"Well, la den, mas', you don' spec' I gwine outdo de sperit."
But Stuart Mordaunt was particularly anxious that Jim's steps might be turned in the right direction. He knew just what a strong hold over their minds the Negroes' own emotional religion had, and he felt that could he once get Jim inside the pale of the church, and put him on guard of his salvation, it would mean the loss of fewer of his shoats and pullets. So he approached the old preacher, and said in a confidential tone.
"Now look here, Parker, I've got a fine lot of that good old tobacco you like so up to the big house, and I'll tell you what I'll do. If you'll just try to work on Jim, and get his feet in the right path, you can come up and take all you want."
"Oom-oomph," said the old man, "dat sho' is monst'ous fine terbaccer, Mas' Stua't."
"Yes, it is, and you shall have all you want of it."
"Well, I'll have a little wisit wid Jim, an' des' see how much he 'fected, an' if dey any stroke to be put in fu' de gospel ahmy, you des' count on me ez a mighty strong wa'ior. Dat boy been layin' heavy on my mind fu' lo, dese many days."
As a result of this agreement, the old man went down to Jim's cabin on a night when that interesting sinner was suffering particularly from his rheumatic pains.
"Well, Jim," the preacher said, "how you come on?"
"Po'ly, po'ly," said Jim, "I des' plum' racked an' 'stracted f'om haid to foot."
"Uh, huh, hit do seem lak to me de Bible don' tell nuffin' else but de trufe."
"What de Bible been sayin' now?" asked Jim suspiciously.
"Des' what it been sayin' all de res' o' de time. 'Yo' sins will fin' you out'"
Jim groaned and turned uneasily in his chair. The old man saw that he had made a point and pursued it.
"Don' you reckon now, Jim, ef you was a bettah man dat you wouldn' suffah so?"
"I do' know, I do' know nuffin' 'bout hit."
"Now des' look at me. I ben a-trompin' erlong in dis low groun' o' sorrer fu' mo' den seventy yeahs, an' I hain't got a ache ner a pain. Nevah had no rheumatics in my life, an' yere you is, a young man, in a mannah o' speakin', all twinged up wid rheumatics. Now what dat p'int to? Hit mean de Lawd tek keer o' dem dat's his'n. Now Jim, you bettah come ovah on de Lawd's side, an' git erway f'om yo' ebil doin's."