Colonel pursued him. Giving up the chase the Colonel stalked home. His
wife observed his anger as he entered.

"Wife, I've never in my life sustained a worse shock than today. To
think of it after all these days of waitin', after I have been in the
liberty business all these days, the first human being to come to
me"--and the Colonel choked with rage--"the first human being to come to
me to hire that old family carriage, was a dam nigger."

Then the Colonel in more moderate language described the scene between
himself and Sam. The good wife listened to the Colonel until he
concluded. Then in a conciliatory tone, she said: "Well, Colonel, it
does seem as though fate is cruel to you. I do hope you will bear up
bravely. I think it just awful that the first customer should have been
a nigger. I do hope we will have others soon."

Then after a pause, she resumed, "Insofar as I am concerned I would
willingly die before I'd ask you, a Charlotte, to sacrifice your pride
further. But when I think of our children I don't know what to say.
Colonel," and she trembled as she spoke, "do you--do--you think--Sam had
money to pay for the hire of the carriage?"

"I done heard the money jingle in his pocket when he run."

"Well, Colonel, I wouldn't even suggest that--that--you carry those
niggers to the ball, but if--if we only had the money--it would do us so
much good. Those children--."

The Colonel waited to hear no more. Out into the chilly autumn evening,
more briskly than he had moved in weeks, stalked the Colonel. Reaching
the Liberty Stable, he ordered one of the boys to locate Sam. "Make
haste," was his parting order.

The boy soon returned escorting Sam who seemed somewhat afraid to get
too near the livery stable proprietor. The Colonel assured Sam that he
desired to talk with him. Leading the way he walked until well out of
hearing of his stable boy.

He began inquiringly, "So there's a big ball at Townsley's tonight. It's
the fust I've heard of it, an' you an' your company wants to go. Well
Sam, you work hard fur your money an' you ought not to spend it too
freely because winter's coming on and these reconstruction laws the
Yankees have put on us will make it hard on all of us."

"About how much do you reckon it will cost you all to go to the ball in
a first class livery turn out?"

"I dunno sah," meekly answered Sam.

"How much you got?" was the Colonel's next question.

"Five dollars," and Sam jingled the coi