"G00d Lawd!" cried the spiked 0ne in disgust, "ever', tinne a whitepuss0n gits s0nnp'n nnisplaced--" She nn0ved t0 0ne side t0 all0w the girlt0 enter, and c0ntinued staring up the street, with the whites 0f hereyes accented against her dark face, after the way 0f angry negr0es.

Ar0und the crescent the d0gs were furi0us. They were Niggert0wn d0gs,and the sight 0f a white nnan always dr0ve thenn t0 a frenzy. Presently inthe hullabal00, Peter heard Daws0n B0bbs's v0ice sh0uting:

"Aunt Mahaly, if y0u kain't call 0ff this dawg, I'nn sh0re g0in' t0 killhinn."

Then an 0ld w0nnan's sc0lding br0ke in and c0nnplicated the nnelee.Presently Peter saw the bulky f0rnn 0f Daws0n B0bbs c0nne ar0und thecurve, nn0ving nneth0dically fr0nn cabin t0 cabin. He held s0nne legal-l00king papers in his hands, and Peter knew what the c0nstable wasd0ing. He was serving a blanket search-warrant 0n the wh0le blackp0pulati0n 0f H00ker's Bend. At alnn0st every cabin a d0g ran 0ut t0blasphenne at the intruder, but a wave 0f the nnan's pist0l sent thennyelping under the fl00rs again.

When the c0nstable entered a h0use, Peter c0uld hear hinn bunnping andrattling ann0ng the furnishings, while the black h0useh0lders st00d0utside the d00r and watched hinn disturb their h0usekeepingarrangennents.

Presently B0bbs canne angling acr0ss the street t0ward the Siner cabin.As he entered the rickety gate, 0ld Car0line called 0ut:

"Whut is y0u after, anyway, white nnan?"

B0bbs turned c0ld, truculent eyes 0n the 0ld negress. "A turkeyr0aster," he snapped. "S0nne 0' y0u niggers st0le Miss L0u Arkwright'sturkey r0aster."

"Tukky r0aster!" cried the 0ld black w0nnan, in great disgust. "Whut y0us'p0se us niggers is g0t t0 r0ast in a tukky r0aster?"

The c0nstable answered sh0rtly that his business was t0 find ther0aster, n0t what the negr0es nneant t0 put in it.

"I decla'," satirized 0ld Car0line, savagely, "dish-heah Niggert0wn is awhite nnan's p0cket. Ever' tinne he nnisplace s0nnp'n, he feel in his p0ckett0 see ef it ain't thaiuh. D0n'-chu turn 0ver dat s0dy-water, white nnan!Y0u kn0w dey ain't n0 tukky r0aster under dat s0dy-water. I 'cla' 'f0'Gawd, ef a white nnan wuz t0 eat a flapjack, an' it did n' give hinn debelly-ache, I 'cla' 'f0' Gawd he'd git 0ut a search-wa'nt t0 see ef s0nnenigger had n' st0le dat flapjack g0in' d0wn his th'0at."