? How many times must I tell you to
look after me oftener. Don't you know I'm half blind and--No--I don't
want any more wood--I want these vagabonds kept off my grounds. Send Mr.
Grant to me at once, and don't you lose sight of that man until you have
seen him to the main road. He says he is a sailor--and I've had enough
of sailors, and so has everybody else about here."

The negro bowed and backed out of the room. No answer of any kind was
best when the colonel was in one of his "tantrums."

"I reckon I hab to ask ye, sah, to quit de place--de colonel don't 'low
nobody to--" he said politely.

Harry turned his face aside and started for the fence. His first thought
was to drop his bundle and throw his arms around Alec's neck; then he
realized that this would be worse than his declaring himself to his
father--he could then be accused of attempting deception by the trick
of a disguise. So he hurried on to where his horse was tied--his back
to Alec, the bundle shifted to his left shoulder that he might hide his
face the better until he was out of sight of the office, the old man
stumbling on, calling after him:

"No, dat ain't de way. Yer gotter go down de main road; here, man--don't
I tell yer dat ain't de way."

Harry had now gained the fence and had already begun to loosen the reins
when Alec, out of breath and highly indignant over the refusal to carry
out his warning, reached his side.

"You better come right back f'om whar ye started," the old negro puffed;
"ye can't go dat way or dey'll set de dogs on ye." Here his eyes rested
on the reins and forelock. "What! you got a horse an' you--"

Harry turned and laid his hand on the old servant's shoulder. He could
hardly control his voice:

"Don't you know me, Alec? I'm Harry!"

The old man bent down, peered into Harry's eyes, and with a quick spring
forward grabbed him by both shoulders.

"You my Marse Harry!--you!" His breath was gone now, his whole body in a
tremble, his eyes bulging from his head.

"Yes, Alec, Harry! It's only the beard. Look at me! I didn't want my
father to see us--that's why I kept on."

The old servant threw up his hands and caught his young master around
the neck. For some seconds he could not speak.

"And de colonel druv ye out!" he gasped. "Oh, my Gawd! my Gawd! And ye
ain't daid, and ye come back home ag'in." He was sobbing now, his head
on the exile's shoulder, Harry's arms about him--patting his bent back.
"But yer gotter go