He could not remember that he used to have any diffi-
culty in the past, when life was glad and gay. The world
seemed smooth and easy then. Perhaps,--but his sister came
to the kitchen door just then and said the Judge awaited him.
The Judge sat in the dining-room amid his morning's mail,
and he did not ask John to sit down. He plunged squarely into
the business. "You've come for the school, I suppose. Well
John, I want to speak to you plainly. You know I'm a friend
to your people. I've helped you and your family, and would
have done more if you hadn't got the notion of going off.
Now I like the colored people, and sympathize with all their
reasonable aspirations; but you and I both know, John, that in
this country the Negro must remain subordinate, and can
never expect to be the equal of white men. In their place,
your people can be honest and respectful; and God knows,
I'll do what I can to help them. But when they want to
reverse nature, and rule white men, and marry white women,
and sit in my parlor, then, by God! we'll hold them under if
we have to lynch every Nigger in the land. Now, John, the
question is, are you, with your education and Northern no-
tions, going to accept the situation and teach the darkies to be
faithful servants and laborers as your fathers were,--I knew
your father, John, he belonged to my brother, and he was a
good Nigger.
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