Evening star., 1931-12-20

Mister ROyk, you Sno' kotched me sing
in reel I don't aim to do like dat,
but de devil jest will git into me.
hyard Mister Dick singin' reel dis
mawnin', and maybe dat's how come.
Mister Dick jest will sing reels when he's
pleasant And spile dem dogs? Cou'se
he can't spile old Sue, cause she too
smart. But Antony, he jest a baby
Cou'se he's smart, too. And efn Mister
Dick don't pet him to death I bet he'll
go down to Monroe next Fall and bring
back one en- dem big silver cups, jest like
old Sue done. Cause I'm feedin' him
sweet milk outn dat big cup Sue got
And you know what kind er sweet milk?
Old Mom's She de smartest COW in de
lot. So I'm savin' out little bit er her
milk for Antony. And you know, dat dog
got so he'll pint dat big cup er milk
jest like old Sue pints at pa fridge
I learnt him how to do dat"
Giles came to the commissary door and
shouted: Grant,"
GRANT was on hand, and he answered
his name.
Don't bring ell er yo chilluns in
hyar," warned Giles. Hit amt room"
Giles had made a joke, and when the
foreman makes joke, it is good sign.
How many chilluns you got dis mawn-
in, Grant?" Henry asked.
Il don't know" said Grant. IT amt
counted EN- since way last Fall"
Everybody laughed
y1,a1l 1led in nd cot in, cboir NV,
Mister Dicks desk. Giles stood behind
the planter
Mister Dick" Grant opened-etiquette
requires the cropper to make the initial
proposition in the trading-"I'd like to
work de same fawty next year."
You got behind last year," Giles inter
rupted And de bulls had to come and
git you"
Grant fdgeted. 1t was a fact. But
there was reason, and everybody knew
it. But when I did see daylight" he
argued, Il Sho' did bear down. Least
ways, turned in fifty-two bales offn dat
fawty."
Candy gonter git married on you,"
Giles reminded him. "Cou'se, she amt
much at hoein', but she kin pick two
fifty any day, in good cotton"
But Penny is gittin' big enough to
hoe" Grant countered. "She hoed lit
tie last year and she swings her hoe
good, too. Lifts high and hits hard. She
kin beat Candy hoein' right now, and by
Fall she'll be big enough to git two-fifty,
same as Candy. Maybe three bundled"
Other details were discussed and final
ly it was agreed that Grant should work
the same 40 acres the next year. He
stood up when the bargain was COM
pleted and grinned. Mister Dick" he
said, as if by after thought, "hit's git
tim right on to Christmas, amt hit!"
Mister Dick looked straight at him.
"You owe me $2s.2O on last years ac-
count" he said
"Yassuh," repeated Grant, "hit's gittin'
right on to Christmas!"
"Now," continued Mister Dick, "if you
will take those oldest boys, and the three
of you put in 10 good hard days work
cleaning out the bitches and chopping
out fence rows on that 40 between now
and Spring, I'll knock that $2e.20 of the
book"
well git 'em," promised Grant, and,
in the same tone, he continued: "Cou'se
Christmas don't make me no diffunce,
but de kids kind er got they minds sot
on hit. So was jest thinkin', efn you'd
let me have little cash on next years
crop"
Mister Dick handed him an envelope
that had already been prepared Christ
mas is going to be thin," he told him.
Here's $27 for your whole crowd. I had
to borrow it at the bank, and you're 60
ing to pay the interest"
'"Thanky, suh," said Grant, taking the
envelope "And merry Christmas to you