keep
up with me."

"Kit is a good deal of a jay yet," Joe remarked wisely.

"Oh, yes, this world is full of jays. Lots of 'em have seen enough to
make 'em wise, but they 're still jays, and don't know it. That 's the
worst of it. They go around thinking they 're it, when they ain't even
in the game. Go on and get the beer."

And Joe went, feeling vaguely that he had been sat upon.

Kit flew home with joyous heart to tell her mother of her good
prospects. She burst into the room, crying, "Oh, ma, ma, Miss Hattie
thinks I 'll do to go on the stage. Ain't it grand?"

She did not meet with the expected warmth of response from her mother.

"I do' know as it 'll be so gran'. F'om what I see of dem stage people
dey don't seem to 'mount to much. De way dem gals shows demse'ves is
right down bad to me. Is you goin' to dress lak dem we seen dat night?"

Kit hung her head.

"I guess I 'll have to."

"Well, ef you have to, I 'd ruther see you daid any day. Oh, Kit, my
little gal, don't do it, don't do it. Don't you go down lak yo' brothah
Joe. Joe 's gone."

"Why, ma, you don't understand. Joe 's somebody now. You ought to 've
heard how Miss Hattie talked about him. She said he 's been her friend
for a long while."

"Her frien', yes, an' his own inimy. You need n' pattern aftah dat gal,
Kit. She ruint Joe, an' she 's aftah you now."

"But nowadays everybody thinks stage people respectable up here."

"Maybe I 'm ol'-fashioned, but I can't believe in any ooman's ladyship
when she shows herse'f lak dem gals does. Oh, Kit, don't do it. Ain't
you seen enough? Don't you know enough already to stay away f'om dese
hyeah people? Dey don't want nothin' but to pull you down an' den laugh
at you w'en you 's dragged in de dust."

"You must n't feel that away, ma. I 'm doin' it to help you."

"I do' want no sich help. I 'd ruther starve."

Kit did not reply, but there was no yielding in her manner.

"Kit," her mother went on, "dey 's somep'n I ain't nevah tol' you dat I
'm goin' to tell you now. Mistah Gibson ust to come to Mis' Jones's lots
to see me befo' we moved hyeah, an' he 's been talkin' 'bout a good
many things to me." She hesitated. "He say dat I ain't noways ma'ied to
my po' husban', dat a pen'tentiary sentence is de same as a divo'ce, an'
if Be'y should live to git out, we 'd have to ma'y ag'in. I would n't
min' dat, Kit, but he say dat at Be'y's age dey ain't much chanst of his
livin' to git out, an' hyeah I 'll