early at morning old master came into our room. i was awake but bob was still asleep. "dan," he said, "i want to ask you something and i want you to tell me the truth, and if you don't, i'll whip you within an inch of your life, sir." he always said sir when he strove to be emphatic. "were you at the window last night when the doctor and i were standing down in the yard? it was you or bob, i don't know which and as you are a night-hawk, sir, i believe it was you."
"yes, sir," i answered promptly. and then i tremblingly asked: "is he dead?"
the old man turned from me and strode up and down the room. he went to the window, looked out, and with his hands behind him, came walking slowly toward me. "dan," he said, "i told you to be a good boy and that you would one day—you remember what i said. but now i must ask you to tell a lie. you must say that you were trying to put down the window and knocked the tumbler off. do you hear me?"
"yes, sir."
[pg 35]
"all right. after breakfast i will send for you and bob to come into the library."
he went out and i thought that he tip-toed as he went down the stairs. at breakfast i stood behind my young master's chair, until the meal was over, and then i went to the kitchen to eat with the house-maids. presently i was told by a spinning woman that old master wanted to see me in the library. "an' he's ez mad ez a ho'net," she said. "mars. george wuz badly hurt las' night an' da gwine fin' out who done it, too, i tell you."
old aunt mag stood in the door. "but whut da want ter sen' fur dis po', muderless chile fur?" she spoke up. "da's questioned all de rest o' de niggers, an' now da gwine put him on de hot griddle. dat ain't no way ter act, snatchin' up er little boy an' cuzin' him o' knockin' er big man down. but run er long, dan, an stan' square up. ricolleck dat you ain't no common nigger—ricolleck dat you doan b'long ter de smifs ur de bucks nur de brizzentines. you'ze er gradley an' b'longs ter folks, i tell you."
in the library were assembled old master, old miss, young miss may, bob and 'squire boyle, who happened in about breakfast time. i looked about as i entered the room, and i saw the doctor, lying on a[pg 36] sofa, with his head tied up. old master's' head began to shake with anger as soon as he saw me coming in. "dan," he said, "last night your mars. george and i were standing in the yard under the window of your mars. bob's room, and this tumbler, sir—" here he reached back and took a tumbler from a desk—"this tumbler, sir, struck him on the head and cut him badly. your mars. bob doesn't know anything about it. do you? come, no lying, or i'll whip you within an inch of your life."
"he ought to be skinned alive," old miss declared, giving her head an emphatic nod.
"just wait and i'll take care of him," said old master. "what do you know about it?" he repeated, looking at me savagely.
"i went to put down the window, sir, and knocked it off," i stammered.
"do you hear that?" old miss exclaimed.
"yes, i hear it," said old master, quivering with rage. "you went to put down the window? and why did you want to put down the window, sir?"
"i thought it was going to rain."
"hump!" old miss grunted, "the yellow imp has turned out to be a weather prophet."
"madam," said old master, "let me manage him, if[pg 37] you please. you thought it was going to rain?" he went on, turning to me. "and what made you think so?"
"i thought i heard it thunder."
"oh, you did? well, you shall hear it thunder. madam, give me your cow-hide."
i don't know that i ever saw my old mistress spring up with such agility. she snatched the cow-hide out of some mysterious hiding place, handed it to him and said: "and, for pity's sake, see that you give him enough of it."
"you shan't whip him!" bob cried. "if you whip him you've got to whip me, too."
"robert!" old miss shouted, "i'll give it to you in good earnest if you don't keep quiet. your father knows what he's about. sit down there."
bob was forced back into his seat and miss may, beautiful and tender creature, began to beg for me.
"hush, everybody!" old master thundered. "has it come to a pass when i am not permitted to manage my own affairs? come with me, dan."
he took me by the collar and led me into the store-room. "take off that coat!" he shouted, and as i was obeying him he said in a low and kindly tone. "now you must yell as if i were cutting you in two," and[pg 38] with that he fell afoul of a sack of coffee and with the cow-hide laid the lash on furiously. i yelled at the top of my lusty voice, and during the intervals when my ears were not submerged by the torrent of my own outcry, i heard the revengeful step of old miss, up and down the passage-way.
"now go!" old master roared, "and the next time you hear it thunder, let tumblers alone."
i came out buttoning up my jacket and old miss gave me a smile of welcome. but bob and miss may stood in the library door, crying; and to this day it is a dear memory that miss may ran to the dining-room and brought me a sugared biscuit. old master and 'squire boyle strode out into the yard, and i saw old master lean upon the gate and laugh.
during all that day i was the object of a pitying regard. "po' little feller," was heard about the cabin door-ways and upon the sward, and there was many a sullen muttering and the shaking of nappy heads. bob was furious, having come out of his tears into the territory of bold and resentful anger, and he blamed his mother with my unjust punishment, persisting until the old lady caught him ungently, slipped a soft shoe from her foot, and paddled him until the maudlin calves in a distant enclosure heeded his cries with[pg 39] bleatings of sympathy. and when he found himself free of his mother's avenging clutch, he ran to me and blubbering, said: "come on, dan. we'll go down to the creek and drown ourselves." this suggestion was in harmony with my sorrowful view, for now i felt worse than if master had cut the blood out of me, and together we set out for the swimming-hole at the edge of the walnut grove. at times we halted to bid farewell to objects that were clear to us, the great oak from which the big gate swung, the smooth rock where we had so often sat at twilight. the horses nodded a farewell and the cows lowed at us.
"it ain't our fault," said bob, "and when they take us out of the creek dead, i want them to know it. but i don't think they'll cry very much. how can they, when they have tried to kill us?"
"it won't make any difference to us whether they cry or not," i replied. "we won't know anything about it."
we came to the swimming-hole and the water was blue and deep. upon the grass under a tree we sat and gazed in silence into the pool. "we'll take off our clothes," said bob, "and then when they find us they'll think that we were drowned accidentally and that will make 'em cry."
[pg 40]
the song of a plow-man came floating through the soft air; a blue-jay above us shrieked in a fit of merriment; a cat-bird laughed at us and we looked at each other.
"mars. bob," said i, "he didn't hurt me much."
"but i thought he was killing you by the way you hollered."
"yes, but he told me to. i'll tell you something if you'll cross your heart that you'll never tell anybody."
he crossed his heart and i told him, and he lay back and laughed. "but you were whipped in earnest," i said.
"yes, but it didn't hurt. ho, think that old shoe could hurt me! let's go in swimming?"
we snatched off our clothes and into the water we plunged, but a damper was put upon my enjoyment, for looking up i saw the doctor standing near the bank. a bandage was over one eye, and with the other one he gave me a hard and evil look.
"you boys get out of there," he commanded. bob rebelled against his order, but i obeyed, and as i was putting on my clothes he came up, cut at my bare legs with a switch, doing so, i suppose, to leave no doubt as to his presence. "hurry up," he said. "go and catch my horse; i want to go to town."
[pg 41]
bob came out. "he don't have to catch your horse, brother george. make sam catch your horse. dan belongs to me."
"i have heard enough of that and i don't want to hear any more," the doctor replied. "go catch my horse," he added, turning to me.
"i will if mars. bob says so," i replied.
"you'll do it if i say so."
"no, i won't."
he rushed at me with his switch, but i dodged, leaped into the water and swam to the opposite shore. bob clapped his hands in glee, and the doctor shook his switch at me. "i've had my eye on you for some time, you impudent scoundrel," he shouted, "and the first thing you know, i'll skin you alive. you can keep out of my way for a while, but not always. see this?" he cried, tapping his bandaged head. "i know—and i'll make you pay for it."
