It seemed fated that Mrs. Winslow should leave Rochester, if her remaining depended upon these mysterious offerings ceasing, for while they were yet in conversation upon the subject, a colored porter called with a great basket-load of provisions, and without a word, after spreading a newspaper upon the carpet, began unloading his store.
"In heaven's name, who sent you here with those?" she entreated of the colored gentleman.
"It's all right; it's all right," he said soothingly, and winking hard at my operatives.
"But it isn't all right; it's all wrong!" she retorted, warming.
"Guess not, missus; lemme see: Quart split peas, quart beans, one punking, jug m'lasses, 'n a mackerel. Done got 'em all, sure!"
"Where did they come from, you black imp?" the woman demanded, advancing threateningly.
He grabbed his basket quickly, and, slowly retreating towards the door, winked again very knowingly at Bristol and Fox, tapped his forehead and shook his head deploringly, and then nodded towards Mrs. Winslow, very plainly saying in pantomime, "Poor thing!—badly demented!" and, as Mrs. Winslow, in the excess of her anger, made a dive at him, he sprang back through the door, ejaculating, "Lo'd, ain't she crazy, though!" and made good his escape, laughing with that expression of complete enjoyment which only an Ethiopian can give.
Mrs. Winslow was now thoroughly convinced that the two men who had been her constant companions of late had had something to do with annoying her, and she cunningly followed the negro to the store where he was employed, where she at once sharply questioned the proprietor, who told her just as sharply that only a few minutes before, a ministerial-looking man, claiming to be city missionary for some church up-town, called and purchased the goods, remarking that they were for some crazy woman living in the block next to Meech's opera-house, whom he had just visited, and found to be possessed of the peculiar mania that she would receive no provisions save in full dress in the presence of her physicians, and that it was his desire to so humor her. So he had entrusted the errand to the colored man, who had carried out the instructions given him; and that that was all there was about it.