s called Old Harpeth, when my
Gouverneur Faulkner made me to turn my good Cherry from off the main
road into a little road, of much narrowness and of beautiful brown
dirt the color of the riding trousers that I wore, and stop beside a
very humble, small house, which was covered with a vine in beautiful
bud, and around which many chickens hovered in waiting for a morning
breakfast. Behind the small house was a large barn and as I made a
nice turn and stop beside the white gate a man in a blue garment that
I now know is called overalls, came to the door of the barn.

"Hello, Bud. Are Lightfoot and Steady in good condition for a trip
across to Turkey-Gulch?" called my Gouverneur Faulkner as he alighted
from the car.

"Fit as fiddles, Governor Bill," answered the man as he came to the
gate to shake hands with the Gouverneur Faulkner. "'Light and come in
to breakfast. Granny has got a couple of chickens already in the
skillet. And say, I want you to see what Mandy have got in the bed
with her. Ten pounds, Gov."

"Congratulations, Bud; that is some--boy?" said my Gouverneur Faulkner
with a question as he again grasped the hand of the large man.

"Naw, Gov; we didn't have no luck this first shot but I tells Mandy
that we've got about a dozen more chanstes if she does as well by me
as she oughter. Anyway what's the matter with a gal child?" And the
nice young father of the poor little female made a bristle of his
disposition in defense of his daughter.

"Not a thing on earth, Bud; except that the whole sex are the unknown
quantity. This is my secretary, Robert Carruthers, the General's
nephew. Come in, Robert, and you'll have one square meal in your life
if you never get another. Get me the usual food wallet together, Bud,
please, and let me have it and the horses the very moment I've
swallowed the last bite of my drum bone, will you? We've got to ride
fast and far to-day and I want nobody on my trail. Understand?"

"Yep, Gov," was the answer that good Bud man made as my Gouverneur
Faulkner and I took our way through many chickens into the low little
house.

"God bless my soul, if here ain't the Governor come for a bite with
Granny Bell this fine morning!" exclaimed a very nice old lady from
above a stove, which was steaming with food of such an odor as to
create a madness in my very empty stomach.

"More than any bite, Granny," answered my Gouverneur Faulkner as he
came beside the stove to shake hands with the nice h