Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: parallel on the books. How does it happen that you have fallen into the error—" " 'Twarn't no error, Lawyer Chew —'twarn't nothin' but a mistake." " I suppose it was. Who are the ladies in question?" " They's M'lissie Cheese an' Ella Dungee an' Fashi'n Wilson an' Qussie Muck. They wuks out to the Glen Ridge 'pahtments whar I is janitor at. An'," his eyes twinkled irrepressibly, "they is mighty lovin'." " I see: I see. Continue, please." " I'se tellin' you this right heah an' now, Lawyer Chew — they ain't hahdly no man c'n handle one woman. But fo' wimmin, Lawyer Chew, is an un- possibility. I knows!" " You are sure that they will all sue you? " " I ain't know as any of them is because I sort of got 'em guessin'. But a woman ain't got but so much guessin' in her, Lawyer Chew — an' when that gits used up, she wants action. Y'see, right now they ain't nary one of them gals knows which one I is gwine pick out. They is jes' 'bout tearin' one-nuther's ha'r out by the roots — but they's all kinder skeered to light in on me 'cause they's the chancst that they is the lucky one. " I been playin' both ends 'gainst the middle, Lawyer Chew — an' the middle is might' nigh reached. I ain't know whether I is comin' or goin'. Meanw'ile they is all tryin' to find out whar I stan' at." "What have yon told them?" " I done swore to each of them gals she is the one I gwine marry. An' they is gittin' pow'fulimpatient. I sort of wan'ed to fin' out what is the law on britches of promise — not jes' one britch, but a whole lot of 'em." Lawyer Chew cleared his throat and thumbed portentously through the Alabama code. He next consulted his Southern Reporter and his Cyc. He shook his head discouragingly. " The dictas ain't ve'y clear about yo' sort of a case, Brother Segar. See...