"Ben 'longs to de Raymonds, an' his name Ben Raymond an' you his wife.
How you git aroun' dat, Mis' Viney Allen?"

"Ben's name goin' to be Mistah Allen soon's he gits his free papahs."

"Oomph! You done gone now! Yo' naik so stiff you can't ha'dly ben' it.
I don' see how dat papah mek sich a change in anybody's actions. Yo'
face ain' got no whitah."

"No, but I's free, an' I kin do as I please."

Mandy went forth and spread the news that Viney had changed her name
from Raymond to Allen. "She's Mis' Viney Allen, if you please!" was
her comment. Great was the indignation among the older heads whose
fathers and mothers and grandfathers before them had been Raymonds.
The younger element was greatly amused and took no end of pleasure in
repeating the new name or addressing each other by fantastic
cognomens. Viney's popularity did not increase.

Some rumors of this state of things drifted to Ben's ears and he
questioned his wife about them. She admitted what she had done.

"But, Viney," said Ben, "Raymond's good enough name fu' me."

"Don' you see, Ben," she answered, "dat I don' belong to de Raymonds
no mo', so I ain' Viney Raymond. Ain' you goin' change w'en you git
free?"

"I don' know. I talk about dat when I's free, and freedom's a mighty
long, weary way off yet."