OLD HOMESTEAD 



petrators of the crime, and an agreement to swear it onto 

 Quincy Griffin, a harmless, good-natured octoroon boy of about 

 our own age, who had nothing whatever to do with the outrage 

 except as an innocent witness. 



Aunt Lucinda began the questioning, and we each and 

 everyone, as she solemnly asked, ''Who tore down the girls' 

 playhouse?" told her that it was Quincy Griffin. Quincy was 

 dumfounded and did not even retort in his own defense, as 

 we expected, by telling who it was, but stood up and took 

 quite a good feruling from Aunt Lucinda — that is, quite severe 

 for her — while he looked at us in amazement, the tears trick- 

 ling down his cheeks, whether because of the smart of his hand 

 or the sorrow which he felt for our contemptible degradation, 

 we did not know; but for his discreet course and manly action 

 we praised Quincy and were good to him for quite a while. 

 What would prompt decent bo3^s to do so mean a thing and tell 

 such an outrageous lie about it, cannot be accounted for on any 

 other theory except the old reliable orthodox one of total 

 depravity. 



" Why the boys should drive away 



Little maidens from their play, 



Or love to banter and fight so well, 



That's the thing I never could tell." 



Leander was an extra good boy, but he used to get into 

 scrapes and disgrace as often as the rest of us. Once, I remem- 

 ber, he had done something for which Aunt Lucinda said he 

 must stay in the school-house at noon. It was his custom to go 

 to his home, which was but a little way, for his dinner. He told 

 her that he could not stay, that his mother would expect him to 

 dinner. She told him that he must stay, but fearing that he 

 would not, she unwound from her leg a long, red, white and 



109 



