ring the noise from the
parlor, looked in. As her eye fell upon the strange-looking, giant form of
Mr. Middleton, she uttered a very delicate scream, and as she just then
saw Dr. Lacey entering the house, she staggered back a few paces, and
tried to faint very gracefully. But the doctor caught her in his arms just
in time to restore her to consciousness!

Mr. Middleton now came toward them, exclaiming, "Lightning guns! What's to
pay now? Skeered at me, are you, madam or miss, whichever you be? I won't
hurt a har of your soft skull!"

"Ugh-u-u!" said Mrs. Carrington, shrinking from him in disgust, as he
advanced toward her, and laid his large hand on her head, "just to see,"
as he said, "if she were made of anything besides jewelry, curls and
paint."

At this allusion to her brilliant color, Mrs. Carrington relieved Dr.
Lacey from the delightful duty of supporting her, and disappeared up the
stairs, saying in no very gentle tones, "What an old brute!"

"Fire away thar," called our Mr. Middleton. "I am an old brute, I
suppose."

"But your right name is Mr. Middleton, I conclude," said Dr. Lacey.

Mr. Middleton started and answered, "How d'ye know that? Just as you'd
know his satanic majesty, if he should appear to you?"

"Something upon that principle," said Dr. Lacey, laughing, "but," he
continued, "I am glad to see you, Mr. Middleton. I suppose you have come
to visit your daughters."

"Yes, and to take them home and let their mother and the rest of the
blacks see them," answered Mr. Middleton; then after a pause he added,
"They'll be right glad to see me, I reckon, or at least Sunshine will."

"Who is Sunshine?" asked Dr. Lacey.

"Well, now," said Mr. Middleton, "here you've lived with 'em four weeks
and don't know that I call one Tempest and t'other Sunshine, and if you've
any wit, you'll know which is Sunshine."

Just then a voice was heard to exclaim, "There, I told you father was
here. I hear him now talking about Sunshine," and Fanny rushed in, and
throwing her arms around her father's neck, kissed again and again his
rough cheek, while he suddenly felt the need of his red and yellow cotton
handkerchief, and muttered something about the "roads" being so infernal
dusty that they made a fellow's eyes smart!

Then turning to Julia, who still stood in the door, he said, "Come,
Tempest, none of your pranks! Come here and shake your old pap's paw. You
needn't be afeared of this young spark, for he knows I'm