right yonder wid me an' Budda de same as you had befo de preacher ever read out de Book over you an' July an' made yunnuh man an' wife. If you want to come home, den you come. Me an' Budda will divide de last crust o' bread we got wid you an' lil Unex, long as we live. You don' have to stand mistreatment a day longer'n you want to. Notaday. You just say de word, an' we will help you move all you things right now."
Mary's heart thumped with hollow sickening licks. "Thank you kindly, Auntie, but I can' leave July. I know you an' Budda Ben would take me an' de baby an' do for we de same as you done for me, but July couldn' get on widout me. July is a fine man. E's raven about me an' about de baby too. Cinder has been a-tryin to get em off de right track by runnin after em so much all de time, but I'll get em straight befo long. July don' never mistreat me. E has a short patience, fo-true. Sometimes e misses an' talks kind o' short, but I don' mind dat. Budda Ben used to talk de same way. Me an' July gets on good most o de time. You an' Budda Ben mustn' fret about me. No."
Once she had started defending her husband, Mary's words flowed on and on. Sometimes they rose loud and jerked and broke, then they slackened and started all over, saying the same
