le."

"Yass'm," said Aunt Lucy, after a judicial look. "Them blame l'il goats.
Thass um. I wish't they all wuzn't so mighty peart an' knowin' all ther
time, so'st Majah Buford he c'd git one o' them now an' then fer to eat.
Antelope tennerline is shoh'ly mighty fine, briled. Now, ef we jess had
a few sweet 'taters. But, law! whut am I sayin'?"

"Yes," said Mary Ellen practically. "We haven't the antelope yet."

"I 'member mighty well how Cap'n Franklin sent us down er quarter o'
an'lope," said Aunt Lucy. "Mighty fine meat, hit wuz. An' to think, me
a brilin' a piece o' hit fer a low-down white trash cow-driver whut come
yer to eat! Him a-sayin' he'd ruther hev chicken, cause he wuz raised on
an'lope! Whut kin' o' talk wuz thet? He talk like an'lope mighty
common. Takes Cap'n Franklin toe git ole Mr. An'lope, though.

"Er--Miss Ma'y Ellen," began Aunt Lucy presently, and apparently with a
certain reservation.

"Yes?"

Aunt Lucy came over and sat down upon a sod heap, resting her chin upon
her hand and looking fixedly at the girl, who still stood leaning against
the post.

"Er--Miss Ma'y Ellen--" she began again.

"Yes. What is it, Lucy?"

"Does you know--?"

"Do I know what?"

"Does you know who's jess erbout ther fines' and likelies' man whut lives
in all these yer pahts erroun' yer?"

Mary Ellen stopped tossing bits of bread to the chickens. "No, Aunt
Lucy," she said. "I hadn't thought about that."

"Yes, you has!" cried Aunt Lucy, rising and shaking a bodeful forefinger.
"Yes you _has_, an' yes you _does_! An' you don' 'preshuate him, thass
whut. Him a wushshippin' you!"

Mary Ellen began tossing bread again. "How do you know that?" she asked.

"How does I know?--law me, jes listen to thet chile! How does I know?
Ain' he done tole me, an' yo' an' Lizzie, an' Majah Buford--an' _you_?
Ain' he done tole you a dozen times? Don' everybody know hit? Him ez
fine er man you goin' toe see right soon, I tell you. Tall ez yo' fatheh
wuz, an' strong ez er li'ne. He kin git ole Mr. An'lope. He kin ride
ary beastis in this yer onery country. An' him a-wukkin' for ther
railroad, an' a lawyeh, an' all that. He's shoh' boun' toe be rich, one
o' these yer days. An' he's a gemman, too, mo'oveh; he's a gemman!
Reckon I knows quality! Yas, sir, Cap'n Franklin, she shoh'ly am the
bestes' man fer a real lady to choosen--bestes' in all this yer lan'.
Uh-huh!"

"I never thought of him--not in th