The negro"s eyes rolled and he lifted his hands in a gesture of supreme admiration:
"De Lordy, man--ef he didn"t! He lit inter dem po" white trash lak er thousand er brick----"
"Give "em what Paddy gave the drum, I suppose?"
"Now yer talkin", honey! Ef he didn"t give "em particular h.e.l.l!"
"And what happened?"
"Nuttin" happened, chile--dat"s what I"m tryin" ter tell ye. Nary one of "em nebber cheeped. Dey des stood dar an" listened lak er pa.s.sel er sheep-killin" dogs. Lemme tell ye, honey, politics ain"t er worryin" him.
De odder fellers doin" all de worrin". Nasah, dey"s sumfin else de matter wid de major----"
"What?"
Andy looked around the room furtively and whispered:
"Dar"s a quare look in his eye!"
"Ah, pooh!"
"Hit"s des lak I tells ye, Mister Tom. I ain"t seed dat quare look in his eye before since de night I see yo" Ma"s ghost come down outen dat big picture frame an" walk cross dis hall----"
The boy smiled and looked at the shining yellow canvas that seemed a living thing gleaming in its dark setting:
"I suppose, of course, Andy, you really saw her do that?"
""Fore G.o.d, es sho"s I"m talkin" ter you now, she done dat thing--ya.s.sah!
Hit wus de las" year befo" you come back frum college. De moon wuz shinin"
froo dem big windows right on her face, an" I seed her wid my own eyes, all of a sudden, step right down outen dat picture frame an" walk across dis room, huggin" her baby close up in her arms--an" you"se dat very baby, sah!"
The boy was interested in the negro"s weird recital in spite of his amus.e.m.e.nt. He shook his head and said laughingly:
"Andy, you"ve got the heat----"
"Hit"s des lak I tells ye, sah," Andy solemnly repeated. "I stood right dar by dat table froze in my tracks, till I seed her go froo dat do" widout openin" it----"
"Bah!" Tom cried in disgust.
"Dat she did!--an" Miss Minerva she see her do dat same thing once before and tell me about it. But man erlive, when I see it, I let off one er dem yells dat wuz hark from de tomb----"
"I bet you did!"
"Ya.s.sah, I went froo dat big window dar an" carry de whole sash wid me. De major he take out atter me when he hears de commotion, an" when he kotch me down dar in de fiel" I wuz still wearin" dat sash fer a necktie!"
The boy laughed again:
"And I suppose, of course, he believed all you told him?"
The negro rolled his eyes solemnly to the ceiling and nodded his head:
"Dat he did, sah. When I fust told "im dat I seed er ghost, he laft fit ter kill hissef----"
The boy nodded:
"I don"t doubt it!"
"But mind ye," Andy solemnly continued, "when I tells him what kin" er ghost I seed, he nebber crack anudder smile. He nebber open his mouf ergin fer er whole day. An" dis here"s what I come ter tell ye, honey----"
He paused and glanced over his shoulder as if momentarily fearing the major"s appearance.
"I thought you"d been telling me?"
"Nasah, I ain"t told ye nuttin" yit. When I say what _kine_ er ghost I see--dat quare look come in his eye--de same look dat come dar yistiddy when I tells "im dat Miss Helen wuz here."
The boy looked at Andy with a sudden start:
"Ah, how could that sweet little girl upset him? He"s her guardian"s attorney and sent for her to come, of course----"
"I don"t know "bout dat, sah--all I know is dat he went wil" es quick es I tells "im, an" he bin wil" ever since. Mister Tom, I ain"t skeered er de major--but he"s dangous!"
"Ah, Andy, you"re the biggest fool in the county," the boy answered laughing. "You know my father wouldn"t touch a hair of your kinky head."
Andy grinned.
""Cose not, Mister Tom," he said with unction. "I knows dat. But all de same I gotter keep outen his way wid dis new suit er close till I see "im smilin"----"
"Always bearing in mind that indiscretion is the better part of value!"
"Ya.s.sah--ya.s.sah--dat"s. .h.i.t--an" I wants you ter promise you"ll stan" by me, sah, till de major"s in a good humor."
"All right; if you need me, give a yell."
Tom turned with a smile to go, and Andy caught his sleeve and laughed again:
"Wait--wait er minute, Mister Tom--hold yer hosses. Dey"s anodder little thing I wants ye ter help me out erbout. I kin manage de major all right ef I kin des keep outen his sight ter-day wid dis suit er clothes. But de trouble is, I got ter wear "em, sah--I got er "pintment wid er lady!"
The boy turned good-naturedly, threw his leg over the corner of the table and raised his eyebrows with a gleam of mischief:
"Oh, a lady! Who is she? Aunt Minerva?"
Andy waved his hands in disgust.
"Dat"s des de one hit ain"t--nasah! I can"t stan" her nohow, Mr. Tom. I des natchally can"t stan" er fat "oman! An" Miss Minerva weighs "bout three hundred----"
"Oh, not so bad as that, Andy!"
"Ya.s.sah, she"s er whale! Man, ef we wuz walkin" along tergedder, en she wuz ter slip an" fall she"d sqush de life outen me! I"d nebber know what hit me. An" what makes bad matters wus, I"se er strong suspicion dat she got her eyes sot on me here lately--I des feels it in my bones--she"s atter me sho, sah."
Tom broke into a laugh: