The proprietor, secretly astonished by the old man's manner, nodded
assuringly. "Why, yes, you could easily; it's nothing much; but the
Colonel--"

"Colonel doan have foh to know," exclaimed Uncle Noah. "I comes yere
mornin's foh he's up--an I 'clare to goodness, sah, I needs de money
mos' powahful."

The proprietor was easy-going and too phlegmatic to harbor curiosity.
So the bargain was straightway sealed under a pledge of deepest secrecy.

Somewhat confused by the unusual series of events, Uncle Noah, his eyes
shining with a strange excitement, started for the door, quite
forgetting the countless packages on the counter.

The proprietor recalled him with a hearty laugh. "Uncle Noah," he
called, "you've forgotten one or two little bundles here."

With a smothered gasp the old negro hurried back. But try as they
would, room for all the numerous bundles could not be found. The
proprietor energetically tucked bundles into all of Uncle Noah's
pockets, piled them tower fashion upon his arms, and even hung a
collection bound together with a string over his shoulder, while Uncle
Noah wheezed and groaned and struggled to find new and unsuspected
storage space in his clothes, but still there remained bundles and
bundles at which Uncle Noah gazed over his spectacles in growing
discomfiture.

"Whut am I a-goin' to do?" he demanded. "I nevah can come all de way