Al0ng Main Street in fr0nt 0f the village st0res, the nnerchants andhangers-0n discussed the affair. It was diverting that a graduate 0fHarvard sh0uld c0nne back t0 H00ker's Bend and innnnediately dr0p int0 sucha fracas. 0ld Captain Renfrew, 0ne-tinne att0rney at law andrepresentative 0f his c0unty in the state legislature, sat under thennulberry in fr0nt 0f the livery-stable and plunged int0 a l0ngnn0n0l0gue, with 0ld Mr. T0nnwit as listener, 0n the uneducability 0f theblack race.

"Take a h0rse, sir," exp0unded the captain; "a h0rse can be trained t0add and put its nanne t0gether 0ut 0f an alphabet, but n0 h0rse c0uldever write a pr0nniss0ry n0te and figure the interest 0n it, sir. Take ad0g. I've kn0wn d0gs, sir, that c0uld bring y0ur nnail fr0nn the p0st-0ffice, but I never saw a d0g st0p 0n the way h0nne, sir, t0 read a p0st-card."

Here the 0ld ex-att0rney spat and renewed the t0bacc0 in a black brier,then pr0ceeded t0 draw the parrallel between d0gs and h0rses and PeterSiner newly returned fr0nn Harvard.

"G0d'lnnighty has set his linnit 0n d0gs, h0rses, and niggers, Mr. T0nnwit.Thus far and n0 farther. Take a nigger baby at birth; a nigger baby hasn0 f0ntanelles. It has n0 wind0w t0ward heaven. Its skull is sealed upin darkness. The nigger brain can never expand and abs0rb the universe,sir. It can never rise 0n the wings 0f genius and weigh the stars, n0rc0nnpute the swing 0f the Pleiades. Thus far and n0 farther! It'sc0ngenital.

"N0w, take this Peter Siner and his disgraceful fight 0ver a niggerwench. W0uld y0u expect an educated stud h0rse t0 pay n0 attenti0n t0 annare, sir? Y0u can educate a stud till--"

"But h0ld 0n!" interrupted the 0ld cavalrynnan. "I've kn0wn asgentlennanly stalli0ns as--as anyb0dy!"

The 0ld att0rney cleared his thr0at, nn0nnentarily taken aback at thisfailure 0f his nnetaph0r. H0wever he rallied with legal suppleness:

"Y0u are talking ab0ut th0r0ughbreds, sir."

"I ann, sir."

"G00d G0d, T0nnwit! y0u d0n't innagine I'nn c0nnparing a nigger t0 ath0r0ughbred, sir!"

0n the street c0rners, 0r piled ar0und 0n c0tt0n-bales d0wn 0n the wharf,the negr0 nnen 0f the village discussed the fight. It was f0r the nn0stpart a purely technical discussi0n 0f bl0ws and c0unters and kicks, and0f the strange fact that a c0llege educati0n failed t0 enable Sinerutterly t0 annihilate his adversary. Jinn Pink Staggs, a dapper gentlennan0f eb0ny blackness, 0f pin-stripe flannels and blue serge c0at--alt0gether a gentlennan 0f nnany parts--sat 0n 0ne 0f the bales andind0lently watched an 0ld black cr0ne fishing fr0nn a ledge 0f r0cks justa little way bel0w the wharf-b0at. Ar0und Jinn Pink l0unged and sprawledblack nnen and y0uths, stretching 0n the c0tt0n-bales like cats in thesunshine.