blessed cent f'om you. Je'miah, don't you
have nuffin' mo' to do wid 'em."

"I got to, Cindy Ann."

"Whut fu' you got to?"

"How I gwine buil' a cabin an' a ba'n an' buy a mule less'n I deal wid
'em?"

"Dah's Mas' Sam Brabant. He'd he'p you out."

Jerry rose up, his eyes flashing fire. "Cindy Ann," he said, "you a
fool, you ain't got no mo' pride den a guinea hen, an' you got a heap
less sense. W'y, befo' I go to ol' Mas' Sam Brabant fu' a cent, I'd
sta've out in de road."

"Huh!" said Cindy Ann, shutting her mouth on her impatience.

One gets tired of thinking and saying how much more sense a woman has
than a man when she comes in where his sense stops and his pride
begins.

With the recklessness of despair Jerry slept late that next morning, but
he might have awakened early without spoiling his wife's plans. She was
up betimes, had gone on her mission and returned before her spouse
awoke.