The Judge and the boy were just arriving gayly home from a most enjoyable drive. They had been driving, not in the direction of Cloverdale, but away down the frozen river as it silently wound toward the sea.
Dallas had sprung out of the sleigh, and was standing respectfully aside waiting for the Judge to alight, when the big hall door flew open and little Bethany appeared, being held back, however, by the protesting Jennie.
Her face was absolutely beatific, and she called out clearly, “O, Daddy Grandpa, I’ve got the joyfullest surprise for you!”
The Judge, with an affectionate glance at her, began to ascend the steps in his usual dignified way.
“Now I have something to thank Satan for,” continued Bethany, dancing in Jennie’s resolute grasp. “Now I could almost love the naughty creature.”
The Judge had reached her now, and she broke away from Jennie and clung to him. “I missed my drives most dreadfully. Jennie took me for a walk the day before yesterday, Jennie took me for a walk yesterday, Jennie took me for a walk to-day, and what do you think I found?”
“Come inside, child, come inside; you will take cold,” said the Judge, and he motioned to Jennie to close the big front door.
“There they are—what I found,” screamed Bethany. “O, I am a thankful little girl to Satan for tempting me that day, ’cause if he hadn’t tempted me I’d not have walked with Jennie, and if I hadn’t walked with Jennie I’d never have found my sweet colored boy and my precious, precious Bylow.”
The Judge groaned inwardly. Sure enough, in the middle of the hall stood the grinning colored boy and the ugly yellow spotted dog.
The Judge preserved a calm exterior, though the colored boy called warningly, “Keep back, sah—you’s got on a good coat, and he do hate fine cloes. I’ll hang on to him,” and with might and main he pulled back on the dirty brown strap about the dog’s neck.