My Young Master. Opie Percival Read

that I thought must be impossible. Listen to me. You came here a beggar, with a doctor's sheep-skin under your arm; you are of a good family—that I will not deny. But I say you came a beggar, and you won my child—how, God only knows. You told me that you would practice medicine on the plantation after you were married, but did you?"

      "Why, yes, sir; I have attended many a case. You know one very well."

      "Oh, you have? Did you get out of bed when they sent for you one night to see old Aunt Mag? Didn't you complain that you were too sick to get up? And that very night, sir, didn't you slip away and play poker over the creek?"

      "Somebody has lied about me," the doctor declared.

      "I admit, sir, that lying has been done, but you did it."

      "General, I insist that you must not talk to me this way. I'm no dog."

      "If you were, sir, I would be more considerate of you."

      "Keep on and you'll say something that you may regret."

      Just at that moment Old Master had turned to walk down the path, but he wheeled about. "What's that? Say something that I may regret? I don't know about that, sir, but I may say something that you'll regret. I may tell you to get off this place, and I won't regret it, but you will."

      "That would be a scandal, General."

      "Yes, a disgrace—to you." The old man walked down the path, tall and gaunt in the moon-light. He turned, and coming back, stepping slowly, he said: "But it is our duty to avoid anything in the nature of a rupture. So now, I'll tell you what I'll agree to do. I will give you Sam and money enough to go South, and when the time comes to divide the estate, you shall have your share. Now, I ask you if that is not fair?"

      "Yes, General, it is perfectly fair, but—"

      "But what, sir?" Master snapped impatiently.

      "But I don't want Sam. I want Dan—want to make a race rider of him."

      "What good will a race rider do you? You've got no horses."

      "I can get the horses."

      "But you can't get Dan, sir, so let the matter rest. Bates, I don't want to get mad, and I should think, sir, that in the light of our recent affliction—"

      "I understand, General, and we'll let the subject drop, but if Bob should agree—"

      "Stop, there, sir. Bob is not old enough to entertain a business proposition." For a time the old man walked up and down, with his hands behind him and then turned upon the doctor. "I believe, sir, that you are an evil-minded man. For a long time I thought that your laziness was an indication of good nature—the lazy dog is rarely vicious—but now I am of the opinion that you have an active quality, that of rascality, sir."

      "General," said the doctor, "I can't stand everything. You forget, sir, that I am a gentleman."

      "Oh, do I forget it?" the old man spoke up. "There is a difference between forgetting a thing and never having known it. Bates, I have endeavored to like you, I have striven to crush what I hoped was merely a prejudice, but I can't. I don't think that we have ever held an agreeable conversation. There is something about you that antagonizes me. When you are away I am determined to like you, but when you come back, I find that my resolve is weak. I don't want to drive you off—I would stand most anything rather than face a neighborhood scandal, but don't you think that it would be a good idea for you to go away and stay away for a long time? I say, don't you?"

      "You can drive me off, sir."

      "Ah, the very thing you want me to do—you want to put my name into the mouths of the gossipers."

      "General, you have called me a scoundrel and now you are trying to prove it. I can stand a great deal, but I can't put up with everything—even from you. I have told you that I am a gentleman, and while a gentleman respects age, he cannot permit age to humiliate him. I know that you've got nerve enough to shoot a man who rides into your room—"

      "Another word of that, Bates, and I will knock you down."

      "You have gone too far," Bates replied in a tone that made me shiver. The moon shone upon his half upturned face and I fancied that I saw the glitter of his evil eyes. Master, who was now standing some distance from him said something which I did not catch and Bates, with his hand upraised, made a stride toward him. At my elbow, on a stand near the window, was a heavy glass tumbler. Indeed, I had long held it in my hand, and when Bates strode forward, I threw the tumbler with all my might. I heard it strike, and leaning out, I saw the doctor lying on the ground. I heard Old Master shout for a light, and now thoroughly frightened. I ran to my lounge and lay there with the cover drawn over my head.

CHAPTER V.

       Table of Contents

      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."

      "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 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