“Not yet, Aunt Em’ly,” faltered her master miserably. “A little later, perhaps, but now—”
“I know! You done had a po’ dinner an’ come home fer some ’spectable victuals. It ain’t gonter take me long.”
“Not at all, Aunt Em’ly, we had an excellent dinner, but now—” 226
“Call Miss Ann Peyton,” blustered Big Josh. “Tell her her cousins all want to see her,” and then he swelled his chest with pride. He for one wasn’t going to back out.
“Miss Ann done gone,” grinned Aunt Em’ly.
“Gone where?” they asked in chorus.
“Gawd knows! She an’ ol’ Billy an’ the hosses done took theyselves off this mawnin’ jes’ ’bout five minutes after my white folks lef.”
“Didn’t she say where she was going?” asked Mr. Bucknor.
“She never said ‘peep turkey!’ ter man or beast. She lef’ a dime fer me an’ one fer Kizzie an’ she went a sailin’ out, an’ although I done my bes’ ter git that ol’ Billy ter talk he ain’t done give me no satisfaction, but jes’ a little back talk, an’ then he fotch hisself off, walkin’ low an’ settin’ high an’ I ain’t seed hide or har of them since. Miss Ann done lef’ a note fer you an’ Miss Milly, though.”
The note proved to be nothing more than Miss Ann’s usual formal farewell and did not mention her proposed destination.