do dat. Hurts er man's business w'en he's turned outen de church."

Peters addressed himself to Jasper. "Well, you have teached that nigger
nearly enough impudence to break his neck."

"Didn't know I was sich a good teacher, Lije. Don't you want a few
lessons? Go on, Kintchin." The negro slowly went away, looking back and
shaking his head, and Starbuck added: "Peters, I'm afraid I'll have to
furgit my raisin' an' ask you what you want."

"I want to give you the opportunity to have some sense."

"Well, now, Lije, it's mighty kind of you to be givin' out that sort of
artickle. Puts me in mind of the old feller that give away his shirts
when he didn't have none to spare."

"Good natchul talk, Starbuck--natchul as the squawk of a duck. But I
didn't come here to swop the perlitenesses of the season."

"No?" said Starbuck.

"You know I have been out of the neighborhood an' ain't had a chance to
talk business until lately."

"That's so."

"And you ought to know what that business is."

"Yes, I know."

"Even if a man is gittin' old, Starbuck, thar ain't no reason why he
should be a fool."

"That's a fact, Lije."

"And the biggest fool in the world, Starbuck, is the man that won't keep
out of trouble when he kin."

"That's true."

"Starbuck, ain't yo' eyes wide enough open to see that I kin ruin you?"

"Yes, Lije, with his eyes half shet a man kin see a rattlesnake."

"Then with both of 'em wide open he ought to see a panther."

"I'm a lookin' at you."

"That's all right, Starbuck. But we've passed the time fur beatin' about
the bush."

"I ain't a beatin', Lije."

"Starbuck, do you want to be ruined?"

"Stop!"

"Do you want to see yo' wife with her head bowed down on the table?"

"Stop!"

"Do you want to hear yo' daughter cryin' down thar in the valley?"

"I tell you to stop!"

"Do you want to know that the little grave down yander--"

"Stop, Peters, stop!" the old man cried, and then held forth his hands.
"You don't see nuthin' red on my hands, do you? Look, they are jest as
nature made 'em. Peters, fur God's sake don't turn 'em red."

"That's good talk, Starbuck, an' it mout belong to the pulpit but not to
business, an' I'm a business man."

"Yes, you look like it."

"And I'll act like it, too; I'll tell you that fur yo' own infermation.
An' thar ain't a man in the country that likes to give out infermation
better'n I do--when I see that it's goin' to be of use to somebody. But
I don't