These pineland white people have a strange pathos about them, a wistful, helpless look like some spirit that would fly, would soar, but is bound securely to the earth. My, but they are pitiless to the one who falls from their standard of morals! I asked several about poor Mrs. Lewis. The answer was always with averted eyes, "I ain't heerd nothin' about her for the longest." I tried one after another, but always the same answer.
The Lewis family live but two miles from the church, just on the road, and many of them pass the hut in coming to church, so there must be something very wrong. If Louise, who teaches the Sunday-school, had been there I could have found out what was the matter, but her last baby was too young for her to come out, and it was too late for me to go to her home.
The drive home was delightful. I got home about six and was able to have supper all ready by the time C. and the dean got here. We had a charming evening and I feel greatly refreshed mentally and spiritually in spite of bodily fatigue.
July 31.
C. and the dean got off, to my great regret, about half past nine. It is my dear C.'s birthday and Chloe made a nice sponge-cake in honor of it.
After they left Chloe began to pour out a sad tale about Goliah. I had forgotten to give notice that I would not be here for the Sunday-school in the afternoon, and the children had arrived as usual at 4 o'clock and Goliah had conducted them down to the garden and she hearing great sounds of mirth and revelry went down and found them all with as many peaches as they could possibly carry.
Of course she was very indignant and scolded them, Goliah specially, whereupon Goliah's sister Catty, who is well named, being of a feline nature in the worst sense of the word, had broken out and "cussed" her outrageously. Altogether Chloe seemed anxious to impress upon me that my efforts to teach them were quite thrown away and that it was a constant danger to have that "gang o' little niggers" coming about on Sunday afternoon when she was away usually. She said she did not take the peaches from them, as it was Sunday.
I told her I was glad she did not. It is very hard on Chloe to see the peaches which she has watched with such pride and picked so carefully so that I may have a few every day as they ripen, taken off by the bushel in that way, and I feel for her. The one faithful person does have a hard time.
All these years I never had any fruit, but this summer I have had since the last of June a watermelon every day for my lunch and peaches and cream for breakfast or dinner, and both Chloe and I have rejoiced in it. Besides she has made several jars of peach preserves and had hoped to make several more.
I had to console Chloe as best I could and promise to be very severe on Goliah. It is well that I had such a spiritual uplift yesterday, for things seem specially sordid to-day. I wanted to do some writing, but the little vexations were too numerous and engrossing. Woe is me not to be stronger, to let myself be made useless by these gnat stings.