But it was from Dulcie that Roxy first heard the news. Dulcie peering over the wall had seen the young man as he ran toward the horses, mounted and galloped out of sight, and when the gray-clad Confederate soldiers dashed past her she had chuckled with delight.
“Dey won’ be a-ridin’ off so gran’ as dey are spectin’ to,” she said. “Wot dey mean anyway a-prospectin’ roun’ in Marylan’? Dis state ain’ fer upsettin’ de United States Gubbermint. ’Deed it ain’t,” and Dulcie shook her head disapprovingly over the idea that Southern soldiers should so fearlessly enter a loyal state. Dulcie well knew that the great conflict between North and South meant not only the freedom of the negroes, if the Northern Armies were successful, but a united and undivided nation. Mrs. Miller talked freely with her colored servants, and Dulcie was sure that whatever “Ole Miss” said was true; and she now hurried back to the farmhouse to tell the family what she had seen.
Roxy and her mother were in the big sitting-room, and the little girl was still greatly excited over her encounter with the soldiers; and beside that she was fearful and anxious as to the safety of the Yankee soldier. She had not mentioned him, remembering her promise, and her mother and grandmother did not imagine that Roxy had ever seen the man for whom the two soldiers were searching. That she should be frightened seemed only natural, although Grandma Miller carefully explained that the soldiers would only, had they overtaken her, have questioned her about the runaway.
“I know it,” Roxy whimpered. “I wasn’t afraid of them. The tall one looked like my father.”
“What made you run then?” asked Mrs. Delfield, but before Roxy could answer Dulcie, smiling and bobbing her turbaned head, appeared in the doorway.
“What is it, Dulcie?” Mrs. Miller questioned, wondering if the fleeing Yankee had been overtaken.
“De Yankee-man was hid up, Miss, down clus to de road; an’ when dose sojers come a-racin’ up de slope de Yankee-man put out ob de bushes an’ hists hisse’f on to one hoss, an’ he hoi’s on to de udder one and off he goes!” and Dulcie flourished both hands to show how swiftly the fleeing man had disappeared.
“Oh, goody! Goody!” exclaimed Roxy, jumping up from the sofa where she had been sitting beside her mother, and running toward Dulcie. “Which road did he take? Was he out of sight before the men knew he was gone? Did he get away?” she questioned eagerly.
“For de lan’ sakes!” exclaimed the bewildered Dulcie. “W’ich one ob dose questions you spect me ter reply to, Missy? You kinder be-willers me!”
“Oh, Dulcie!” and Roxy jumped up and down in front of the old negress. “Tell me if he got away.”