Unmindful of breast-pin and ear-rings, Dinah became again alarmed, and, bidding Joe see that Victoria Eugenia was safe, she gathered up the forks and spoons, and rolling them in a towel, tucked them inside her straw tick, saying: “I reckon it’ll make him sweat some to hist me and Phil on to the floor;” which was quite probable, considering that the united weight of the worthy couple was somewhat over three hundred!
The morning dawned at last, and, with her fears abated, Dinah washed the silver, made the coffee, broiled the steak and fried the corn meal batter-cakes, which last were at first respectfully declined by Ben, who admitted that they “might be fust-rate, but he didn’t b’lieve they’d set well on his stomach.”
Hetty, who was waiting upon the table, quickly divined the reason, and whispered to him: “Lord bless you, take some; I done sifted the meal!”
This argument was conclusive, and helping himself to the light, steaming cakes, Ben thought, “I may as well eat ’em, for ’taint no wus, nor as bad as them Irish gals does to hum, only I happened to see it!”
Breakfast being over, he offered to settle his bill, which he found was nothing.
“Now, ra-ally, Square,” he said, as Frederic refused to take pay, “I allus hearn that Kentuckians was mighty free-hearted, but I didn’t ’spect you to give me my livin’. I’m much obleeged to you, though, and I shall have more left to eddicate that little sister I was tellin’ you ’bout. I mean to give her tip-top larnin’, and mebby sometime she’ll come here to teach this wee one,” and he laid his hand on Alice’s hair.
The little girl smiled up in his face, and said, “Come again and peddle here, won’t you?”
“Wouldn’t wonder if I turned up amongst you some day,” was his answer; and bidding the family goodbye, he went out into Bruno’s kennel, for until this minute he had forgotten that the dog was to be remembered.
“Keep away from dar,” called out Uncle Phil, while Bruno growled savagely and bounded against the bars as if anxious to pounce upon the intruder.
“I’ve seen enough of him,” thought Ben, and shaking hands with Uncle Phil, he walked rapidly down the avenue and out into the highway.