IN WHITE AND BLACK A STORY - CHAPTER I - THE EAVESDROPPERS - I clar to gracious, Mammie, ef you aint gittin as onsufferable keerless as us young niggers. The heap of dozing complacency in the kitchen corner straightened into life with the tart reply Glong wid yo black kyarcus, I want sleep. Nobody sed you wuz yous kickin 0 yous spurred. But ef you want sleepin you shore have lack you wuz. You mind me o ole Unc Zeke fishin fer perch when they bitin right good. Sides you done let de water bile oher S an mos put de fire clean out. You thinkin yous monstous peart a-sassin yo own Mammie what dun brung you up an nuss you when you 2 In White alzd Black. cant do nothin fur yoself. I spec you done an furgot all dat. Buck niggers lack you mos inginly do furgit. I spard too many dem hickries fur you to be specful. Sides, hunny, I aint bleegd to hurry, case de white folks gwine be late count er bein kep up by de party las night. Den whut 1 s spilin to know is whut mek you hustle me up so soon to mek de fire in de big house, den when I come here I fin you snoozin in de corner, jes same as a oberseer uv a rainy day. 1 s powful feerd yous gittin triflin sence you got sot free. Git out wid yo long tongue. I done an tole you dat tongue gwine git you in trouble. Yo moufs de biggest part o you, ceptin its yo foot, an when it aint full o vittles its allus full o nonsensiful gabble. This conversation between Ben and his mother, whom we shall come to know as Aunt Lylie, as she was universally called by the white folks, was in the best of hu nor. The fact is, she never felt prouder of her strap .. The Eavesd ofijbers. 3 ping boy, now standing on the verge. of manhood, than when he was trying to hold his own with her in some such battle of words nor was she ever quite so much to his liking as when she was pouring forth a torrent of mock abuse on him, for then it was he knew her heart was warm toward him. At this point Ben dropped his voice to a confidential tone, and said Mammie, 1 s gwine to tell you wllut I seed las night when I wuz comin roun by de big poch arter I dun carrd de dishes fur de tables Jes as I come roun de corner Miss Dora she come down the steps, and Mars Lawrance he come up de walk, an dey met right onder de big beech, dat pear to hole up its hans to shiel urn fum de light. an- Glong wid you, an doan come makin up no tales, broke in Aunt Lylie. Shos ole Sookey Browns a witch, i 1 s tellin you de Lawds truf, - Mammie but den I spec yous gittin too old to keer bout sich nonsense as cotin. Here Ben began to whistle 4 In White and Black. and turned as if to go out. All the time he knew full well he could not get out of that room without telling his story to the end. Aunt Lylie contrived to get between him and the door. Whos gittin ole Sides, whats dat you been dreamin I spec you eat too much er dat cake, you cyard roun so gran wid yo head. rard back same as a devil hoss when hes mad. Some folks sees mo wid dey eyes shet den dey do wid urn open. NOW, you jes up an tell me whuts in dat head o youn. I allus tole you yo heads lack a sasser o lasses in fly time. Then Ben obediently detailed to her what he had seen and heard, how he had by accident witnessed the meet- ing of his young mistress with Mars Lawrance, and heard him declare his love for her, and how she had listened with no signs of disapproval. All of which was told with many embellishments and liberal if not altogetber apt comparisons. Aunt Lylie listened with very ill-concealed inter The Eavesd o e s...