Their homeward progress was slower than usual, for poor half-starved Pepper could not keep pace with Comet and Meteor.  About four miles from Annapolis Bolivar directed them into a by-road which led to an isolated farm, as poor, forlorn a specimen as one could find.  But in spite of its disrepair there was something of home in its atmosphere and the dooryard was carefully brushed.  Turkey red curtains at the lower windows gave an air of cheeriness to the lonely place.  As they drew near a hound came bounding out to greet them with a deep-throated bark, and a moment later a girl about Peggy’s age appeared at the door.  Peggy thought she had never seen a sweeter or a sadder face.  She was fair to transparency with great questioning blue eyes, masses of golden hair waving softly back from her face and gathered into a thick braid.  She walked with a slight limp, and looked in surprise at the strange visitors, and her big blue eyes were full of a vague doubt.

“It’s all right, honey.  It’s all right,” called Bolivar. “‘Aint nothin’ but Providence a-workin’ out, I reckon, jist like yo’ say.

“We have brought your father and Pepper home.  Salt is all right, Nelly.  You will see him again pretty soon.”

“Oh, has anything happened to Salt, Dad?” asked the girl quickly.

“Well, not anything, so-to-speak.  Jist let Miss Stewart, here, run it and it’ll come out all right.  I’m bankin’ on that, judgin’ from the way she’s done so far.  She’s got a head a mile long, honey, she has, an’ has mine beat ter a frazzle.  Mine’s kind o’ wore out I reckon, an’ no ‘count, no more.  Come long out an’ say howdy.”

Nelly Bolivar came to the surrey and smiling up into Peggy’s face, said: 

“Of course I know who you are, everybody does, but I never expected to really, truly know you, and I’m a right proud girl to shake hands with you,” and a thin hand, showing marks of toil, was held to Peggy.  There was a sweet dignity in the act and words.

Peggy took it in her gloved one, saying: 

“I didn’t suspect I was so well known.  For a quiet girl I’m beginning to know a lot of people.  But I must go now, it is getting very late.  Your father is going to bring Pepper over to see me soon and maybe he will bring you, too.  He has such a lot to tell you that I’ll not delay it a bit longer.  Good-bye, and remember a lot of pleasant things are going to happen,” and with the smile which won all who knew her, Peggy drove away.

If people’s right ears burn when others are speaking kindly of them, Peggy’s should have burned hard that evening, for Nelly Bolivar listened eagerly as her father told of the afternoon’s experiences and Peggy’s part in them.

Two days later Salt was delivered at Severndale.  Dove had been as good as his word.  Shelby gave him one glance and said: 

“Well, if some men knew a hoss as quick as that thar girl does, there’d be fewer no ’count beasts in the world.  Put him in a stall and tell Jim Jarvis I want him to take care of him as if he was the Emperor.  I know what I’m sayin’, an’ Miss Peggy knows what she’s a-doin’, an’ that’s more ’n I kin say for most women-folks.”