Perkins accepted the offer gladly, and they agreed to watch at his door and in the little hallway.
"You mus' des tie up dat ar dawg ob yourn," first stipulated Jute.
"Why, whar in—is the dog? Hain't yeared a sound from 'im sence the 'sturbance begun."
"Dwags kyant stan' spooks nohow," remarked Jute.
"I've yeared that," admitted Perkins, looking around for the animal.
"Thar he is, un'er yo' baid," said Jute, peeking through the doorway.
The miserable man's hair fairly stood up when the brute was discovered stark and dead without a scratch upon him. Recourse was again had to the jug, and oblivion soon followed.
CHAPTER XXXV
A VISITATION
There was no more sleep at the quarters that night, and never was the dawn more welcome. It only brought a respite, however, for the impression was fixed that the place was haunted. There was a settled aspect of gloom and anxiety on every dusky face in the morning. Mr. Baron found his overseer incapacitated for duty, but the hands were rather anxious to go to work and readily obeyed his orders to do so. They clung to all that was familiar and every-day-like, while their fears and troubled consciences spurred them to tasks which they felt might be a sort of propitiation to the mysterious powers abroad. Zany was now sorry indeed that she had not gone with Chunk, and poor Aun' Jinkey so shook and trembled all day that Mrs. Whately would not let her watch by Miss Lou. Knowing much of negro superstitions she believed, with her brother and Mrs. Baron, that the graves on the place, together with some natural, yet unusual sounds, had started a panic which would soon die out.