"No, _suh_. Ah'm gwine back whah I come f'om. Ah jus' druv out hyuh
'case Miss Shirley done met me, en she say, 'Unc' Jeffe'son, yo' go
'treckly out de Red Road, 'case er gemman done got stalled-ed.'"

"Oh--Miss Shirley. She told you, did she? What did you say her first
name was?"

"_Dat's_ huh fus' name, Miss Shirley. Yas, _suh_! Miss Shirley done
said f' me ter come en git de gemman whut--whut kinder dawg is yo' got
dar?"

"It's a bulldog. Can you give me a lift? I've got that small trunk
and--"

"Dat's a right fine dawg. Miss Shirley she moughty fond ob dawgs, too."

"Fond of dogs, is she?" said Valiant. "I might have known it. It was
nice of her to send you here, Uncle Jefferson. You can take me and my
traps, I suppose?"

"'Pens on whah yo' gwineter," answered Uncle Jefferson sapiently.

"I'm going to Damory Court."

A kind of shocked surprise that was almost stupefaction spread over the
other's face, like oil over a pool. "Dam'ry Co'ot! Dat's de old Valiant
place. Ain' nobody lives _dar_. Ah reck'n ain' nobody live dar fer mos'
er hun'erd yeahs!"

"The old house has a great surprise coming to it," said Valiant gravely.
"Henceforth some one is going to occupy it. How far is it away?"

"Measurin' by de coonskin en th'owin' in de tail, et's erbout two mile.
Ain' gwineter live dar yo'se'f, suh, is yo'?"

"I am for the present," was the crisp answer.

Uncle Jefferson stared at him a moment with his mouth open. Then
ejaculating under his breath, "Fo' de _Lawd_! Whut folks gwineter say
ter dat!" he shambled to the rear of the motor and began to unship the
steamer-trunk.

"By the way,"--John Valiant paused, with the portmanteau in his
hands,--"what do you ask for the job?"

The owner of the hack scratched his grizzled head. "Ah gen'ly chahges er
quahtah er trunk f'om de deepo' less'n et's one ob dem ar rich folks
f'om up Norf."

"I don't happen to be rich, so we'll make it a dollar. What makes you
think I'm from the North?"

Again the aguish mirth agitated the other, as he put aboard a hamper and
one of the motor's lamps, which Valiant added as an afterthought. "Ah
_knows_ et," he said ingenuously, "but Ah don' know _why_. Ah'll jes'
twis' er rope eroun' yo' trunk. Whut yo' gwineter do wid dat-ar?" he
asked, pointing to the car. "Ah kin come wid ole Sukey--dat's mah
mule--en fotch it in in de mawnin'. Ain' gwineter rain ter-night
nohow."--

This matter having been arranged, they started jogging d