Family

t and old-fashioned as his house, was no

and partly from the fact that it had never felt the refining influences of the friends of the house; for nobody ever lingered in the front yard who by a

in discolored patches; in the stagger of the tall fence opposite, drooping like a drunkard between two policemen of post

garden-but then no possible stretch of imagination, however bril

r and there rested as if content to stay; but which later on, frightened at the surroundings, had with one great spring cleare

g the shivering branches of an old vine, which had spent its whole life trying to grow high enough to look over the ta

its top and the curved end of a lead pipe always aleak thrust through its rotten

clothes-lines, and a battered watering-pot, and a box or two that might once have held flowers; and yet with all this circumstanti

arket with its one blazing eye glaring high up over the fence, the little lantern hung in the tunnel, and the glow

ious light moving about the yard,-a light that fell now on the bare wall, now on the front steps, making threads of gold of the twisted iron railings, then on the posts of

figure peering under the open steps, groping around the front door, cr

vanced to the edge of the

's t

up, held a lantern high over its

o mistaking

d, is it? What the d

e yer tar'pins Miss Nan

box, an' now dey ain't

e fumble round

strat

ng for a possum, feeling in among the roots of the honeysuckle, between the barrels that had brought the colo

own de cellar full er oishters. De tar'pins was in dis box-seben ob 'em. Spec' dat rapscallion crawled ober de fence?" And Chad picked up the basket with the remaini

lack debbil! Tryin' to

whar you

gling like an overturned roach, lay the missing terrapin. It had cra

his finger at the motionless terrapin, whose hea

-hear dat?-de longest!" Then looking up at me, "I got him, Major-try dat do'. Spec' it's open. Colonel ain't yer yit. Re

half a sheet of paper impaled by a pin, which alone saved

eclude the possibility of the colonel's leaving his office until late. If such a calamity overtook him, would I forgive him and ta

Madeira; Cha

eadlong into the boiling pot, and half an hour later was engaged at a side table in removing, with the

'em. Now dis yer shell is de hot plate, an' ye do all yo' eatin' right inside it," said Chad, d

ebery mou'ful take one o' dem little yaller eggs. Dat's de way we eat tar'pin. Dis yer stew

crab and smothering the dainty bits in the hot sauce, until only two empty

ard him say with a chuckle as he bore away t

watching the old darky drawing the cork of th

nythin' to gib, an' she wouldn't hab dat on'y frough de war her money was in de bank in Baltimo'. I know,

send him the

ter Grocerman

crumbs away, replacing a plate or two, or filling my wine-glass, until at last he took his place behi

, as if his sorrow were his own and not to be shared with a stranger. Finally he gave an u

but when is dis yer railroad

g what extravagance the

e warn't gwineter gib it to me, pass-book or no pass-book. On'y de young one say he'd seen de colonel, an' he was a gemmen an" all right, I wouldn't 'a' got it a

m, dat de colonel's folks is quality fo

tell the

in't yerd him say nuffin' yit 'bout payin' him. I been spectin' Miss Nancy up here, an'

the door, and Chad returned trembling with

ey's ris'. When I tole him de colonel ain't home he look at me pizen-like, same as I was a-lyin'; an' den he stop

ears, assuring him that the colonel would come out all right; that th

tles of dat old Madary;' an' 'Chad, don't forgit de sweet ile;' an' 'Chad, is we got claret enough to last ober Sunday?'-an' not a cent in de house. I ain't slep' none for two nigh

istress in de face if anythin' teches Marsa George." Then bending down he said in a hoarse whisper: "See dat old clock

*

ties and coax him back into his usual good humor, and the

hn Carter, and the high days at Carter Hall when Miss Nancy wa

ustr

fifteen couples ob de fustest quality folks, all on horseback ridin' in de gate. Den such a scufflin' round! Old marsa an' missis out on de po'c

e dresses, an' de gemmen in fair-top boots, an' Mammy Jane runnin' round same as a chicken wi

de nex' plantation, an' take Miss Nancy along wid 'em on her little sorrel ma

like dey don't see nowadays. Tall, sah, an' straight as a cornstalk; hair white

ill hisself. Dat's when you do right. But when you was a low-down nigger an' got de debbil in yer, an' ole marsa hear it an' send de oberseer to de quarters fo

whip his

wed of; but when dey got so bad-an' some niggers is dat way-den dey was sold to

to bile it. Colonel ain't been drinkin

small cup and saucer, and returning in a few minutes followed by th

g dinners when all de gemmen had coffee in de little cups-dat's one ob 'em you's drink-in' out ob now; dey ain't mo'

was married. Henny b'longed to Colonel Ll

he empty cup. He refilled it, andwen

was a harricane in dem days. She come into de kitchen one time where I was hel

e cookin' dat

Marsa John's dinner. We got quality,'

' I know what de quality is

de do' ob de big oven, cuts off a leg ob de goose, an'

late, Chad; bring in de dinner.' You see, Major, dey ain't no up an' down stair

ack, put some dressin' an' stuffin' ober him, an' shet de stove do'. Den I tuk de sweet potatoes an' de hominy an' put 'em on de

re was a roast

'bout no goose,' I sa

yerd old mars

, ain't we g

had, you wu'thless nigger, ai

ot a goos

oose? Didn't yo

dish from de hearth, opened de oven do', an' slide de g

ve for dinner,' says old marsa

for dinner, miss?'

har Marsa John sat; 'I think I'l

stuffin' an' gravy on wid a spoon, an' says

r, sah?' says I. 'Nice breas

l take a leg of d

ut I knowed bery well he

on de dish, dis way an' dat way, an' den he jabbed dat ole bone-handled caarvin' fork in him an'

s de udder leg

t hab none

dat de gooses on my plan

got two kinds in de pond, an' we was a little boddered tod

k when he send for you in de little r

th, I was dat shuck up; an' when de dinner was ober he calls all de ladies an' gemmen, an' says, 'Now come

d nearly went into a convulsion with suppressed laughter-"dar was de gooses sittin' on a log in d

cing himself by my chair, the

Look at dat ole gray goose! Dat's de

n' de gemmen laughed so loud

ays, his face gittin' white an' he a-jerki

out by a lame grasshopper if ebery one o

e says, raisin' his cane ob

I hollered; ''t ain't

t it fair?

old for so many years and to so many people, and with such varied amplifications, that I have long since persuaded myself that they are creations of my own. I surmise,

hed until

he thra

anybody; an' den dat night he says to m

lyin' 'cause I was 'feared de gal would git hurt, an' how she was on'y a-foolin', thinkin

Barbour's Henny,

marsa,

er to de Barbour plantation, an' didn't come back till plumb black night. When he come up I held de lantern so

ny dis arternoon from Colonel Barbour, an' she's comin'

*

his feet on the hall mat, his first word to Chad an inquiry after my comfort, an

t could not be postponed. Has Chad taken good care of you? N

was about to fill the colonel's glass when Chad l

olonel, an' lef' word dat

unate occurrence! When he calls again show him in a

is, I have not treated him with proper respect. He has shown me every courtesy since I have been here, and I am ashamed to say that I ha

anxious over the outcome of the expected interview, to do more than bow obsequiously to t

en he spoke of something that touched his heart, told me with evident feeling how, in every crisis of fire, pillage, and raid, these two faithful souls had kept unceasing watch about the old house; refastening the wrenched doors, replacing the shattered shutters, or extinguishing the embers of abandoned bivouac fir

coast swamps to reach me, crossed both lines twice, hung around for three months for his chance, and has carr

n't make much diffe'ence sometimes. Chad was b

-headed man with closely trimmed side-whiskers, and wearing a brown check suit and a blue necktie,

is Mr.

many courtesies. My servant tells me that you called earlier in the evenin'. I regret, suh, that I was detained so late at

chief, which he took from his hat, and stated with some timidity that he

t is a custom new to us in my county, but it meets with my hearty appr

htly bald head,-retaining his handkerchief, which he finally rolled up into a little wad and kept tightly clenched

I once had some old Madeira of '28 that was given to my father, the late General John Ca

nor technical matters,-the grocer understanding them as little as he did the Aztec dialects,-the colonel himself supplying the needed data and then thanking the auburn gentleman for the information

nin', suh, is a trifle too fruity for

uity flavor, but thought he had another wine, which he would se

s, the making of pickles as practiced on the plantations by the old Virginia cooks,-the colonel waxing eloquen

head, and so great was his delight that, after shaking hands with me once and with the colonel three times, he would also have extende

ustr

ns, the colonel was standing on the mat, in his favorite attitude-back to the fire, coat thrown

adeira; perhaps the respectful, overawed bow,-the bow of the tradesman the world over to the landed proprietor,-restoring to him for one

nts moving noiselessly about; the cut-glass decanters reflected in the polished mahogany; the candles l

e old plantation days! Wou