‘Ooman shishuh cuntrady t’ing, dem nebbuh know w’en dem well off. You kin feed dem, you kin pit clo’es puntop dem back, you kin pit shoo ’puntop dem feet, you kin pit hat ’puntop dem head, you kin pit money een dem han’, en’ still yet oonah nebbuh know de ’ooman, nebbuh know w’en dem min’ gwine sattify. Dem fuhrebbuh duh lookout fuh trubble. Ef dem ent meet trubble duh paat’, dem gwine hunt fuhr’um duh ’ood. I dunkyuh how soeb’uh fudduh de trubble dey, dem gwine fin ’um. Ef dem cyan’ see ’e track fuh trail ’um, dem gwine pit dem nose een de du’t en’ try fuh smell ’um, but dem gwine fin’um. I duh study ’pun dat wife I nyuse fuh hab, name Mary. Look how him done, w’en him hab no cajun! You yeddy ’bout me trubble, enty suh? Lemme tell you. One Sat’d’y night I gone home frum de ribbuh. I tek two duck’, bakin, flour en’ sugar en’ tea, den I pit fibe dolluh’ een Mary’ lap. Enty you know, suh, dat is big money fuh t’row een nigguh’ lap? W’en I binnuh boy en’ you t’row uh ’ooman fifty cent, ’e t’ink ’e rich, but I bin all dat week wid one cump’ny uh dese yuh rich Nyankee buckruh’ dat Mr. FitzSimmon hab yuh fuh shoot, en’ dem buckruh’ t’row me fibe dolluh bill same lukkuh dem bin dime’! W’en I t’row de money in de ’ooman’ lap, en pit de todduh t’ing wuh I fetch ’pun de flo’, Mary nebbuh crack ’e teet’. I ax ’um ’smattuh mek ’um stan ’so? ’E mek ansuh, ’nutt’n’. Nex’ day de ’ooman keep on same fashi’n. ’E nebbuh crack ’e bre’t. I quizzit ’um ’gen. I ax ’um ’smattuh ’long ’um. Him say, ‘nutt’n’. Den I say ‘berry well den.’ Monday mawnin’ I tek me gun, I call me dog en’ den I talk to de ’ooman. I say, ‘Mary, I gwine duh ribbuh, en’ I gwine come back Sat’d’y two week’. I dunnoh ’smattuh mek you stan’so, but I know suh de debble dey een you. No ’ooman ’puntop dis ribbuh hab mo’ den you, no ’ooman get so much, but I yent able fuh lib dis way ’long no ’ooman wuh ti ’up ’e mout’, en w’en I cum back las’ Sat’d’y two week’ I gwine’ tarry gate you one mo’ time, en’ I gwine ax you ’smattuh mek you stan’ so, en if oonah still een de same min ’ez now, den me nuh you paa’t.”[412] The obstinate silence of the woman is related and the parting in silence. Then follows the attempt of the woman to appease him, her jealousy gone. His refusal. His resentment that she should have believed an idle lie. His determination that it was too late. And then the last two lines, which hold so much. “Have you another wife Jim?” “I had dat gal you see wid me dis mawnin’ een Mr. Fitz-Simmun’ yaa’d. Him ent wut’!”[413]