"Hoh! Are your teeth yours? Why do you ask?"

He handed me a newspaper clipping:


Two Hundred Dollars Reward. Ran away from my plantation in ---- county
of this State, on the ------ day of ------ the following named and
described slaves; father, mother, daughter, and son: . . . A reward of
fifty dollars will be paid to any person for the capture and
imprisonment in any jail, of each or either of the above named. Etc.


With a laugh I returned the thing and went on dressing. "It doesn't,"
I said aloud to my busy image in the mirror, "describe my client's
darkies at all." I faced round: "Why, gentlemen, if this isn't the
most astonishing----"

"Ho-old on. Ho-old on! Finish your dressing. We're told it does
describe two of them and we thought we'd just come and see for
ourselves."

"And you followed the unprotected lady?"

"We followed four runaway niggers, sir! Else why did they take to the
woods inside of a mile from that house where you left the coach? Oh,
you're dressed; come along; time's flying!"

Determined to waste all the time I could, "Wait," I said, strapping on
my pistol. "Now, gentlemen, we'll follow this matter to the end,