"What you doing here, Peter?"
The ancient negro pointed with pride to the shined badge on his coat. "Dey done made me a deppity, dey is."
Pelham turned off.
"Mr. Pelham, ole Tom Cole done come back."
"Not dead yet?"
"You cain't kill 'im. Dey cut 'im open, but he growed back agin. He am powerful sickly, do'. De Ole Boy'll cotch him nex' time; he nacherally favors preachers."
"But not company deputies, Peter?"
The negro chuckled off; Pelham walked back with Dawson from the new shack village. The big organizer was thoroughly out of spirits. "It just ain't moving, Judson."
"What's especially wrong?"
"The negro question, for one thing."