let Miss Ann know. Of course the coach must be ready to take the
princess to the ball. Wheels must be greased and silver polished.

"I wisht my mammy done taught me howter sew," old Billy muttered, as
he awkwardly punched a long needle in and out of the cushions, vainly
endeavoring to unite the torn edges.

"What's the matter, Uncle Billy?" asked Jeff Bucknor, who had just
crawled from under one of the cars, where he had been delightfully
employed in a manner peculiar to some males, finding out what was
wrong with the mysterious workings of an automobile.

"Nothin' 'tall, Mr. Jeff! I wa' jes' kinder ruminatin' to myse'f. I
din't know nobody wa' clost enough ter hear me. I wa' 'lowin' ter sew
up this here cushion so's it would las' 'til me'n Miss Ann gits time
ter have this here ca'ige reumholzered. We're thinkin' a nice sof'
pearl gray welwit will be purty. What do you think, Mr. Jeff?"

"I think pearl gray would be lovely and it would look fine with the
handsome silver mountings, but in the meantime wouldn't you like me to
give you some tow linen slips that belong to one of the cars. You
could tack them on over your cushions and it would freshen things up a
lot."

"Thankee, Marster, thankee! If it wouldn't unconwenience you none."
Old Billy's eyes were filling with tears. It was seldom in late years
that anyone, white or colored, stopped to give him kind words or
offers of assistance. The servants declared the old man was too
disobliging himself to deserve help and the white people seemed to
have forgotten him.

Jeff got the freshly laundered linen covers and then climbed into the
old coach and deftly fastened them with brass headed tacks.

"Now I do hope Cousin Ann will like her summer coverings," he said.

"She's sho' too--an' we's moughty 'bleeged ter you, Marse Jeff. Miss
Ann an' me air jes' been talkin' 'bout how much you favors yo'
gran'pap, Marse Bob Bucknor as war. I don't want ter put no disrespec'
on yo' gran'mammy, but if Marse Bob Bucknor had er had his way Miss
Ann would er been her."

"I believe I have heard that Grandfather was very much in love with
Cousin Ann. Why did she turn him down?" asked Jeff, trying not to
laugh.

"Well, my Miss Ann had so many beau lovers she didn't know which-away
ter turn. Her bes' beau lover, Marse Bert Mason, got kilt in the wah
an' Miss Ann got it in her haid she mus' grieve jes' so long fer him.
But the truf wa' that Miss Ann wouldn't a had him if he had er c