by the time the door was finally opened, Lloyd was finishing her story.

The Colonel looked in just in time to see her put her hands to her
temples, with her forefingers protruding from her forehead like horns.
She said in a deep voice, as she brandished them at May Lilly, "With my
two long speahs I'll poke yo' eyeballs through yo' yeahs." The little
darky fell back giggling. "That sut'n'y was like a billy-goat. We had
one once that 'ud make a body step around mighty peart. It slip up
behine me one mawnin' on the poach, an' fo' awhile I thought my haid was
buss open suah. I got up toreckly, though, an' I cotch him, and when I
done got through, Mistah Billy-goat feel po'ly moah'n a week. He sut'n'y
did."

Walker grinned, for he had witnessed the scene.

Just then Maria put her head in at the door to say, "May Lilly, yo'
mammy's callin' you."

Lloyd and Fritz followed her noisily down-stairs. Then for nearly an
hour it was very quiet in the great house.

The Colonel, looking out of the window, could see Lloyd playing
hide-and-seek with Fritz under the bare locust-trees. When she came in
her cheeks were glowing from her run in the frosty air. Her eyes shone
like stars, and her face was radiant.

"See what I've found down in the dead leaves," she cried. "A little blue
violet, bloomin' all by itself."

She brought a tiny cup from the next room, that belonged to the set of