Meantime between John and his mother there was a hurried

conversation, the former inquiring naturally after the looks of her

new mistress.

"Pretty as a pink," answered John, "and neat as a fiddle, with the

sweetest little baby ways; but I tell you what 'tis," and John's

voice fell to a whisper: "he'll maxim her into heaven a heap sight

quicker'n he did t'other one; 'case you see she haint so much--what

you call him--so much go off to her as Miss Katy had, and she can't

bar his grinding ways. They'll scrush her to onct--see if they

don't. But I knows one thing, this yer nigger 'tends to do his duty,

and hold up them little cheese-curd hands of her'n, jest as some of

them Scripter folks held up Moses with the bulrushes."

"And what of the young one?" asked Hannah, who had been quite

indignant at the thoughts of another child in the family, "what of

the young one?"

"Bright as a dollar!" answered John. "Knows more'n a dozen of

Nellie, and well she might, for she aint half as white, and as

Master Kennedy says, it's a maxim of mine, the blacker the hide the

better the sense!"

By this time Hannah had washed the dough from her hands, and taking

the roast chicken from the oven she donned a clean apron and started

to see the stranger for herself. Although a tolerably good woman,

Hannah's face was not very prepossessing, and Mrs. Kennedy

intuitively felt that 'twould be long before her former domestic's

place was made good by the indolent African.

It is true her obeisance was very low, and her greeting kindly enough, but there

was about her an inquisitive, and at the same time, rather

patronizing air which Mrs. Kennedy did not like, and she was glad

when she at last left the parlor, telling them, as she did so, that

"dinner was done ready."

Notwithstanding that the house itself was so large, the dining room

was a small, dark, cheerless apartment, and though she was beginning

to feel the want of food, Mrs. Kennedy could scarcely force down a

mouthful, for the homesick feeling at her heart; a feeling which

whispered to her that the home to which she had come was not like

that which she had left. Dinner being over, she asked permission to

retire to her chamber, saying she needed rest, and should feel

better after she had slept.

Nellie volunteered to lead the way, and as they left the dining room old Hannah, who was notoriously lazy, muttered aloud: "A puny, sickly thing. Great help she'll be to me;

but I shan't stay to wait on more'n forty more."




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