Always civil, Green answered in his softest voice: "No, ma'am, dese don't b'longs to me; dey b'longs to dat gent'man ahaid," pointing to a negro man who was walking about five hundred yards ahead.
I could say nothing. I knew it was not so. I knew they were Green's, shot on my place, and if he had given them to me it would have reduced his debt from $9 to $7.50, and though I specially needed money I was willing to take anything to help him make a start.
September 11.
Yesterday Cable came to see me. I have been sending after him for some time, but couldn't catch sight of him. After a few polite inquiries as to health he said he heard I wanted to see him.
"Yes," I said, "I have sent for you many times, I want you to cut some wood for me."
"On what 'rangment, Miss?"
"For half," I answered, "and I will furnish the flat without charge."
He said he could not cut wood for that—it was too little, $1.25 a cord did not pay him for his time. After some little talk I found that it was a waste of time to try to get the wood cut, so I said:—
"You have not done a stroke of work for me since April 9, when you helped fill the boiler; you have your house rent free, all of the fire wood you wish to use, and two acres of fine land around your house on which you have a very good crop of corn; and yet you have never been willing during these four months to do anything for me. You owe $9 for the steer you got and begged me to give you time to pay. You have had it eighteen months and made money by its work but never have offered one quarter of a dollar on it.
"Then in January you came in great distress about your wheel, said you had given it to a man to mend and that he charged $2 and that you were not willing to pay it when you had the money, and now that he had sent you word that he was going to sell the wheel unless you paid at once, and begged me to lend you the $2 and you would return it soon or at any rate work it out. But you have never paid a cent of it. In March when I paid you $7.85 for cutting wood and reminded you of your debt, asking you to pay something on it, you pleaded with me not to take anything then, you had a particular use for the money, and believing you, I consented. You say you have been getting one dollar a day where you have been working, and surely you could have made an effort to pay something on your debt.