howsomever, you know what de good book say' 'bout de Ethiopium."

"Can't change--yes, I know; but this would be only for an hour or two
and in the dark."

"It'd have to be pow'ful dahk," sighed Euonymus, and from Robelia's
sunbonnet came--"Unh!"

Rebecca interposed: "An' still, o' co'se, we all gwine do ezac'ly what
you say."

"Well," I responded, "maybe we won't do that." And we never did. I
was still "Mrs. Southmayd," as we came into a small railway station.
At the ticket-window I asked if any one had come up in the train of
half an hour before, inquiring for a lady in a coach.

"No, ma'am, nobody got off that train. But there's another train at
half past eight."

"Oh," I whined, "he won't come on that; he's overrated my speed and
gone on to the next station, making five miles more going for me!"

"Why, no, you can give three of your servants a pass to go on with the
carriage, keep your maid and wait for the train."

"Ah, no! No lady can choose to travel by rail where she can go in her
own coach!"

They said no more except to warn Luke of a bad piece of road about two
miles on. Sure enough, in its very middle--crack!--we broke down. "De