the firm's business, for a man can't be
the kind of lawyer James is, and carry the details of the handling of
filthy lucre in the same mind that can make a speech like the one he
made down in Nashville last April, on the exchange of the Judiciary.
James can be the Governor of this good State any time he wants to, or
could, if Henry hadn't turned toes and left him such a bag to hold--no
reference to Sallie's figure intended, which is all to the good if you
like that kind of curves!"

I took a moment to choose my words.

"The C. & G. is going to take that bluff route," I answered calmly from
somewhere inside me that I had never used to speak from before.

"Do you know anything of the character of Mrs. Joshua?" asked Polk,
admiringly, but slipping down from his intellectual attitude of mind and
body and edging an inch nearer. "Bet she had a strong mind or Joshua
never could have pulled off that sun and moon stunt."

"Do you know, Polk, there is one woman in the world who could--could
handle you?" I said, as a sudden vision of what Jane would do, if Polk
sat on her skirts as he did on mine, flashed across my troubled brain.

"I'd be mighty particular as to who handles me," he answered impudently,
"Want to try?" And with the greatest audacity he laid his head gently
against my knee. I let it rest there a second and then tipped it back
against the arm of the rocker.

"It does hurt me to see a man like Cousin James fairly throttled by
women as he is being," I said as I looked across the street and noted
that the porch of Widegables was full to overflowing with the household
of women.

"Evelina," said Polk, as he stood up suddenly in front of me, "that old
Mossback is the finest man in this commonwealth, but from his situation
nobody can extract him, unless it is a woman with the wiliness of the
devil himself. Poison the whole bunch and I'll back you. But we'll have
to plot it later on. I see his reverence coming tripping along with a
tract in his hand for you and I'll be considerate enough to sneak
through the kitchen, get a hot muffin-cake that has been tantalizing my
nose all this time you have been sentimentalizing over me, and return
anon when I can have you all to myself in the melting moonlight in the
small hours after all religious folk are in bed. Until then!" And as he
went back through the front hall Mr. Haley came down the front walk.

"My dear Miss Shelby, how fortunate I am to find you alone," he
exclaim