"I'm very sorry," Sam said, "and I promise you it won't happen
again. But now we are tired and hungry. We are almost starved."
         "Well, you'll get nothing to eat in this house tonight!" said Mrs.
Daniels.
         Just then Sam saw Miss Nellie's guitar in a corner of the room. He
picked it up and began playing, and presently he sang "Fly Away Moth" and
then "Araby's Daughter." He sang very softly. Mrs. Daniels listened, and
presently her face softened. When he was through she left the room and went
out in the kitchen. In a few minutes we heard a chicken squawk, and a
little later we fell to on hot biscuit and fried chicken and coffee.
         As we were walking home Sam said to me: "Billie, you've read the
old saying, 'music hath charms to soothe the savage breast.' You've seen
how it soothed that savage old lady. If you have any talent for music,
cultivate it.'"

As quoted in Letters 4, p. 38, n. 7.