Halsey: Good stuff! Youre damn right. Hanby there dont think so. Wonder he doesnt come over t find out whos burnin his oil. Miserly bastard, him. Th boys what made this stuff—are y listenin t me, Kabnis? th boys what made this stuff have got th art down like I heard you say youd like t be with words. Eh? Have some, Layman? Layman: Dont think I care for none, thank y jes th same, Mr. Halsey. Halsey: Care hell. Course y care. Everybody cares around these parts. Preachers an school teachers an everybody. Here. Here, take it. Dont try that line on me. Layman limbers up a little, but he cannot quite forget that he is on school ground. Layman: Thats right. Thats true, sho. Shinin is th only business what pays in these hard times. He takes a nip, and passes the bottle to Kabnis. Kabnis is in the middle of a long swig when a rap sounds on the door. He almost spills the bottle, but manages to pass it to Halsey just as the door swings open and Hanby enters. He is a well-dressed, smooth, rich, black-skinned Negro who thinks there is no one quite so suave and polished as himself. To members of his own race, he affects the manners of a wealthy white planter. Or, when he is up North, he lets it be known that his ideas are those of the best New England tradition. To white men he bows, without ever completely humbling himself. Tradesmen in the town tolerate him because he spends his money with them. He delivers his words with a full consciousness of his moral superiority. Hanby: Hum. Erer, Professor Kabnis, to come straight to the point: the progress of the Negro race is jeopardized whenever the personal habits and examples set by its guides and mentors fall below the acknowledged and hard-won standard of its average member. This institution, of which I am the humble president, was founded, and has been maintained at a cost of great labor and untold sacrifice. Its purpose is to teach our youth to live better, cleaner, more noble lives. To prove to the world that the Negro race can be just like any other race. It hopes to attain this aim partly by the salutary examples set by its instructors. I cannot hinder the progress of a race simply to indulge a single member. I have thought the matter out beforehand, I can assure you. Therefore, if I find your resignation on my desk by to-morrow morning, Mr. Kabnis, I shall not feel obliged to call in the sheriff. Otherwise...” Kabnis: A fellow can take a drink in his own room if he wants to, in the privacy of his own room. Hanby: His room, but not the institution’s room, Mr. Kabnis. Kabnis: This is my room while I’m in it. Hanby: Mr. Clayborn (the sheriff) can inform you as to that. Kabnis: Oh, well, what do I care—glad to get out of this mud-hole. Hanby: I should think so from your looks. Kabnis: You neednt get sarcastic about it. Hanby: No, that is true. And I neednt wait for your resignation either, Mr. Kabnis. Kabnis: Oh, you’ll get that all right. Dont worry.