s_ like er devil."

"What do you care what he looks like?" demanded the judge.

"Ma rent is two dollehs and er half er month," said Williams, slowly.

"It might just as well be ten thousand dollars a month," responded the
judge. "You never pay it, anyhow."

"Then, anoth' thing," continued Williams, in his reflective tone. "If
he was all right in his haid I could stan' it; but, jedge, he's
crazier 'n er loon. Then when he looks like er devil, an' done skears
all ma frien's away, an' ma chillens cain't eat, an' ma ole 'ooman jes
raisin' Cain all the time, an' ma rent two dollehs an' er half er
month, an' him not right in his haid, it seems like five dollehs er
week--"

The judge's stick came down sharply and suddenly upon the floor of the
porch. "There," he said, "I thought that was what you were driving
at."

Williams began swinging his head from side to side in the strange
racial mannerism. "Now hol' on a minnet, jedge," he said, defensively.
"'Tain't like as if I didn't 'preciate what the docteh done. 'Tain't
that. Docteh Trescott is er kind man, an' 'tain't like as if I didn't
'preciate what he done; but--but--"

"But what? You are getting painful, Alek. Now tell me this: did you
ever have five dollars a week regularly before in your life?"

Williams at once drew himself up with great dignity, but in the pause
after that question he drooped gradually to another attitude. In the
end he answered, heroically: "No, jedge, I 'ain't. An' 'tain't like as
if I was er-sayin' five dollehs wasn't er lot er money for a man like
me. But, jedge, what er man oughter git fer this kinder wuk is er
salary. Yesseh, jedge," he repeated, with a great impressive gesture;
"fer this kinder wuk er man oughter git er Salary." He laid a terrible
emphasis upon the final word.

The judge laughed. "I know Dr. Trescott's mind concerning this affair,
Alek; and if you are dissatisfied with your boarder, he is quite ready
to move him to some other place; so, if you care to leave word with me
that you are tired of the arrangement and wish it changed, he will
come and take Johnson away."

Williams scratched his head again in deep perplexity. "Five dollehs is
er big price fer bo'd, but 'tain't no big price fer the bo'd of er
crazy man," he said, finally.

"What do you think you ought to get?" asked the judge.

"Well," answered Alek, in the manner of one deep in a balancing of the
scales, "he looks like er devil, an' done skears e'rybody, a