-house,
which was painted a neat lead color as to wood-work and brown as to
walls; with red lettering done by a member who had followed the
painter's trade (although not very far), declaring piously on the west
wall, "The Lord will provide," and politely requesting on the east wall,
"Please do not spit on the floor." A stately blackboard behind the
teacher's desk showed her excellent moral sentiments and penmanship.
There was no carpet on the floor, but it was clean and the windows
glistened.

"Dis yere school-house, dis yere chu'ch-house, are a credit to de cullud
ladies an' gen'l'men of Zion Baptis' Chu'ch," declaimed Brother Morrow,
sonorously, "an' we-all had orter have a pastor who w'u'd--we'd
correspond. I ain't sayin' one word of disparaguement of our late
deseased pastor. He be'n a good, pious man" ("Amen!" from two half-grown
lads in the rear), "but he had a terrible sight of losses an' troubles,
losin' all of his chillen like he done; an' him sick such a spell befo'
de Lawd called him f'om grace to glory. Mabbe he didn't be'n eloquent
like the supply we had, but Elder W'ite had nare right to git Sist' Lucy
Tompkins to run 'way wid 'im, f'om 'er good, kin', respectable husban'"
(a little crumpled, elderly negro raised his head with an air of modest
pride), "an' he done borry two dollars an' fifty cents of de cheer dat I
don't expec' nothin' of ontwel de jedgment day! So w'en our pastor
passed away we'all was like sheep outen a shepherd; an' we'en Sist'
Humphreys done offah to keep de' chu'ch-house clean an' cyah on de
services of Zion, an' make no cha'ges, we-all acceptid."

"Mist' Cheerman,"--a grizzled negro in decent black held up a
finger,--"Mist' Cheerman, was hit Sist' Humphreys keep dis 'ouse dis
away?"

"Yes, Bruddah Moore; she are a right good scrubber," admitted the
chairman, while the congregation stared at the speaker, the richest
colored man in the county, who had moved into the neighborhood recently,
this being his first appearance in Zion.

"Fo' a spell," continued the chairman, "t'ings went on suspiciously
enough. Sist' Humphreys be'n an edicated lady; an' she is a plumb good
cook. Her preachin' didn't be'n whut we-all air longin' to heah; nare
shakin' of de soul ovah de mouf of hell, nare mo'nin', nare revivals;
but we hilt our peace, an' Zion attendid regular, an' las' socherable
gatherin' there be'n nigh a hunderd, big an' little, presint--"

"And she gave us all cake and candy and lemo