" as she
would have termed it herself; her visit to Sampson's hut having not
been without results tending to that condition. The warmth of the room
was very agreeable in contrast to the bleakness of out-doors. She felt
free and moved to exercise a looseness of tongue with the amiable old
negress which was not common with her. The occurrences of the morning
were gradually withdrawing themselves into a distant perspective that
left her in the attitude of a spectator rather than that of an actor.
And she laughed and talked with Marie Louise, and rocked, and rocked
herself on into drowsiness.

Hosmer had no intention of returning home without his wife. He only
wanted to be out under the sky; he wanted to breathe, to use his
muscles again. He would go and help cross the flat if need be; an
occupation that promised him relief in physical effort. He joined
Nathan, whom he found standing under a big live-oak, disputing with an
old colored woman who wanted to cross to get back to her family before
supper time.

"You didn' have no call to come ova in de fus' place," he was saying
to her, "you womens is alluz runnin' back'ards and for'ards like
skeard rabbit in de co'n fiel'."

"I don' stan' no sich talk is dat f'om you. Ef you kiant tin' to yo'
business o' totin' folks w'en dey wants, you betta quit. You done
cheat Mose out o' de job, anyways; we all knows dat."

"Mine out, woman, you gwine git hu't. Jis' le'me see Mose han'le dat
'ar flat onct: Jis' le'me. He lan' you down to de Mouf 'fo' you knows
it."

"Let me tell you, Nathan," said Hosmer, looking at his watch, "say you
wait a quarter of an hour and if no one else comes, we'll cross Aunt
Agnes anyway."

"Dat 'nudda t'ing ef you wants to go back, suh."

Aunt Agnes was grumbling now at Hosmer's proposal that promised to
keep her another quarter of an hour from her expectant family, when a
big lumbering creaking wagon drove up, with its load of baled cotton
all covered with tarpaulins.

"Dah!" exclaimed Nathan at sight of the wagon, "ef I'd 'a listened to
yo' jawin'--what?"

"Ef you'd listen to me, you'd 'tin' to yo' business betta 'an you
does," replied Aunt Agnes, raising a very battered umbrella over her
grotesquely apparelled figure, as she stepped from under the shelter
of the tree to take her place in the flat.

But she still met with obstacles, for the wagon must needs go first.
When it had rolled heavily into place with much loud and needless
swearing on