“I come ’long er’ ol’ Belzybug an’ de cyart.”
“And Beelzebub has made two trips to-day,” added Virginia. “He must be tired. Put him in the barn, Uncle Vete, and we’ll get a street hack as we go down past Summer Avenue.”
“An’ have ol’ Marse askin’ quisti’ns ’bout dat mule in de mawnin’? No, ma’am. No, li’l lady. I got a frien’, down de road hyer a piece, what keep a wagon yawd. I gwine leave dat mule dah, Miss Ginnie.”
The streets were quite deserted; it was near twelve o’clock. Virginia was glad that she met no one, though the little old black man bobbing after her was as efficient an escort and protector as she could have had. The street hack of the small Southern city is most commonly a vehicle of the family carriage style; probably many of them have descended from the estate of domestic privacy. One found, its sleeping driver wakened, his gaunt horse prodded into action, Virginia leaned forward, and began to ask Uncle Vete further questions in a carefully lowered tone, as he sat beside the driver.
“Is he worse than before?”
“’Bout de same, honey, des ’bout de same. I is saw ’um mo’ ’rageous; an’ ergin, I is saw ’um less ’rageous. ’Bout so an’ so, honey. Des ’bout so an’ so, Miss Ginnie, chile.”
“You say there’s some one with him; are they inside the house?”
Uncle Vete grinned, and twisted in his seat. “Yas, honey,” he admitted, finally. “Dey bofe inside de house, an’ de fambly, dey on de outside. Dat whut mek me come fer you dis time er night.”
“Do you mean that they turned you out?”
“Yas, honey. I foun’ Cindy an’ de chillen all turn’t out an’ blockaded, an’ young Marse a shootin’ th’oo de do’ ef anybody speak ter ’im.”