thinkin'
of de sweet bimeby an' waitin' fo' to tell de news to you--fust dat Ike
got drunk an' Marse Frank war gwine hab to scratch de mare--"

"Oh, dear! Oh, dear! Then Frank--why, he'll lose everything!"

"Hol' on, Miss 'Lethe; dat de fust half, only. Secon' half am dat Marse
Cunnel found a jockey an' Queen Bess am gwine ter run."

"Bless his heart!" she cried. "I wonder if it's wrong for me to pray
that that jockey will win." She looked, almost embarrassed at the aged
negro for a moment, and then, mustering up courage, said: "Neb, look
here. I'm ashamed to acknowledge so much interest in a horse-race, but
it seems as if I can't wait to hear of the result."

"Lawsy, I don't blame you, none; feel dat way mahse'f."

"I must know the result the instant the race is decided."

"Send yo' wuhd right off, Miss 'Lethe."

"Oh, I can't wait for that. Neb, I never did such a thing before and
never will again, and, even now, I won't enter a race-track; but, Neb,
isn't there some place outside the fence where I could watch the race
without actually going in?"

Neb doubled up in silent laughter. The old negro was enjoying life,
exceedingly, on this, the day, which, for a time, had seemed so full of
gloom. The white folks were quite at his mercy. "You bet dar is," said
he, "a knot-hole not fur f'm de gran'-stan', an' a tree what you could
climb, right handy."

Miss Alathea was not favorable to the thought of climbing trees, and
said so. "No, no; the knot-hole will be far better for me."

"But, Miss 'Lethe, why, de Cunnel--"

She did not let him make his explanation. "Sh! Sh!" she hissed. "Not a
word of this to him, or anyone! Will you show me, when the time comes?"

"Oh, I'll show you," Neb replied, and before he had a chance to add a
word she had hurried off into the crowd.

"I war gwine to tell her dat de Cunnel'd be dar, too, but she wouldn't
wait to heah. Wal, I reckon she'll jes' fin' 'im when she git dar."

Down the street his piccaninny band came straggling, looking for him.

"Hol' on, chillun; hol' on," he cried, and joined them. "Now yo' lissen.
Yo' is not to make a squawk until the end of de Ashlan' Oaks. Yo's to
sabe yo' bref to honuh ouah Queen Bess. If she wins, yo' staht in
playin' 'Dixie' as yo' nevuh played afo'. If she loses yo's to play,
real slow an' mo'nful, 'Massa's in de Col', Col', Groun'.'"

In the meantime the Colonel, in a quiet spot, had joined the jockey who
had been discovered to take t