in the South send you greeting.'"

"Wa'al, now, what a genius dat chile is, to be shuah!" muttered Susan,
walking behind Tom and Nanny.

"Mr. Lincoln," exclaimed Tom, advancing toward that gentleman, with a
merry twinkle in his roguish eyes, "allow me to present to you a new
pupil, Aunt Susan Whittingham; she has come all the way from Louisiana
to see you."

"Oh, bress de Lor' dat hab given dis ole woman de privilege ob laying
her eyes on de gloriousness ob de man who hab saved all her people, an'
has strucken off de chains what held dem fast, an' made dem free
forebber and forebber! Hallelujah! hallelujah! amen! Oh, bress me, I's
done gone an' make a mistake arter all. Oh, your Presidency--no, your
Elegancy, I hopes I find you well. All de people ob color in de Souf
send you--send you--greetin'!"

"Aunt Susan, I am very sorry; but that little rascal, Tom, has been
deceiving you all the time. I'm not the 'Marse Linkum' you take me for,
I'm sorry to tell you, for I am only plain James Lincoln, school-master
of the district. Tom, I say, how did you dare to treat Aunt Susan and
myself in this way? I have a mind to punish you."

"Oh, de Lor' forgib Marse Tommy dat he fool a 'spectable ole body like
me; an' de Lor' save me! all my pies an' tings goin' to construction,
an' de missus all alone to hum wid comp'ny! It's too much--it's too much
fo' shuah!"

"Come, aunty," cried Tom, soothingly, for he was beginning to be afraid
himself, "we'll drive home ever so slow. Come, now, forgive us, and
don't get us a whipping."

"I's mos' ready to forgib yous now; but jes you disremember how de
chillun in de Bible war eaten up along o' de bars for sayin', 'Go up,
ole bal'-head!' an' don't you nebber, nebber agin fool ole Aunt Susan."

Almira had "turned to," as Tom predicted, and was helping his mother
with the dinner, when that lady exclaimed: "This is another of that
boy's tricks; but boys are boys, and there's no help for it. I hope Aunt
Susan's enjoying the ride."

Everything was in "apple-pie order" when the party returned, apparently
in fine spirits. Tom thought it mighty queer that nothing was said about
his escapade, and dying to tell it, he felt his way cautiously for an
opportunity, and it came. In the evening, when the family were
discussing nuts and cider around the glowing fire, he related the
morning's adventure with such gay good humor that Pa and Ma Chandler and
Augustus and Almira made the walls ring again wi