at there long before
the gate creaked. She arose and hastened to the window. A young man was
coming down the path. Was that 'Rastus? Could that be her 'Rastus, that
gorgeous creature with the shiny shoes and the nobby suit and the
carelessly-swung cane? But he was knocking at her door, and she opened
it and took him into her arms.

"Why, howdy, honey, howdy; hit do beat all to see you agin, a great big,
grown-up man. You're lookin' des' lak one o' de big folks up in town."

Erastus submitted to her endearments with a somewhat condescending
grace, as who should say, "Well, poor old fool, let her go on this time;
she doesn't know any better." He smiled superiorly when the old woman
wept glad tears, as mothers have a way of doing over returned sons,
however great fools these sons may be. She set him down to the dinner
which she had prepared for him, and with loving patience drew from his
pompous and reluctant lips some of the story of his doings and some
little word about the places he had seen.

"Oh, yes," he said, crossing his legs, "as soon as Mr. Carrington saw
that I was pretty bright, he took me right up and gave me a good job,
and I have been working for him right straight along for seven years
now. Of course, it don't do to let white folks know all you're thinking;
but I have kept my ears and my eyes right open, and I guess I know just
about as much about law as he does himself. When I save up a little
more I'm going to put on the finishing touches and hang out my shingle."

"Don't you nevah think no mo' 'bout bein' a preachah, 'Rastus?" his
mother asked.

"Haw, haw! Preachah? Well, I guess not; no preaching in mine; there's
nothing in it. In law you always have a chance to get into politics and
be the president of your ward club or something like that, and from that
on it's an easy matter to go on up. You can trust me to know the wires."
And so the tenor of his boastful talk ran on, his mother a little bit
awed and not altogether satisfied with the new 'Rastus that had returned
to her.

He did not stay in long that evening, although his mother told him some
of the neighbours were going to drop in. He said he wanted to go about
and see something of the town. He paused just long enough to glance at
the flowers in his room, and to his mother's remark, "Sally Ma'tin brung
dem in," he returned answer, "Who on earth is Sally Martin?"

"Why, 'Rastus," exclaimed his mother, "does yo' 'tend lak yo' don't
'member li