Ambition bade her to let him stay.

She finally decided to submit the whole matter to her parson, whom she would invite to dinner on the coming Sunday.
The Sabbath came and Mrs.Piedmont aroused her family bright and early, for the coming of the parson to take dinner was a great event in any negro household.

The house was swept as clean as a broom of weeds tied together could make it.

Along with the family breakfast, a skillet of biscuits was cooked and a young chicken nicely baked.
Belton was very active in helping his mother that morning, and she promised to give him a biscuit and a piece of chicken as a reward after the preacher was through eating his dinner.

The thought of this coming happiness buoyed Belton up, and often he fancied himself munching that biscuit and biting that piece of chicken.