ple away. 'Wot you mean, you
triflin' sarpint,' says she, 'a fotchin' me dat apple wot ain't good fur
nuffin but ter make cider wid.' Den de sarpint he go fotch her a yaller
apple, an' she took one bite an' den says she: 'Go 'long wid ye, you
fool sarpint, wot you fotch me dat June apple wot ain't got no taste to
it?' Den de sarpint he think she like sumpin' sharp, an' he fotch her a
green apple. She takes one bite ob it, an' den she frows it at his head,
an' sings out: 'Is you 'spectin' me to gib dat apple to yer Uncle Adam
an' gib him de colic?' Den de debbil he fotch her a lady-apple, but she
say she won't take no sich triflin' nubbins as dat to her husban', an'
she took one bite ob it, an' frew it away. Den he go fotch her two udder
kin' ob apples, one yaller wid red stripes, an' de udder one red on one
side an' green on de udder,--mighty good lookin' apples, too--de kin'
you git two dollars a bar'l fur at the store. But Ebe, she wouldn't hab
neider ob 'em, an' when she done took one bite out ob each one, she frew
it away. Den de ole debbil-sarpint, he scratch he head, an' he say to
hese'f: 'Dis yer Ebe, she pow'ful 'ticklar 'bout her apples. Reckin I'll
have ter wait till after fros', an' fotch her a real good one.' An' he
done wait till after fros', and then he fotch her a' Albemarle pippin,
an' when she took one bite ob dat, she jus' go 'long an' eat it all up,
core, seeds, an' all. 'Look h'yar, sarpint,' says she, 'hab you got
anudder ob dem apples in your pocket?' An' den he tuk one out, an' gib
it to her. ''Cuse me,' says she, 'I's gwine ter look up Adam, an' ef he
don' want ter know war de tree is wot dese apples grow on, you can hab
him fur a corn-field han'.'

"An' now, my dear brev'ren," said Brother Peter, "while I was a-turnin'
dis subjec' ober in my min', an' wonderin' how de women come ter hab
jus' seben debbils apiece, I done reckerleck dat bit ob Scripter wot I
heerd at Kyarter's Mills, an' I reckin dat 'splains how de debbils got
inter woman. De sarpint he done fotch mudder Ebe seben apples, an' ebery
one she take a bite out of gib her a debbil."

As might have been expected, this sermon produced a great sensation,
and made a deep impression on the congregation. As a rule the men were
tolerably well satisfied with it; and when the services were over many
of them made it the occasion of shy but very plainly pointed remarks to
their female friends and relatives.

But the women did not like it at all