hair-ball was all right. He said it would tell my
whole fortune if I wanted it to. I says, go on. So
the hair-ball talked to Jim, and Jim told it to me.
He says:

"Yo' ole father doan' know yit what he's a-gwyne
to do. Sometimes he spec he'll go 'way, en den
ag'in he spec he'll stay. De bes' way is to res' easy
en let de ole man take his own way. Dey's two
angels hoverin' roun' 'bout him. One uv ' em is
white en shiny, en t'other one is black. De white
one gits him to go right a little while, den de black
one sail in en bust it all up. A body can't tell yit
which one gwyne to fetch him at de las'. But you
is all right. You gwyne to have considable trouble
in yo' life, en considable joy. Sometimes you gwyne
to git hurt, en sometimes you gwyne to git sick;
but every time you's gwyne to git well ag'in. Dey's
two gals flyin' 'bout you in yo' life. One uv 'em's
light en t'other one is dark. One is rich en t'other
is po'. You's gwyne to marry de po' one fust en
de rich one by en by. You wants to keep 'way
fum de water as much as you kin, en don't run no
resk, ' kase it's down in de bills dat you's gwyne to
git hung."

When I lit my candle and went up to my room
that night there sat pap--his own self!

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