Valiant leaned forward, for Uncle Jefferson had paused. "Did the child get well?" he asked eagerly.
The old man clucked to the leisurely mule. "Yas, _suh_!" he said. "He done git well. He 'bout de on'riest young'un roun' heah now!
"Reck'n yo'-all come f'om New York?" inquired Uncle Jefferson, after a little silence. "So! Dey say dat's er pow'ful big place. But Ah reck'n ol' Richmon's big ernuf fo' me." He clucked to the leisurely mule and added, "_Ah_ bin ter Richmon' onct. Yas, _suh_! Ah nevah see sech houses--mos' all bigger'n de county co'ot-house."
John Valiant expressed a somewhat absent interest. He was looking thoughtfully at the blossom in his hand, in an absorption through which Uncle Jefferson's reminiscences oozed on:
"Mos' cur'ousest thing wus how e'vybody dar seem ter know e'vybody else. Dey got street-kyahs dar, no hoss en no mule, jes' shoot up de hill en down ergen, lak de debble skinnin' tan-bahk. Well, suh, Ah got on er kyah en gib de man whut stan' on de flatfawm er nickel, en Ah set dar lookin' outen de win'ow, till de man he call out 'Adams,' en er gemman whut wah sittin' ercross f'om me, he git up en git off. De kyah start ergen en de nex co'nah dat ar man on de flatfawm he yell out 'Monroe.' En Mistah Monroe, he was sittin' up at de end, en he jump up en git off. Den de kyah took anuddah staht, en bress mah soul, dat ar man on de flatfawm he hollah 'Jeffe'son!' Ah clah' ter goodness, suh, Ah nebbah skeered so bad en mah life. How dat man know me, suh? Well, suh, Ah jump up lak Ah be'n shot, en Ah says, 'Fo' de _Lawd_, boss, Ah wa'n't gwineter git off at dis co'nah, but ef yo' _says_ so, Ah reck'n Ah _got_ ter!' So Ah git off en Ah walk erbout fo' miles back ter de deepo!"
Uncle Jefferson's inward and volcanic amusement shook his passenger from his reverie. "En dat ar wa'n't de wust. When Ah got ter de deepo, Ah didn' have mah pocketbook. Er burglar had 'scaped off wid it en lef me es nickelless ez er convic'."
When Shirley came across the lawn at Rosewood, Major Montague Bristow sat under the arbor talking to her mother.
The major was massive-framed, with a strong jaw and a rubicund complexion--the sort that might be supposed to have attained the utmost benefit to be conferred by a consistent indulgence in mint-juleps. His blue eyes were piercing and arched with brows like sable rainbows, at variance with his heavy iron-gray hair and imperial. His head was leonine and he looked like a king who has humbled his enemy. It may be added that his linen was fine and immaculate, his black string-tie precisely tied and a pair of gold-rimmed eye-glasses swung by a flat black cord against his white waistcoat. There was a touch of the military in the squareness of shoulder and the lift of the rugged head, no less than in the gallant little bow with which he rose to greet the girl coming toward them.