“Tell us, Hi,” said ma gently.
“It was just that I wanted to see you-all riding along, with Zalie setting up there like she’d been born in the family,” Hi explained, blushing. “It done me good to think that there she was, with nice people like you, and her everybody’s slave a day or two ago. I hadn’t ought to have done it, I know. But honest, I’ve got in some sort of sneaking way, having always to dodge and hide and yarn to get on and have any peace.”
Pa turned on Hi almost fiercely.
“See here, you,” he said, “don’t you do no more hiding, nor sneaking, nor fibbing. We-all are friends to you, understand? You come up to we-all’s house like it was your own. Stick in the mill a while. It won’t hurt you. Mr. Hitchcock’s a good man—good’s he can be, I reckon. You spend your Sundays with us. You can meet us at church and ride up with us. Ma, what’s happening to that there fool calf? Acts like he knowed he was going to be slaughtered, don’t he? Poor little critter! Say, ma, you do the trading to-day—you and Azalea. Me and Hi and Jim will walk over to the mill and have a little talk. I want them overseers to know the boy’s got his friends.”
It was really pa’s way of getting out of facing his curious neighbors at the stores. But ma felt no such timidity. Her heart swelled with pride as Azalea leaped, light as a kitten, from the wagon and turned to help Mrs. McBirney down. Ma nodded right and left to the people gathered to do their Saturday “trading,” and she introduced Azalea, in her gentle, singing voice, to the women and girls who came up to meet her.
“This is my girl,” she would say. “Azalea McBirney. Come, Azalea, let’s go in and see if they have something that’ll do for the makings of a dress. How’d you like a green gingham—pale green you know? And that there white barred stuff ain’t but fifteen cents a yard. How d’ye do, Mr. Constance? Pretty day, ain’t it? Do you reckon you could take these here eggs and let me do a little trading with you? Yes, this is the girl. You can call her my girl, when you’re speaking of her. I’d like to get her outfitted here at your place if you’d be so kind, Mr. Constance.”
Azalea stood facing her new world, so to speak, and on every face she saw welcome.
CHAPTER V
THE SHOALS
“Jim,” cried Azalea, “my room’s done at last. Come see it, quick!”
“I’ve looked at that room and looked at it. I don’t believe it’s any different from what it was yesterday.”