She paused, as if reflecting, but continued to rock the baby’s cradle gently, moving it slower and slower, until, finally, she ceased to move it altogether. The baby merely gave a self-satisfied sigh, and settled into the profound and healthy sleep of infancy. Then Aunt Minervy Ann went out on the back porch, and seated herself on the top step. I followed, and found the rocking-chair I had occupied on a former occasion. “I’ll set here, suh, twel Hamp gits back wid de carriage, an’ den I’ll see ’bout gittin’ dinner, an’ he better make ’as’e, too, bekaze I ain’t got no time ter set here an’ lis’n at dat baby, whiles he projickin’ out dar at dem grounds. I kin wait, suh, but I can’t wait all day.” “Major Perdue said that Mr. Conant’s shoulder was very painful last night,” I suggested. “Dat what Miss Vallie say, suh. She say dey wuz up an’ down wid ’im mighty nigh all night long. I don’t blame um, suh, but, dey ain’t no use talkin’, grown folks kin be waited on twey dey er sp’iled same ez chilluns. I’d cut my tongue out, suh, ’fo’ I’d say it ter anybody else, but I done got ter b’lievin’ dat Marse Paul Conant grunts an’ groans many a time des bekaze he wants somebody fer ter worry wid ’im an’ honey ’im up. I may be doin’ ’im wrong, suh, but I done get a sneakin’ notion dat he’s one er deze yer kinder men-folks what likes to be much’d an’ petted. An’ dey’ll do it, suh—dey’ll much ’im night er day, hot er col’. Des let ’im say, ‘Oh, my shoulder!’ an’ bofe un um’ll try ter outdo de udder in takin’ keer un ’im. [Illustration: “Oh, my shoulder!”] “Marse Tumlin is got mo’ ways like a ’oman dan any man I ever is laid eyes on. It’s de Lord’s trufe. He ain’t fussy like de common run er wimmen, but his han’ is des ez light an’ his heart des ez saft ez any ’oman dat ever breave de breff er life, let er breave whence an’ whar she mought. I look at ’im sometimes, an’ I des nat’ally tease myse’f ter know how dat man kin stan’ up an’ shoot anybody like I done see ’im do. Hit’s de same way wid Marse Bolivar Blasengame—you know him, I spec. Dey married sisters, suh, an’ dey allers been monstus thick. Dem two wuz big dogs ’roun’ here, suh, ’fo’ de war. Ef you ain’t never seed um in dem days, you never is ter know how folks looked up to um an’ give way to um.