“Oh, Tom! I am so glad to see you!”
“So am I you, Miss Cafferine—moughty g’ad an’ moughty p’oud! But I doane lib yere now. No mo’ do mammy. She take in washin’, an’ I fetch an’ ca’y out clo’es.”
“How is it, then, that you are here this morning, Tom?” gently inquired Miss Fronde.
“Yo’ see, mist’ess, dey aine no clo’es to ca’y out no mo’. Mammy say as how she aine got no mo’ call to do no mo’ washin’, ’ca’se she’s gwine down to de ole Sarpin’ to serve ’long ob yo’, mammy say. So I ax mammy, mought I come ober yere to wait on yo’ table dis mornin’, an’ mammy say, ‘Yes, it is yo’ duty,’ mammy say. An’ den I yun ober yere an’ ax Mr. ’Pollyon Syphax mought I wait on yo’ table, an’ den I would help him wiv de udders for nuffin, ’ca’se I did wan’ to wait on my own mist’ess and Miss Cafferine. An’ Mr. ’Pollyon Syphax he say I mought, Mr. ’Pollyon did. An’ so yere I is,” said Tom, with a broad grin of satisfaction.
“Thank you, Tom. It was very kind and thoughtful of you to come,” said Miss Fronde, and her words filled the boy’s heart to overflowing with delight.
And he served with zeal and dispatch.
After breakfast Roma took Owlet up to her room, and said:
“Now, my dear, the very first thing we have to do this morning is to go down to Pennsylvania Avenue and get you an outfit.”
Owlet looked down at her common pink calico frock and white apron critically, and said:
“Yes. This was pretty. I liked it very much when Mrs. Annie first gave it to me, but now it is all rumpled up, isn’t it?”