hardly knew how to address him.  To her colored people were either boys and girls, or “aunties and uncles.”  She had never in her life addressed a colored person as “Mr. or Mrs.”  To do so now was to violate the social customs of the place.  It would be like learning a new language in her old age.  Robert immediately set her at ease by addressing her under the old familiar name of “Miss Nancy.”  This immediately relieved her of all embarrassment.  She invited him into the sitting-room, and gave him a warm welcome.

“Well, Robby,” she said, “I once thought that you would have been the last one to leave me.  You know I never ill-treated you, and I gave you everything you needed.  People said that I was spoiling you.  I thought you were as happy as the days were long.  When I heard of other people’s servants leaving them I used to say to myself, ’I can trust my Bobby; he will stick to me to the last.’  But I fooled myself that time.  Soon as the Yankee soldiers got in sight you left me without saying a word.  That morning I came down into the kitchen and asked Linda, ’Where’s Robert?  Why hasn’t he set the table?’ She said ’she hadn’t seen you since the night before.’  I thought maybe you were sick, and I went to see, but you were not in your room.  I couldn’t believe at first that you were gone.  Wasn’t I always good to you?”

“Oh, Miss Nancy,” replied Robert; “you were good, but freedom was better.”

“Yes,” she said, musingly, “I suppose I would have done the same.  But, Robby, it did go hard with me at first.  However, I soon found out that my neighbors had been going through the same thing.  But its all over now.  Let by-gones be by-gones.  What are you doing now, and where are you living?”

“I am living in the city of P——.  I have opened a hardware store there.  But just now I am in search of my mother and sister.”

“I hope that you may find them.”

“How long,” asked Robert, “do you think it has been since they left here?”

“Let me see; it must have been nearly thirty years.  You got my letter?”

“Yes, ma’am; thank you.”

“There have been great changes since you left here,” Mrs. Johnson said.  “Gundover died, and a number of colored men have banded together, bought his plantation, and divided it among themselves.  And I hear they have a very nice settlement out there.  I hope, since the Government has set them free, that they will succeed.”

After Robert’s interview with Mrs. Johnson he thought he would visit the settlement and hunt up his old friends.  He easily found the place.  It was on a clearing in Gundover’s woods, where Robert and Uncle Daniel had held their last prayer-meeting.  Now the gloomy silence of those woods was broken by the hum of industry, the murmur of cheerful voices, and the merry laughter of happy children.  Where they had trodden with fear and misgiving, freedmen walked with light and bounding hearts.  The school-house had taken the place of the slave-pen and auction-block.  “How is yer, ole boy?” asked one laborer of another.