pestuous struggle to place the room in order, but
she was now bowing rapidly. She made the effort of a person swimming.

"Don't trouble yourself, Mary," said Trescott, entering. "I've brought
Henry for you to take care of, and all you've got to do is to carry
out what I tell you." Learning that he was not followed, he faced the
door, and said, "Come in, Henry."

Johnson entered. "Whee!" shrieked Mrs. Williams. She almost achieved a
back somersault. Six young members of the tribe of Williams made a
simultaneous plunge for a position behind the stove, and formed a
wailing heap.

XIII

"You know very well that you and your family lived usually on less
than three dollars a week, and now that Dr. Trescott pays you five
dollars a week for Johnson's board, you live like millionaires. You
haven't done a stroke of work since Johnson began to board with
you--everybody knows that--and so what are you kicking about?"

The judge sat in his chair on the porch, fondling his cane, and gazing
down at old Williams, who stood under the lilac-bushes. "Yes, I know,
jedge," said the negro, wagging his head in a puzzled manner. "Tain't
like as if I didn't 'preciate what the docteh done, but--but--well,
yeh see, jedge," he added, gaining a new impetus, "it's--it's hard
wuk. This ol' man nev' did wuk so hard. Lode, no."

"Don't talk such nonsense, Alek," spoke the judge, sharply. "You have
never really worked in your life--anyhow, enough to support a family
of sparrows, and now when you are in a more prosperous condition than
ever before, you come around talking like an old fool."

The negro began to scratch his head. "Yeh see, jedge," he said at
last, "my ol' 'ooman she cain't 'ceive no lady callahs, nohow."

"Hang lady callers'" said the judge, irascibly. "If you have flour in
the barrel and meat in the pot, your wife can get along without
receiving lady callers, can't she?"

"But they won't come ainyhow, jedge," replied Williams, with an air of
still deeper stupefaction. "Noner ma wife's frien's ner noner ma
frien's 'll come near ma res'dence."

"Well, let them stay home if they are such silly people."

The old negro seemed to be seeking a way to elude this argument, but
evidently finding none, he was about to shuffle meekly off. He halted,
however. "Jedge," said he, "ma ol' 'ooman's near driv' abstracted."

"Your old woman is an idiot," responded the judge.

Williams came very close and peered solemnly through a branch of