Then he sez, “Sinners, fall into line.”
And the irreligious came forward jest as calmly and took their places, and the procession moved off, and Aunt Clo wuz carried away to her last sleep, in a little colored graveyard some mile and a half away.
I told Josiah about it after I got home; I sez:
“The good and the bad always foller on after every departed friend; but I never see ’em sorted out so careful before, and I never see such a calm willingness to be put amongst the goats as I see there.”
“Wall,” sez he, “they knew they wuz goats, so what wuz the use of kickin’?”
“Wall,” sez I, “I have seen white folks lots of times that must have known they wuz goats, but they didn’t love to be sorted out on the left side, and no money could have made ’em walk up and fall into a sinner’s line.”
Sez he, “If they be sinners, why can’t they own up to it? I would if I wuz a sinner.”
But I felt that it wuz ofttimes hard work to tell the difference; and I sez:
“I am glad it hain’t me that has to do the separatin’ between the good and the bad, for I shouldn’t know where to lay holt, appearances are so deceitful sometimes. Sheepskins are wore often over goats, and anon a sheep puts on the skin and horns of a goat to face the world in and fight with it. I shouldn’t know where to begin or leggo.”
“Wall, that is because you are a woman,” sez Josiah. “Wimmen never know where or how to lay holt of any hard work or head work. I could do it in a minute, and any man could that wuz used to horned cattle.”