“An’ ’er face look all w’ite an’ dazzlin’ in de light, an’ ’er voice come low an’ kine o’ shekkin’ like. ‘No,’ she say, ‘I cert’nly is not gwine—bring ’im out,’ she say. Yas’m, dat’s jes de ’sponse she make. An’ den dey all ’mence holl’in’ ag’in ’bout crim’nal ’n’—’n’ murd’rer, an’ sayin’ does she want ’em ter go in af-ter ’im, an’ buntin’ up ’ginst de steps ag’in, an’ jostlin’ an’ pushin’, twell Mis’ Simons kine o’ step forrad a li’l’, still a-lookin’ down at ’em.
“‘Ain’t yer ’shame!’ she say. ‘Oh—ain’t—yer—’shame!’ An’ I ’clare, ez she stood dere, seem like I ain’ nuver seed ’er eyes look ser clare ’n’ burnin’-like, ner ’er face ser dazzlin’ w’ite.
“‘He’s jes ez innercent uv any crime—ez I is,’ she say. ‘I knows it, ’cuz I knows ’im,’ she say; ‘an’—you knows it! Ef yer doan’t—it’s ’cuz yer doan’t cyare ’nough ’bout it—ter—fine—out.’
“It’s one r’al big man where seem ter be kine o’ mekkin’ all de res’ uv ’em do jes like he done, an’ fum de ve’y time Mis’ Simons ’mence ter speak he jes stood dere a-lookin’ at ’er like he cyan’t move ner holler.
“‘Yer—doan’t cyare ’nough ’bout it—ter—fine out!’ she say; ’an’ den dis yere’s de kine o’ thing yer do! Oh, it’s de kine o’ thing we’s ’blige answer fer—eve’y day!’ An’ she stop, kine o’ gaspin’ like, ter ketch ’er bref.
“Well, de ve’y same time she stop, de big man turn ’roun’ awful quick ’n’ look off r’al sudden at de road an’ den he look at de res’ where’s cursin’ ’n’ laffin’——”
“Ezekiel!” interrupted Miss North in a sharp whisper, catching at his arm. Then her hand dropped, and she looked around her.
“Don’t you see, Ezekiel?” she went on naturally. “We are almost there. And—wait, Ezekiel; stay right here; don’t hurry so. Wait, stay close to me! There seems to be—some trouble.”
“It’s Arch’bal’, Miss No’th!” he began, his voice rising excitedly. “Dey’s cotch ’im! I tole yer dey’s gwine cotch ’im, Miss No’th! Look, Miss No’th!”
Just then a big negro broke in on the scene, and suddenly Archibald was at large again, dashing through the noisy crowd in one direction, while the big negro ran in another. In the confusion that followed, Miss North put her hand out for Ezekiel, to find that he was not there, while Ezekiel, looking distractedly for Miss North, found himself pushed on in the crowd of jostling, swearing men.