if I come in first?'

"He turned at that an' said, sharp an' quick an' decided--'Yo'
freedom, Nelse.' My king!--that made me shaky, I could scarce get into
my clothes. I knew he been offered big money fo' me, many's the time,
an' now I was gwine to get it all my own self.

"Mahs Duke done jes' like I begged him--kep' steady an' cool an' take
up all Mistah Jackson's bets, and _he_ was jest betten wild till he
saw who was on Betty Pride, an' I heah tell he come a nigh fainten'
when he got sight o' me; but Mahs Duke's look at 'im must a jes'
propped him up an' sort o' fo'ced him to brave it out till we come
aroun'. It was a sweepstakes an' repeat, an' Betty Pride come in
eighteen inches ahead, an' that Nawthen lady what conjure Mistah
Jackson so, she fastened roses in Betty Pride's bridle, an' gave me a
whole bouquet--with one eye on Mahs Duke all the time, of course, but
Lordy!--he wan't thinken' much about ladies jes' that minute. He won
ovah thousand dollars in money, 'sides two plantations off Mistah
Jackson, who nevah dared enter the jockey club aftah that day. An'
Mahs Duke was good as his word 'bout the freedom--he give it to me
right theah; that's my Mahs Duke."

"And a fine sort of a man he was, then," commented Delaven, looking
more closely at the strong, fine pictured face, and the bushy,
leonine shock of tawny hair and the eyes that smiled down with a
twinkle of humor in their blue depths. There was a slight likeness to
Matthew Loring in the heavy brows and square chin, but the smile of
the father was genial--that of the son, sardonic.

"Yes, sah," agreed Nelse, when comment was made upon the likeness,
"Mahs Matt favor him a mite, but none to speak of. Mahs Tom more like
him in natur'. Mahs Matt he done take mo' likeness to his gran'ma's
folks, who was French, from L'weesiana. A mighty sharp eye she got,
an' all my Mahs Duke's niggahs walk straight, I tell yo', when she
come a visiten' to we all. I heard tell how _her_ mother was some sort
o' great lady from French court, packed off to L'weesiana 'cause o'
some politics like they have ovah theah; an' in her own country she
was a princess or some high mightiness, an' most o' her family was
killed in some rebeloution--woman, too! All saved her was getten to
Orleans, an' _her_ daughter, she married ole Matthew Loring, the daddy
o' them all, so far back as I know."

The old man had warmed to his task, as floods of reminiscences came
sweeping through his memo