“Darsn’t twel I feels mo’ safe, Miss Lou.  Kin on’y say now Marse Scoville des dote on you en he ax questions ’bout you sence you lil gyurl.  Hun’erds ob times he say, ‘Chunk, we go back some day, sho!’ But he do he duty brabe.  I go wid ’im ev’ywhar en onst, des on de aige ob night, he wuz ridin’ long wid ’bout twenty ob he men en dis ting happen.  We didn’t tink any Rebs roun’ en I’d been kep’ back tryn’ ter git a chicken fer mars’r’s supper.  Ez I riz a hill, ridin’ right smart I see our folks goin’ easy en car’less inter a woods.  I seed ’em all ez plain ez eber see anybody, en Marse Scoville ride at de haid.  Sudden dere was flash, flash, bang, bang, all troo de woods.  Marse Scoville fell right off he hoss, he sut’ny did.  Den lots ob Johnnies run in de road fore en hind our mens.  I see dere wuz no chaince fer me ter do any ting but git away en lil chaince fer dat, fer two Rebs on horses come tarin’ arter me.  Ef hit hadn’t come dark sudden en my hoss wuzn’t a flyer I’se been cotched sho.  ‘Fo’ de Lawd, Miss Lou, dat all I know.”

“He’s dead,” said the girl in a hoarse whisper.

“I orful feared he is, Miss Lou,” assented the matter-of-fact Chunk.  “De Rebs so neah w’en dey fiah, en Marse Scoville sut’ny did go off he hoss sudden.  I been a week gittin’ yere en I neber git yere ef de cullud people didn’t he’p me long nights.”

The girl stood silent and motionless.  Suddenly Zany grasped her hand and whispered, “I yeared steps.  Come ter de cabin.  Be off, Chunk.”

They had scarcely reached Aun’ Jinkey’s door before a shadow approached and the harsh voice of Perkins asked, “What’s goin’ on yere?”

“My young mistis des seein’ her mammy ’bout her clos,” replied the quick-witted Zany.

“I thought I yeared voices down by the run.”

“Reck’n you bettah go see,” said Zany in rather high tones.

“What the dev—­what makes yer speak so loud? a warnin’?”

“Tain’ my place ter pass wuds wid you, Marse Perkins.  Dem I serbs doan fin’ fault.”

“I reckon Mr. Baron’ll do mo’n find fault ’fore long.  I bettah say right yere en now I’ve got my orders ’bout that nigger Chunk.  Nobody kin save ’im ef caught.  You’ve been followed before in your night-cruisin’ en you’re lookin’ fer some one.  Ef there’s trouble, Miss Baron kyant say I didn’t give warnin’.  Now that the sogers is gone I’m held ’sponsible fer what goes on,” and he stalked away.

He did not wish to come into an open collision with Miss Lou again if he could help it—­not at least while the Waldos remained.  He had concluded that by a warning he might prevent trouble, his self-interest inclining him to be conservative.  Confederate scrip had so lost its purchasing power that in its stead he had recently bargained with Mr. Baron for a share in the crops.  Thus it happened that the question of making a crop was uppermost in his mind.  Until this object was secured he feared to array the girl openly against him, since her influence might be essential in controlling the negroes.  If policy could keep them at work, well and good; if the harshest measures seemed best to him he was ready to employ them.