come into the library as soon a

was sitting at the breakfast table in the Dalton house, a few da

ard for herself and was so much agitated by what she thought were sinister purposes revealed by his tone of voice, that she began to

eye hez been jumpin' fit to kill, an' now I dun broke dis plate. W'en hez Aunt Catherine broke er plate afo' dis? Shuah's yer bawn, chile, dar is trubb

ook her head slowly, signifying that t

found Lemuel Dalton tilted back in his desk chair, his hands clasped behind his head. Turning the

rform as plain Lemuel Dalton. I will be rid of that task to-day, I think. To-morrow I intend assuming charge here. I s

ion with a species of horror. Morlene was self-contained, being careful not to exhibit any emotion, if she

your credit, money which was due you, but not called for by you. I notice that you have been accustomed to give largely to objects of charity, el

know not what is the ground of your claim, nor do I care to know. I shall see to it that you do not suffer. Understand, however, that you will a

at it fell upon the floor and not upon her lap. This was done so adroitly that Lemuel Dalton did no

n tones: "Marse Lemuel, will

ared upon Lemuel Dalton's

ine stood u

us, my ole man an' me, jumpt ober de brum stick es a marrige cerimony. Since I hez been an 'oman ebry baby bawn in dis hous' hez cum in ter dese arms fust. Yer own daddy Erasmus wuz one ob um, an' a lackly littul fellah he wuz

er dyin' bref ter let me wait fur de trump ub Gabrul by her side. Now, Marse Lemuel, doan' dribe me erway. I'll wuck an' not charge nary cent. I wants to stay

rine burst fort

the window, his back to Aunt Catherine, who now dropp

r, said: "That is all unnecessary, Catherine. My mind is made up. I d

kses wuz fur lub. You shan't spile my lub by payin' me fur whut I hez dun." So saying, she walked over to Lemuel Dalton in an humble attitude and d

rol during the whole of the affecting scene

an a match for him at his own game! As for the money which you gave me, I shall not touch one penny of it. Really, I do not care to have my life linked by means of the smallest t

e certainty of a revelation that Morlene had spoken the truth. But this feeling only remained for a few seconds. It was but a forerunner, years ahead of its

want none of your whining suppliants. A plague on these Negroes who meet injury with woe-begone expressions. That sort of thing tends to make the Anglo-Saxon chicken-hear

table, he mounted his horse and rode away, taking the road that had been made to pass through and connect the several parts of the vast Dalton estate. On every side of him were tokens of what the forces of nature were doing for him. The earth holding in her

re master of the Dalton place. But he had no eye for nature's