160 ON THE ST. AUGUSTINE ROAD. 



just mentioned, a colored man came along, 

 hat in hand, and a bag of grain balanced on 

 his head. 



" That 's a large magnolia," said I. 



He assented. 



" That 's about as large as magnolias ever 

 grow, is n't it ? " 



" No, sir ; down in the gall there 's mag- 

 nolias a heap bigger 'n that." 



"A gall? What's that?" 



" A baygall, sir." 



" And what 's a baygall ? " 



" A big wood." 



" And why do you call it a baygall ? " 



He was stumped, it was plain to see. No 

 doubt he would have scratched his head, if 

 that useful organ had been accessible. He 

 hesitated ; but it is n't like an uneducated 

 man to confess ignorance. "'Cause it's a 

 desert," he said, " a thick place" 



" Yes, yes," I answered, and he resumed 

 his march. 



The road was traveled mostly by negroes. 

 On Sunday afternoons it looked quite like 

 a flower garden, it was so full of bright 

 dresses coming home from church. " Now'- 

 days folks git religion so easy ! " one young 



