ve got
no strength but what He gives us."

"I wish you'd pray loud to-night," said Bacchus; "for I aint felt easy of
late, and somehow I can't pray."

"Well, I can't do much, but I can ask God to give us grace to repent of our
sins, and to serve him faithfully," said Phillis.

And they both kneeled down, and prayer went forth from an earnest heart;
and who shall say that a more welcome offering ascended to His ear in that
time of prayer, than the humble but believing petition of the slave!

Phillis was of a most matter-of-fact disposition, and possessed, as an
accompaniment, an investigating turn of mind; so, before any one was
stirring in her cottage, she dressed herself, and took from a nail a
large-sized key, that was over the mantel-piece. She hung it to her little
finger, and made straight for Aunt Peggy's deserted cabin. She granted
herself a search-warrant, and determined to find some clue to Bacchus's
marvellous story. Her heart did not fail her, even when she put the key in
the lock, for she was resolved as a grenadier, and she would not have
turned back if the veritable red eyes themselves had raised the cotton
curtain, and looked defiance. The lock was somewhat out of repair,
requiring a little coaxing before she could get the key in, and then it was
some time before she succeeded in turning it; at last it yielded, and with
one push the door flew open.

Now Phillis, anxious as she was to have the matter cleared up, did not care
to have it done so instantaneously, for hardly had she taken one step in
the house before she, in the most precipitous manner, backed two or three
out of it.

At first she thought Aunt Peggy herself had flown at her, and she could
hardly help calling for assistance, but making a great effort to recover
her composure, she saw at a glance that it was Aunt Peggy's enormous black
cat, who not only resembled her in color, but disposition. Jupiter, for
that was the cat's name, did not make another grab, but stood with his
back raised, glaring at her, while Phillis, breathing very short, sunk into
Aunt Peggy's chair and wiped the cold perspiration from her face with her
apron.

"Why, Jupiter," said Phillis, "is this you? How on earth did I happen to
forget you. Your eyes is red, to be sure, and no wonder, you poor,
half-starved creature. I must a locked you up here, the day after the
funeral, and I never would a forgot you, if it hadn't been my mind was so
taken up with Miss Alice. Wh