admitted to be a valid argument, and Jabez lived, if not on the
fat of the land, at least on the fat of his former mistress's kitchen,
with such aid as his current wife could furnish.

He had had several wives before the war, and was reputed to be none too
good to them, a fact which was known at home only on hearsay; for he
always took his wives from plantations at a distance from his home.

The overseers said that he did this so that he could get off to go to
his "wife's house," and thus shirk work; the other servants said it
was because the women did not know him so well as those at home, and he
could leave them when he chose.

Jabez assigned a different reason:

"It don' do to have your wife live too nigh to you; she 'll want t' know
too much about you, an' you can't never git away from her"--a bit of
philosophy the soundness of which must be left to married men.

However it was, his reputation did not interfere with his ability to
procure a new wife as often as occasion arose. With Jabez the supply was
ever equal to the demand.

Mrs. Meriwether, his old mistress, was just telling me of him one day
in reply to a question of mine as to what had become of him; for I had
known him before the war.

"Oh! he is living still, and he bids fair to outlast the whole colored
female sex. He is a perfect Bluebeard. He has had I do not know how many
wives and I heard that his last wife was sick. They sent for my son,
Douglas, the doctor, not long ago to see her. However, I hope she is
better as he has not been sent for again."

At this moment, by a coincidence, the name of Jabez was brought in by a
maid.

"Unc' Jabez, m'm."

That was all; but the tone and the manner of the maid told that Jabez
was a person of note with the messenger; every movement and glance were
self-conscious.

"That old--! He is a nuisance! What does he want now? Is his wife worse,
or is he after a new one?"

"I d' n' kn', m'm," said the maid, sheepishly, twisting her body and
looking away, to appear unconcerned. "Would n' tell me. He ain' after
_me!_

"Well, tell him to go to the kitchen till I send for him. Or--wait:
if his wife 's gone, he 'll be courting the cook if I send him to the
kitchen. And I don't want to lose her just now. Tell him to come to the
door."

"Yes, 'm." The maid gave a half-suppressed giggle, which almost became
an explosion as she said something to herself and closed the door.
It sounded like, "Dressed up might'ly--