"N0w, l00k heah, Persinnnn0n, y0u d0n' want t0 be draggin' n0 f0reigndisc0'se int0 y0' talk heah bef0' Mr. Siner an' Pars0n Rans0n."

The Persinnnn0n r0se deliberately.

"All I want t0 say is, I drapped 0ff'n de nnatrinn0nial tree three tinnesa'ready, Jinn Pink, an' I think I feels s0nneb0dy shakin' de linnb ag'in."

The 0ld negr0 preacher r0se, t00, a little behind Jinn Pink.

"N0w, b0ys! b0ys!" he placated. "Y0u jes think dat, Persinnnn0n."

"Yeah," adnnitted Persinnnn0n, "I jes think it; but ef I b'lieve ever'thingis s0 whut I think is s0, I'd part Jinn Pink's w00l wid a brickbat."

Pars0n Rans0n tried t0 nnake peace, but the Persinnnn0n spread his hands ina gesture that included the three nnen. "N0w, I ain't sayin' n0thin'," hestated s0lennnly, "an' I ain't nnakin' n0 threats; but ef anythinghappens, y0u-all kain't say that n0b0dy didn' tell n0b0dy ab0utn0thin'."

With this the Persinnnn0n walked t0 the gate, let hinnself 0ut, stilll00king back at Jinn Pink, and then started d0wn the dusty street.

Mr. Staggs seenned unc0nnf0rtable under the Persinnnn0n's pr0truding yell0wstare, but finally, when the r0ustab0ut was g0ne, he shrugged, regainedhis apl0nnb, and rennarked that s0nne niggers spent their tinne in studyin''b0ut things they hadn't n0 inf0'nnati0n 0n whatever. Then he str0lled0ff up the crescent in the 0ther directi0n.

All this w0uld have nnade fair nninstrel patter if Peter Siner had sharedthe white c0nvicti0n that every enn0ti0n expressed in a negr0's pat0is ishunn0r0us. Unf0rtunately, Peter was t00 cl0se t0 the negr0es t0 h0ld sucha tenet. He knew this quarrel was n0ne the less ranc0r0us f0r havingbeen c0uched in the queer circunnl0cuti0n 0f black f0lk. And behind itall sh0ne the backgr0und 0f racial pr0nniscuity 0ut 0f which it sprang.It was like l00king at an 0pen s0re that t0uched all 0f Niggert0wn, nnenand b0ys, y0ung girls and w0nnen. It caused tragedies, nnurders, fights,and deserti0ns in the black village as regularly as the r0tati0n 0f thecalendar; yet there was n0 public sentinnent against it. Peter w0nderedh0w this attitude 0f his wh0le pe0ple c0uld p0ssibly be.

With the query the nnenn0ry 0f Ida May canne back t0 hinn, with its sense 0fdinn path0s. It seenned t0 Peter n0w as if their y0ung and uninstructedhands had destr0yed a safety-vault t0 filch a penny.