Hitch struck the match and sucked the flame into the bowl of his pipe.
The pipe burst into fragments, the room filled with smoke, Dainty screamed, and Hitch Diamond performed a number of interesting circus stunts and tumbled over in a squalling, bellowing heap upon the floor.
“Git de booze, Dainty!” Dude screamed. “Fotch out de jug! De elder is done cormitted death!”
Dainty sprang to the storeroom door, opened it, and handed Dude the jug.
“Oo-oo-ee!” Hitch whooped. “I’s dyin’ dead!”
“Go in de kitchen an’ fotch a drinkin’ cup!” Dude howled to his wife.
Dainty bounced into the kitchen, slamming the door behind her. Dude quickly latched the door so that Dainty could not enter the room again without going entirely around the house.
“Oo-oo-ee!” Hitch Diamond howled. “He’p!”
“Shut up, you ole fool!” Dude commanded as he walked over and bestowed upon the giant prize-fighter a most earnest and soul-satisfying kick. “Me an’ dis jug ain’t gwine ’socheate wid you no more. You ain’t fitten comp’ny!”
“Don’t leave me, Dude!” Hitch begged. “I’s all collapsed down!”
Dude picked up his derby hat, stopped at the door, and looked back:
“Sass’fras tea is mighty good fer a nigger whut’s had a accidunt, Hitch. Dainty makes it fine! Atter she fixes you a bowl I advises you to fill anodder pipe wid gunpowder outen dat flask behime dat picture an’ take anodder smoke. Good-bye!”
Dainty came running around the house and entered the door. She was mad.
“Whut made you lock me out, elder?” she demanded.
“Dude done it,” Hitch mourned, sitting upon the floor and feeling much better after learning what had caused his pipe to explode. “Dude is went!”
“Oh, Lawdy!” Dainty exclaimed. “Go an’ fotch him back, elder! He’ll be so drunk in no time dat he won’t know whut end of hisse’f is straight up! Go!”
Hitch went. His intentions were good. He really desired to find Dude, because Dude had the jug. He purposed to hunt for him. But a man who has had fourteen swallows out of a jug of free whisky twenty minutes before cannot be expected to maintain a given purpose very long.
By the time Hitch had crossed the pasture, he needed all the woods along the river for walking room. The entire width of the levee was not too much to accommodate his devious journey back toward Sawtown.