SISTER McDUFFY I got just as much right to testify as you is. I don't keer if I wasn't there. Any man that treat they wife bad as _you_ can't tell nobody else they eye is black. You clean round yo' _own_ door before you go sweeping round other folks. SISTER LINDSAY (to Nixon) What you doin' up there testifying? When you done let yo' hawg root up all my p'tater patch. NIXON Aw shut up woman--You ain't had no taters for no pit to root up. SISTER LINDSAY Who ain't had no taters? (To Lige) Look here, Lige, didn't I git a whole crokus sack full of tater slips from yo' brother Sam? LIGE (reluctantly) Yeah. SISTER LINDSAY Course I had sweet p'taters! And if you stand up there and tell _me_ I ain't had no p'taters I'll be all over you just like gravy over rice. NIXON Aw shut up--We ain't come here to talk about yo' tater vines, we come-- SISTER LINDSAY (to her husband) Joe! What kind of a husband is you? Set here and let Nixon 'buse me out lak dat! WALTER How is he going to give anybody a straightening when he needs straightening hisself. I bought a load of compost from him and _paid for it in advance_ and he come there when I wasn't home and dumped a half-a-load in there and drove on off wid my money. SISTER HAMBO Aw, you ain't got no right to talk, Walter, not low down as you is--if somebody stump their toe in dis town you won't let yo' shirt-tail touch you till you bolt over to Maitland and puke yo' guts to de white folks--and God knows I 'bominates a white folks nigger. WALTER Aw you just mad cause I wouldn't let your old starved-out cow eat up my cow-peas. SISTER HAMBO (triumphantly) Unhumh! I knowed you was the one knocked my cow's horn off! And you lied like a doodle-bug going backwards in his hole and made out you didn't do it. WALTER I didn't do no such a thing. SISTER HAMBO I say you did and belong to Macedonia Baptist Church and I can't lie. WALTER Yo' mouf is cut cross ways, ain't it? Well then, yo' mouf ain't no prayer-book even if yo' lips do flap like a Bible. You kin lie and then re-lie. DEACON HAMBO Walter Thomas talk dat biggity talk to me, not to my wife. Maybe you kin whip her, but if you can't whip me too, don't bring de mess up. CLARKE (rapping) Y'all men folks shut up before I put you both under arrest. Come to order everybody. LINDSAY I just wants say this before we go any further. Nobody bet not slur my wife in here--do I'll strow 'em all over de county. MRS. NIXON Aw, youse de nastiest threatener in three states but I ain't seen you do nothin'. De seat of yo' pants is too close to de ground for you to be crowin' so loud. You so short you smell right earthy. MRS. LINDSAY De seat of yo' husband's britches been draggin' de ground ever since I knowed him. Don't like it dontcher take it, here's my collar come and shake it. (She puts the palms of her hands together and holding the heels together, flaps the fore part of her hands like a gator opening and shutting its mouth. This infuriates Mrs. Nixon.