"Go on, Minnie," begged Emmy Lou.
But Minnie had no idea of resuming the brothers. Nobody, it would seem, could look provocative with impunity at her!
"Nigger," she said to Sister.
But M'lissy, the mother of Sister, had her ready again. Did she send her around here for the purpose?
"Po' white," said Sister, taking her finger out of her mouth. "An' worser. My mammy said to tell you so. You're a n'orphan."
The solid ground of the accustomed gave way. Confusion followed. Minnie, hitherto the ready, the able, having sprung up to meet Sister's onslaught, whatever it was to be, sank back on the horse-block, and hiding her face in her arms, cried, and more, at touch of the quickly solicitous arms of Izzy and Emmy Lou about her, she sobbed.
Whereupon Emmy Lou arose, Emmy Lou in her stout little coat and her hood and her mittens; and looking about her on the ground, found a switch full seven inches long, and with it drove Sister, little Sister, away, quite away. Had not Emmy Lou's own aunties cast the initial doubt on Sister anyway?
Then she came back to the horse-block. "What's a n'orphan, Minnie?" Izzy was asking.
Emmy Lou wanted to know this very thing.
"It's livin' with Mis' Snoble an' wearin' her shoes when they're too big for you," sobbed Minnie. "'Tain't as if anybody would be one if they could help theirselves."