"Knowed dat afore, suh," Neb replied.
Holton was nettled by his nonchalance. "Open that door!" he ordered.
"Not widout Marse Holton's ohduhs, suh," Neb answered calmly.
"What do you mean?" demanded Holton, angrily.
"Jus' what I say, suh."
Holton made a slightly threatening movement toward him, but Neb did not even wink.
"Don't git riled, suh—bad fo' de livuh, suh."
Holton, now, was very angry. "Look here," he said, advancing on the aged negro angrily. "Do you dare insult a friend and neighbor of Mr. Layson?"
Neb slowly rose and answered with some dignity: "I dares obey Marse Frank's plain ohduhs, suh. Dat mare represents full twenty-fi' thousan' dolluhs to him" (Neb rolled the handsome figures lovingly upon his tongue), "an' dere's thousan's more'll be bet on huh to-morruh." He looked at Holton with but thinly veiled contempt. "Plenty men 'u'd risk deir wuthless lives to drug huh."
"Oh, shucks!" said Holton, trying to control his temper because of his great eagerness to get in to the mare. "She would be safe with me; you know it."