“Did you ever know some people here named Ellett?” Josie asked. “A Mr. Philip Ellett. I believe he died and his widow married again. I know some people who used to know them.”
“Sho I knowed ’em. Po’ li’l’ fool! She’s daid too, now.”
“Oh, is she?”
“Yessum—daid, an’ dat man Cheatham livin’ in de Ellett house, which ain’t fur from here; in fac’, we backs on de same alley. I done hear tell he driv his stepchillun off’n de premus. Some say he owns de house, havin’ paid cash money down fer it an’ he couldn’t live wiv his steps ’cause de boy done tried ter kill him an’ de gal was a holpin’ of him. But I knows dat old Cheatham too well to believe no sich tale. If dey was any killin’ goin’ on he was de killer an’ not de killdee. Anyhow de chilluns am gone off somewhars an’ he am a holdin’ high carnal whur his wife’s fust husban’s folks done liv’ long befo’ de wah an’ long befo’ dat.”
“He must be a horrid man.”
“Horrid ain’t de word, but he done got some folks in Lou’ville fooled case he air right smooth talkin’ an’ he could keep a piece er col’ butter in his mouth all day ’thout its meltin’. He wa’ a boa’din hyar wiv Miss Lucy when he married de widow Ellett an’ I hears lots er talk back an’ fo’th concernin’ him an’ de bride. The boa’ders was divided ’bout him: some holdin’ he wa’ a very pleasant gemman, an’ dey wa’ mostly de maiden ladies, an’ others dat he wa’ a scamp an’ slick as dey make ’em. He wa’ too shifty-eyed fer me an’ too free with his orders an’ too constrained-like with his cash money.”
“Is he stingy?” laughed Josie.
“Stingy? Is he? Why dat dere man will squeeze a nickel so tight de heads an’ tails git mixed up. He don’t min’ spendin’ money fo’ show. I knowed a ooman what cooked fo’ dem when his wife was a-dyin’ on her death baid an’ she said de po’ thing had all kinds er fine silks an’ satins an’ furs what he done buyed her but she didn’t have underclo’s ’nough ter flag a han’ cyar. I reckon he mus’ a-been a so’ trial to dem steps cause dey paw an’ all de Elletts air jes’ tother way.”
“Didn’t the children have any relations?”
“Kin, you mean? Yes deir maw had a brother, Ben Benson, but he wa’ right put out ’bout his sister marryin’ agin an’ marryin’ sich a man an’ he lit out an’ nobody ain’t seed hide or har er him sence. Some says he’s daid an’ some says he’s diggin’ gol’ an’ maybe di’ments but nobody don’t rightly know whar dat Ben air took hisse’f.”