"Griffith, what harm can it do? And see how _much_ good! Griffith, we will _all_ love you better if you will. I can't bear to see Sallie the way she has been these last two months--ever since it was decided to sell John to that man when he comes. It is heart-breaking. You know, darling, she played with me ever since we were babies, and she has been _so_ good to my children--_our_ children, Griffith!" She lowered her voice to a mere whisper: "Can God want you to be so cruel as this, Griffith?"
Mr. Davenport had never dreamed that anything he might feel it his duty to do would seem to his wife like cruelty. It hurt him sorely. He looked up at her with a drawn face.
"Katherine," he said, "let us give Sallie her freedom, and let her go with John."
"No, no, no, no! I ain't gwine ter go wid dat man! I ain't gwine ter be no free wife nigger, 'pendin' on him! I ain't gwine ter leabe Mis' Kath'rine, nedder!" She arose in her fear, which was turning to wrath. "Mis' Kate, yoh ain't gwine ter let him gib me away, is yoh? I don' belong to nobody ter gib away, but des ter my Mis' Kate, an' she ain't gwine ter gib me 'way arter I done nus her chillun an' save de life of Mos' Beverly! Dat ain't dekine o' lady my Mis' Kate is! O Mis' Kate, Mis' Kate! I done wisht yoh'd a-gone and married dat Mos' Tom Harrison dat time wat'e ax you! _He_ don't lub money dat much dat he can't spahr a little six hund'ud dollahs ter sabe me an' John an'--an'--an' dis heah baby!"
She caught up the baby from the floor again and held it toward her master.
"Dar! take hit an' kill hit fus' as well as las'! kase _I_ gwine ter die, an' hit gwine ter be my Mos' Grif dat kill bofe of us. God gwine ter know'bout dat! John gwine ter tell'im! Jesus gwine ter know dat six little hund'ud dollahs is wuf more ter my Mos' Grif dan me an' yoh an' John," she moaned, holding the baby up in front of her. "All free, bofe ob us, ain't wuf dat little much t' ouh Mos' Grift All free, bofe ob us! A little, teenchy, ugly six hund'ud dollahs! He radder hab hit in de bank er in de desk er in he pocket--dat little six hund'ud dollahs what's mo' bigger dan _all_ ob us--an' mo' bigger dan Mis' Kate's lub!" She fell to sobbing again. "Des dat little much! Des dat little much!" she moaned. "All ob us got ter die fer des dat little much! An' Mos' Grif, he don' care. He lub dat little much money mo' dan wat he do _all_ ob us, countin' in Mis' Kate's lub wid de res'!"