"Wa-al, yes," he said; "but she aint yere, Louisianny aint."
Miss Ferrol gave a little start, and immediately made an effort to appear entirely at ease.
"Did you say," asked Ferrol, "that your daughter"s name was----"
"Louisianny," promptly. "I come from thar."
Louisiana got up and walked to the opposite end of the porch.
"The storm will be upon us in a few minutes," she said. "It is beginning to rain now. Come and look at this cloud driving over the mountain-top."
Ferrol rose and went to her. He stood for a moment looking at the cloud, but plainly not thinking of it.
"His daughter"s name is Louisiana," he said, in an undertone.
"Louisiana! Isn"t that delicious?"
Suddenly, even as he spoke, a new idea occurred to him.
"Why," he exclaimed, "your name is Louise, isn"t it? I think Olivia said so."
"Yes," she answered, "my name is Louise."
"How should you have liked it," he inquired, absent-mindedly, "if it had been Louisiana?"
She answered him with a hard coolness which it startled him afterward to remember.
"How would you have liked it?" she said.
They were driven back just then by the rain, which began to beat in upon their end of the porch. They were obliged to return to Olivia and Mr. Rogers, who were engaged in an animated conversation.
The fact was that, in her momentary excitement, Olivia had plunged into conversation as a refuge. She had suddenly poured forth a stream of remark and query which had the effect of spurring up her companion to a like exhibition of frankness. He had been asking questions, too.
"She"s ben tellin" me," he said, as Ferrol approached, "thet you"re a littery man, an" write fur the papers--novel-stories, an" pomes an"
things. I never seen one before--not as I know on."
"I wonder why not!" remarked Ferrol. "We are plentiful enough."
"Air ye now?" he asked reflectively. "I had an idee thar was only one on ye now an" ag"in--jest now an" ag"in."
He paused there to shake his head.
"I"ve often wondered how ye could do it," he said, "_I_ couldn"t.
Thar"s some as thinks they could if they tried, but I wa"n"t never thataway--I wa"n"t never thataway. I haint no idee I could do it, not if I tried ever so. Seems to me," he went on, with the air of making an announcement of so novel a nature that he must present it modestly, "seems to me, now, as if them as does it must hev a kinder gift fur"it, now. Lord! I couldn"t write a novel. I wouldn"t know whar to begin."
"It is difficult to decide where," said Ferrol.
He did not smile at all. His manner was perfect--so full of interest, indeed, that Mr. Rogers quite warmed and expanded under it.
"The scenes on "em all, now, bein" mostly laid in Bagdad, would be agin me, if nothin" else war," he proceeded.
"Being laid----?" queried Ferrol.
"In Bagdad or--wa-al, furrin parts tharabouts. Ye see I couldn"t tell nothin" much about no place but North Ca"liny, an" folks wouldn"t buy it."
"But why not?" exclaimed Ferrol.
"Why, Lord bless ye!" he said, hilariously, "they"d know it wa"n"t true. They"d say in a minnit: "Why, thar"s thet fool Rogers ben a writin" a pack o" lies thet aint a word on it true. Thar aint no castles in Hamilton County, an" thar aint no folks like these yere. It just aint so! I "lowed thet thar was the reason the novel-writers allers writ about things a-happenin" in Bagdad. Ye kin say most anythin" ye like about Bagdad an" no one cayn"t contradict ye."
"I don"t seem to remember many novels of--of that particular description," remarked Ferrol, in a rather low voice. "Perhaps my memory----"
"Ye don"t?" he queried, in much surprise. "Waal now, jest you notice an" see if it aint so. I haint read many novels myself. I haint read but one----"
"Oh!" interposed Ferrol. "And it was a story of life in Bagdad."
"Yes; an" I"ve heard tell of others as was the same. Hance Claiborn, now, he was a-tellen me of one."
He checked himself to speak to the negro woman who had presented herself at a room door.
"We"re a-comin", Nancy," he said, with an air of good-fellowship.
"Now, ladies an" gentlemen," he added, rising from his chair, "walk in an" have some supper."
Ferrol and Olivia rose with some hesitation.
"You are very kind," they said. "We did not intend to give you trouble."
"Trouble!" he replied, as if scarcely comprehending. "This yere aint no trouble. Ye haint ben in North Ca"liny before, hev ye?" he continued, good-naturedly. "We"re bound to hev ye eat, if ye stay with us long enough. We wouldn"t let ye go "way without eatin", bless ye.
We aint that kind. Walk straight in."
He led them into a long, low room, half kitchen, half dining-room. It was not so ugly as the room of state, because it was entirely unadorned. Its ceiled walls were painted brown and stained with many a winter"s smoke. The pine table was spread with a clean homespun cloth and heaped with well-cooked, appetizing food.
"If ye can put up with country fare, ye"ll not find it so bad," said the host. "Nancy prides herself on her way o" doin" things."
There never was more kindly hospitality, Ferrol thought. The simple generosity which made them favored guests at once warmed and touched him. He glanced across at Louisiana to see if she was not as much pleased as he was himself. But the food upon her plate remained almost untouched. There was a strange look on her face; she was deadly pale and her downcast eyes shone under their lashes. She did not look at their host at all; it struck Ferrol that she avoided looking at him with a strong effort. Her pallor made him anxious.
"You are not well," he said to her. "You do not look well at all."
Their host started and turned toward her.
"Why, no ye aint!" he exclaimed, quite tremulously. "Lord, no! Ye cayn"t be. Ye haint no color. What--what"s the trouble, Lou--Lord! I was gwine to call ye Louisianny, an"--she aint yere, Louisianny aint."
He ended with a nervous laugh.
"I"m used to takin" a heap o" care on her," he said. "I"ve lost ten on "em, an" she"s all that"s left me, an"--an" I think a heap on her.
I--I wish she was yere. Ye musn"t git sick, ma"am."
The girl got up hurriedly.
"I am not sick, really," she said. "The thunder--I have a little headache. I will go out on to the porch. It"s clearing up now. The fresh air will do me good."