ny attention to
him. He'd pester me nearly to death if I'd let him. But come, Guinea, we
must stir about and get something to eat."

The mother and the daughter went out into a kitchen detached from the
main part of the house, and the old man looked at me and laughed. And
after a moment of chuckling he said: "I reckon that I've got two of the
finest in the world."

"Children?" I asked.

"No, game roosters. One's named Sam and the other's named Bob."

"I thought you said that Sam had been eaten by the preacher."

"Oh, that Sam was, but I've got another one. I always have a Sam and a
Bob. When a Sam dies I get another Sam, and likewise with a Bob. But you
know what's a fact? I never allow 'em to fight to a finish. If I did the
sport would be gone. You must never let one rooster know that the other
one can whip him, for if you do there won't be any fight after that--you
must always keep each one believin' that he is the best man. I reckon
I've had more than a hundred, but I never let 'em fight to a finish. My
folks here don't care nothin' about fun--they even frown on it, Alf with
the rest, and I hold that he ought to know better, bein' a man, but so
it is. I've got a chicken house back here, with a high picket fence
around it, and I keep it locked, I tell you. Have to, or the preachers
would eat up my sport, and this ain't findin' no fault with their
doctrine, for I believe the Book from kiver to kiver. After we get a
snack we'll slip off and have a set-to. What do you say?"

I hardly knew what to say. I was afraid to decline, lest I might lose
his good opinion, and I was loth to accept the invitation, fearing that
I might lower myself in the estimation of the women; but while I was
casting about the old man relieved me by saying: "However, we've got
plenty of time before us. It's always well to hold a good thing in
reserve, you know. After dinner we'll go over and see Old Perdue and
find out if you can arrange with him about the school. He's got the
whole thing in charge. General Lundsford has charge of nearly everything
else, but he don't take much stock in free schools. He argues that
nothin' that's free is any good, and in the main he's about right; but
we've had some pretty good schools here, the only trouble bein' to keep
the teachers out of the creek. What education my son Alf has he picked
up about home, here, but Guinea was sent off to school, way over at
Raleigh."

"I am glad to see that you thought so m