The times., 1890-12-26

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"Jes' ls'n at dat, nowy'' said Glory.
Ann, In . discouraged tone. "Why ain'l
you mindin' yo' book, stidder studyin
dat ole nigger's doin'sg''
"I'm a goin' with himr Missy an.
nounced, as she rushed from the room,
and went tearing downstairs deaf to all
remonstrance.
"Jes' look at her nowr' lamented
Glory-Ann, as the child slipped through
gap in the garden paling, and made
wild haste across the burrows, reckless
Of damage to the growing corn. "She is
jes' as heady as Mawse Nick heself; an
mawster ain got no room ter complain
when his chillen tex dey own way; dey
is made after his own petterun plumb
"rm a-goin' with your painted Missy,
as soon as she was WITHIN hearing dis
tance of her fathers much indulged old
slave, who, being slightly lame, and
duly considerate of the corn crop, was
making his way leisurely.
'Mawster abover exclaimed the old
man, with grin that displayed his big
white teeth. "He.e you come tromplin'
de Gavin lax so much pusley, an gittin'
yo' skin tanned up. Why'nt you salts
fled ter set in de gret house, lax de lady
you wuz bawnY'
"I want to go wadin'," said Missy.
81 amt gwan ter no branch" said old
Gilbert, with decision; and before the
child could recover from the surprise of
her disappointment, he asked with pa
thetic eagerness, "Is nawster hearn
fun Mawse Nick lately, ez you knows
on?"
"There, now!' cried Missy, angrily, 81
was just forgettin' bout Brer Nicholasl
amt come out here for you to talk to
me bout Brer Nicholas; it makes me
all-swelled-just here" And Missy,
with her slender hands across her heart,
began to sob.
"Now, now, Honey, doan you go cry"
old Gilbert demonstrated. "Mawse Mich
olas gwan come home one O. desc days"
But the old man sighed. He was not SO
sure of his prophecy himself.
Il want him today! Iwant him nowr'
sobbed Missy. 81 do believe it'll be a
whole everlastin' year befo' see Brer
Nicholas any mo-; and me with no BROTH
er and no sister, 'ceptin' only him."
'Mawster drors de reins too tight"
murmured old Gilbert, continuing with
himself. "Hukkom he kin be so hard
ON his own flesh en- blood, en- so easy
wild dis po' no count ole nigger?"
His "no 'countness" was point much
insisted upon by Daddy Gilbert, who
cherished his slight lameness as means
of securing him an immunity from any
regular work.
''rdon't sec as you're SO no count"
Missy objected. "Yo can do mo- work
than Tom Quash and Griffin Jim. They
couldn't make round bottomed baskets,
not if they was to try"
The old man chuckled with gratiied
vanity.
"And am goin' with you-no matter
if you amt goin to the branch" she de-
clared.
mo, you doan go long O. me, Missy"
said old Gilbert, uneasily. "Hit's too
fur. You jes' tote yo'sef back ter de
greet house."
"rm tired of the house." Missy said,
beginning to cry afresh.
Now ain dat a pity" exclaimed old
Gilbert, impatiently. I'm s'prised at
Glory-Ann lettin' you run loose in dish
yer sun. You jes' go long back, Missy.
en- I'm gwan ketch you Molly cotton
tail, or mebbe a squirt"
Missy paused, glowering from under
her puckercd brows. The house had no
attractions for her while the sun was
shining warm and bright, and the woods
were waving boughs of green. But sud-
denly the frown relaxed; Missy was in-
spired by a brilliant purpose. She per-
ceived that it might be possible to steal
off to that dingy little dwelling in the
midst of the plum thicket, on the other
side of the road, beyond the cornfield,
where she hoped to find Dosia Furnival,
a girl eight years her senior, for whom
she entertained an immense respect. It
mattered nothing to this daughter of the
blue bloOded Thornes that Dosia's father
was a carpenter, and that her mother
made dresses for the ladies of Tallahas-
see; Missy found her altogether admira-
BILE. For Dosia was gentle and patient;
she assumed none of those airs Of superb
ority that rendered Flora Thorne, the
colonel's beautiful niece, so obnoxious to
her little cousin. Missy had heard, a few
days before, that Dosia was not in Talla-
hassee; it therefore occurred to her that
she might be found with the carpenters
kinsfolk. who inhabited the sorry little
house at the bend of the Thorne Hill road.
With the colonel and Miss Elvira on the
road to town, with Glory-Ann busy in the
house, and Daddy Gilbert vending his
solitary way to the woods, Missy decided
that she might venture to steal off for an
hour or so, without risk of discovery.
She turned her face towards home, but
she had gone only few yards, when she
abruptly changed her course and began
to walk rapidly across the field in the di-
rection of the road.
But just as she took this turn, old Gill
bert was minded to look back, and he
instantly detected her purpose.
"Hi-yi!" he called out, sternly. $50
back ter de gret house, stretl You got no
call to foller after dem po' white trashi
De Thornes is quality; de ain got no
business wild de Furnivals."
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