a cawl on her face
an' could see speer'ts; so she got out a dried buzzard's foot an'
whispers to it, an' den says ever'body mought as well make up, 'caze
someday de li'l chillun is gwine git mahr'd, anyway. An' sho' nuff,"
Aunt Timmie sighed, "we did."

The Colonel gave Brent a wink.

"Well, that was most fortunate," he mused, "for Zack has been a very
upright husband."

The old woman bristled. Glaring at him she said in a low voice:

"Upright ain' so diffe'nt from downright! You knows how oudacious he
done treat me 'bout dat 'surance!"

"Oh, yes, you mean about that policy!"

She maintained a moody silence, and the Colonel ventured:

"You see, Brent, Timmie thought so much of Zack--"

"Now, Marse John, you's jest pesterin'! De truff is, sah," she turned to
Brent, "dat 'long back yonder when Miss Ann's 'bout de size of li'l Bip,
a man come down heah an' says ef I takes a policy out on Zack, when de
ole nigger's daid, he say, I'll be wu'th somethin'. I turned it over an'
over in mah haid, an' reckoned dat, ef Zack had to go, dar warn't no sin
in ole Timmie gittin' all de comfo't outen it she could. So de man size
Zack up mighty smart, an' say a twenty-yeah policy'll be plenty long
'nough to out-stretch him. De fu'st of eve'y month I sont mah good money
up to Loui'ville, an' 'bout a yeah ago de day come fer dat policy to git
ripe. All de evenin' befoh I treat Zack mighty gentle. I cook him a
scrumptuous supper, an' dat night go down in mah trunk an' git out mah
mournin' clothes an' mah funeral hat, an' cry mahse'f to sleep. An'
what you reckon! From dat ve'y day he's been sprier'n he ever wuz! Jest
wait till I ketch some of dem 'surance men 'bout heah agin!"

With a deep sigh she rose laboriously and started back around the house.

"Where's Dale?" Brent asked, more to keep from laughing than from any
particular interest in the mountaineer just then.

"In the library, as usual," answered the Colonel, "digging out
analects."

Timmie, overhearing this, wheeled about.

"Mah sakes alive," she cried, a look of horror coming into her face.
"You never had nuthin' lak dat in yoh house while I 'uz tendin' to it,
Marse John! I'll bet dat liberry ain' fit fer a pusson to set in!"

The laughter which greeted this detracted nothing from her indignation,
and she turned again toward the rear premises, shaking her head and
mumbling direful things.

"That Dale, by the way," the Colonel said at last, "is a curious and
rem