“No I don’t, I don’t fer a fact,” answered Bolivar, striving manfully to pull himself together and dashing from his eyes the tears which he felt had disgraced him.

Peggy drew near.  Her eyes were soft and tender as a doe’s, and the pretty lips quivered as she said: 

“Mr. Bolivar, please don’t try to go home tonight.  Shelby can put you up, and Nelly shall stay with me.  You are tired and worn out and the change will do you good.  Then you can see the horses and talk it all over with Shelby, and by tomorrow things will look a lot brighter.  And Nelly and I will have a little talk together too.”

“I can’t thank ye, miss.  No, I can’t.  There ain’t no words big nor grand enough fer ter do that.  I ain’t never seen nothin’ like it, an’ yo’ve made a kind o’ heaven fer Nelly.  Yes, go ’long with Miss Peggy, honey.  Ye ain’t never been so looked after since yo’ ma went on ter Kingdom Come.”  He kissed the delicate little face and turning to Shelby, said: 

“Now come on an’ I’ll quit actin’ like a fool.”

“There’s other kinds o’ fools in this world,” was Shelby’s cryptic reply.  “Jim,” he called, “look after them horses,” indicating Pepper and Salt, and once more united, the two were led away to the big stable where their future was destined to bring fame to Severndale.

Bolivar went with Shelby to his quarters, and their interest in riding having given way to the greater one in Nelly, the girls told Bud to take their horses back to the stable.  From that moment, Nelly Bolivar’s life was transformed.  The following day she and her father went back to the little farm behind the well conditioned span from Severndale, and a good supply of provisions for all, for Shelby had insisted upon giving them what he called, “a good send off” on his own account, and enough oats and corn went with Tom and Jerry, as the new horses were named, to keep them well provisioned for many a day.

“Jist give ’em half a show an’ they’ll earn their keep,” advised Shelby.  “I’ll stop over before long and lend a hand gettin’ things ship-shape.  I know they’re boun’ ter get out o’ kilter when yo’ don’t have anybody ter help.  One pair o’ hands kin only do jist so much no matter how hard they work.  Good luck.”

From that hour Nelly was Peggy’s protege.  The little motherless girl living so close to Severndale, her home, her circumstances in such contrast to her own, wakened in Peggy an understanding of what lay almost at her door, and so many trips were made to the little farm-house that spring that Shashai and Tzaritza often started in that direction of their own accord when Peggy set forth upon one of her outings.