fine, tasty poultry, and resolved to gratify the teasing girl that
once. But she qualified her consent with the remark:

"It mustn't be such luxury very often, child, if you're to come out
even with this trip and the money. My! What a great mule! What a
curious man on it! Why does he sit sidewise and gloom at everybody,
that way?"

Dorothy hadn't yet spoken with Colonel Dillingham though the boys had
given her a brief description of him and their attempted purchase. But
she was unprepared to have him descend from his perch and approach
her, saying:

"Your servant, Miss Calvert. You resemble your great-grandfather. _He_
was a man. He--_was_ a man! Ah! yes! he was a--_man_! I cayn't be too
thankful that you are you, and that it's to a descendant of a true
southern nobleman I now present--Billy. Billy, Miss Calvert. Miss
Calvert, Billy!"

With a sigh that seemed to come from his very boots the gallant
Colonel placed one of the mule's reins in Dorothy's astonished hand
and bowed again; and as if fully appreciating the introduction old
Billy bobbed his head up and down in the mournfulest manner and
gravely brayed, while the observant bystanders burst into a loud
guffaw.

CHAPTER VIII.

THE COLONEL'S REVELATION.

"Aunt Betty, what does that 'of T' mean after that queer Colonel's
name?"

"There is no sense in it, dear, of course. The family explained it
this way. The gentleman's real name is Trowbridge. His wife's family
was Dillingham. It was of much older origin than his and she was very
proud of it. When she consented to marry him it was upon the condition
that he would take her name, not she take his. A slight legal
proceeding made it right enough but he added the 'of T.' It was a
tribute to his honesty, I fancy, though it's quite a custom of
Marylanders to do as the Dillinghams did. Here he comes now. I must
ask him about his daughter. He had one, a very nice girl I've heard."

"Coming! Why, Aunt Betty, we haven't had breakfast yet!"

Mrs. Betty laughed.

"Another familiar custom, dear, among country neighbors in this old
State. Why, my own dear mother thought nothing of having a party of
uninvited guests arrive with the sunrise, expecting just the same
cordial welcome she would have accorded later and invited ones. It
never made any difference in the good old days. There was always
plenty of food in the storehouse and plenty of help to prepare it. The
Colonel isn't so very old but he seems to cl