"Who gi'n us dis 'sponsibility? Is we axed for it?"
"Ain't you an' me promised Mis' Agnes, de day she died, to keep his chile, safe-t an' sound, tell Marse Harol' come?"
"Dat 's six yeahs past, dis comin' Christmus, Isrul. I b'lieve Marse Harol' done dead an' gone."
"Huccome you believe he dead? Is he come to you in de sperit?"
"No, he ain't come, an' dat 's huccome hope stays wid me. If he was free in de sperit lan' he sho' would come an' gimme a sign. But reason is reason, an' ef he _ain't_ dead, huccome he don't come an' look arter his chile? My white folks warn't nuver shirkers--nor deserters. So, when I stays off my knees awhile an' casts away faith in de unseen, seem dat my horse-sense hit gives me trouble. An' den, like to-night, somehow my courage sinks, an' look like I kin see him dead an' forgot in some ol' ditch on de battle-field.
"Jes _s'posin'_ dat 's de trufe, Isrul, what we boun' to do wid Blossom?"
"You done heared a plenty o' preachin', ain't yer?"
"Is you ever heared a preacher preach 'bout _s'posin'_?"
"But I tell you what you _is_ hearn 'em preach about. You hearn 'em preach about _watchin'_ an' _prayin'_."
"Dat 's so, Isrul, but yit'n still, you know de scripture say 'Hope referred meketh de heart sick.' You ricollec' dat, don't you?"
"Yas, but dat 's a side-track. Dat ain't got nothin' to do wid answer to prayer. Dat 's jes to give comfort to weary souls, when de waitin'-time is long; dat 's all. Dey may git sick at heart--jes' waitin'."
"Well, an' arter watchin' an' prayin', dey 's one mo' thing needful. An' dat 's _faith_.
"Ef we _watches_ for Marse Harol' to come, an' _prays_ for 'im to come, an' don't _trus'_, you reckon Gord gwine to bother wid us?"
"I _tries_ to trus', Isrul, an' mos' days I does look for Marse Harol'. Many 's de time I done taken Blossom by de hand an' walked along de levee an' looked down in de Ca'ollton gyarden while de ban' played, an' jes fairly scroochinized my ol' eyes out, hopin' to reconnize 'im in de dance. I'm dat big a fool in faith--I sho' is. An' I tries de best I kin to keep my faith warm, so de good Lord 'll see it glowin' like a live coal in my heart an' he 'll 'member hisse'f about de chile an' sen' 'er daddy home, _sen' 'er daddy home_! My Gord, I say, SEN' 'ER DADDY HOME! I tries continu'sly, Isrul."