"

"Meanin' de Shinin' Star Cullid Uplift and Progress League--dat's de
principalest activity in w'ich he's now engaged. De dues is one dollar
down on 'nitiation an' twenty cents a week an'--"

"Wait jes' one minute, Sist' Menifee, ef you please. 'Fore we gits any
furder 'long answer me dis one question Ise fixin' to ast you--do dis
yere new lodge perpose to fune'lize de daid?"

"We ain't tuck up dat point yit; doubtless we'll come to de plans fur
dat part later. Fur de time bein' de work is jes' to form de ladies'
auxiliary an' git de main objec's set fo'th."

"Lis'en, chile. Me, I don't aim never so long as I lives an' keeps my
reason to jine no lodge w'ich don't start out fust thing by fune'lizin'
de daid. Ise thinkin' now of de case of dat pore shif'less Sist'
Clarabelle Hardin dat used to live out yere on Plunkett's Hill. She up
an' jined one of dese newfandangle' lodges w'ich didn't have nothin' to
it but a fancy name an' a fancy strange nigger man runnin' it, an' right
on top of dat she up an' died 'thout a cent to her back. An' you know
whut happen den? Well, I'm gwine tell you. Dat pore chile laid round de
house daid fur gwine on three days an' den she jes' natchelly had to git
out to de cemetery de bes' way she could. Not fur me, honey, not fur me.
Dey got to have de money in de bank waitin' an' ready to bury de fus'
member dat passes frum dis life before dey gits a cent of mine."

"But dis yere lodge is gwine have a more 'portant puppose 'en jes' to
fune'lize de daid," protested Sister Eldora. "We aims to do somethin'
fur de livin' whilst yet dey's still alive. Curious you ain't tuck
notice of de signs of de times ez dey's been expounded 'mongst de people
by Doct' Duvall. He sho' kin 'splain things in a way to mek you a true
believer." The advocate of the new order of things sank her voice to a
discreet half whisper. "Sist' Turner, we aims at gittin' mo' of de
rights dat's due us. We aims to see dat de pore an' de lowly an' de
downtrodden-on is purtected in dey rights. We aims--"

"Num'mine whut you aims at--de question is, is you gwine be able hit
whar you aims? An' lemme tell you somethin' more, Sist' Eldora Menifee.
I ain't needin' no ladies' auxiliary to tell me whut my rights is.
Neither I ain't needin' to pay out no twenty cents a week to find out
neither. W'en it comes to dat, all de ladies' auxiliary w'ich I needs is
jes' me, myse'f. I knows good an' well whut my rights is already an' Ise
gwine