Granny turned her head sideways, at right angle to the speaker, and promptly exploded. "Jer'bome! Git right back to yo' work! Git! 'N' don't let me see nur hear yo' till them dishes is washed 'n' put away!" Granf'er (it could be no one else) retreated obediently, without a word. Granny's face swung around to me again. "If all men wuz as triflin' 'n' ornery as that air'n o' mine, Lord knows whut th' worl' 'd come to. _E_-tern'l perdition, I reck'n! He jes' lays 'roun' 'n' chaws terbacker, pertendin' he carries a ketch in 'is back. Plum' laziness, I tell yo'! But I don't 'low no vagrints 'roun' me. Jer'bome's got to work 's long 's he b'longs to me.... Now! I said, air you _him_?" "I'm the stranger who lives in the shack on Bald Knob." Granny resumed her knitting at this point. I noticed that her shining needles seemed to be fighting each other as she continued: "Look whut I'm a-doin' fur 'im now! Slavin' to git somethin' to keep 'is feet warm 'gin winter comes. He's not wuth it! Lak as not he'll crack one o' them dishes 'fo' he gits 'em done. He's that keerless. Most do-less man I _ever_ seen.... Yes, I've heerd 'bout yo'--twict." "I hope you received a pleasant report?" I ventured. "Jes' las' night he lef' th' dish tow'ls a-hangin' on th' lot fence 'n' th' calf et 'em up. 'N' th' day befo' he fed a gang o' day old chick'ns meal 'n' wadder 'n' they swelled up 'n' died. 'N' chick'ns wuth fifteen cents a poun' at th' store!... Lessie come home a fo'tn't ago with a tale o' meetin' some feller. I tol' 'er gels 'd better leave all tramps be." "But I'm not a tramp!" I protested. "I'm usually considered a gentleman." "That's whut Jeffy 'lowed. He's here last night--pore feller!--'n' tol' us 'bout eat'n' a snack with you on Baldy--whut in th' name o' the sevin plagues does a man in 'is right min' wan' to live thur fur?--tell me that!" "I find it very pleasant--" Then the light went out, soft hands were pressing hard over my closed lids, and a cool, ferny perfume drifted to my nostrils. I was conscious of warm wrists alongside my head, and a stifled giggle just behind me. "Lessie!" I cried, remembering the childhood prank. The blinding hands were at once withdrawn, and as she leaped back new vials of wrath were opened. "Of all outlandish doin's!" Granny had raised her head only at my exclamation, but she saw enough. "Whut on airth air gels comin' to this day 'n' time?--tell me that! Never seen 'im but onct--mought be a redhanded 'sass'n--ur a thief--ur--ur--ur _any_thin'! 'N' all my teach'n' all these years. W'en I've _tol'_ yo' that all men were 'ceptious, 'n' _tol'_ yo' to b'lieve nothin' they say, 'n' _tol'_ yo' to have no talk with 'em but 'Howdy' 'n' 'Good-by,' 'n' here yo' air a-huggin' a stranger--teetot'l stranger--'fo' my eyes!"