Billy, also, slowly and stiffly rose, regarded the reader with what seemed like grieved amazement and dismally brayed. There was an old harness upon him, half-leather, half-rope, with a few wisps of corn-husk, and without delay Jim laid his hand on the bit-ring and started away.
“Of course, sir, we will pay for the mule. My folks wouldn’t, I mean couldn’t, accept such a gift from a stranger. Our house-boat is tied up at the little wharf down yonder and we’ll likely be there for awhile. I’ll come back soon and tell what they say.”
Colonel Dillingham made no motion as if he heard and James was too afraid he would repent of the bargain to tarry. But Billy wasn’t easy to lead. He followed peaceably enough as far as the designated bars, even stepped over the fallen rails into the grassy fields beyond. But there he firmly planted his fore-feet and refused to go further.
Left behind and scarcely believing his own eyes, Ephraim now respectfully inquired, with pride at having guessed the man’s title:
“How much dese yeah millyouns wuth, Cunnel?”
The question was ignored although the gentleman seemed listening to something. It was the dispute now waging in the field beyond, where Jim was trying to induce Billy to move and the other lads were offering suggestions in the case. At last something akin to a smile stole over the farmer’s grim features and he roughly ordered:
“Shut up, you nigger! Huh! Just as I thought. I couldn’t sell Billy and Billy won’t be given. Eh? what? Price of melons? You black idiot, do you reckon a gentleman who can afford to give away a mule’s goin’ to take money for a few trumpery water-melons? Go on away. Go to the packin’-house yonder and find a sack. Fill it. Take the whole field full. Eat enough to kill yourself. I wish you would!”
Far from being offended by this outbreak, Ephraim murmured:
“Yes, suh, t’ank yo’, suh,” and hobbled over the uneven ground toward the whitewashed building in the middle of the patch. Some more thrifty predecessor had built this for the storing and packing of produce, but under the present owner’s management it was fast tumbling to ruin. But neither did this fact surprise Ephy, nor hinder him from choosing the largest sack from a pile on the floor. With this in hand he hurried back to the goodly heap of melons he had made ready and hastily loaded them into the sack.