THE ORDEAL AT MT. HOPE
"Well, then, let's take the short cut, by all means," said the preacher.
They trudged along for a while in silence, and then the young man asked, "What do you men about here do mostly for a living?"
"Oh, well, we does odd jobs, we saws an' splits wood an' totes bundles, an' some of 'em raises gyahden, but mos' of us, we fishes. De fish bites an' we ketches 'em. Sometimes we eats 'em an' sometimes we sells 'em; a string o' fish 'll bring a peck o' co'n any time."
"And is that all you do?"
"'Bout."
"Why, I don't see how you live that way."
"Oh, we lives all right," answered the man; "we has plenty to eat an' drink, an' clothes to wear, an' some place to stay. I reckon folks ain't got much use fu' nuffin' mo'."
Dokesbury sighed. Here indeed was virgin soil for his ministerial labours. His spirits were not materially raised when, some time later, he came in sight of the house which was to be his abode. To be sure, it was better than most of the houses which he had seen in the Negro part of Mt. Hope; but even at that it was far from being good or comfortable-looking. It
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