right to vote. Dey say a nigger ain't fitten ter do nothin' but wu'k,
wu'k, wu'k. Nigger got good a right to live de way he want ter as de
white man is. Now it's time fer change. De Queen, you-all knows, she
done say de time come fer a change."

A low growl, as from the throats of feeding beasts, greeted this
comment. Footfalls, shuffling, approached the speaker.

"Tom Sands is daid, dat's whut he is," resumed the first speaker,
"leastways as good as daid, 'cause he's just a-layin' thah an' kain't
move er speak. An' look at me, look at my haid. De ol' man hit him
pow'ful hahd, an' ef he didn't hit me jest de same, it wasn't no
fault o' his'n, I tell you. He jes' soon killed bof of us niggers
thah as not. Whaffor? He want we-all to come inter town an' git
fined, git into jail ag'in." More growls than one greeted this, and
then there came silence for a while.

"My ol' daddy done tol' me twenty-five yeah ago," said the first
speaker, "dat de time was a-goin' ter come. Dey wus onct a white man
f'om up Norf come all over dis country, fifty yeah ago, an' he
preached it ter de niggers befo' de wah dat some day de time gwine
come. We wus ter raise up all over the Souf an' kill all de white
folks, an' den all de white women--

"We wus ter kill all de white men," at length resumed the same voice.
"De white men f'om de Norf wus ter ride intoe de towns den an' rob
all de banks an' divide de money wid we-all, an' dey wus to open de
sto's and give ebery nigger all de goods he want wifout paying
nuthin' fer 'em; and den nigger ain't gwine to wu'k no mo'.