CHAPTER XIII.
SAD FOREBODINGS.
When Love and Dainty were parting in the hall that night, he detainedher a few moments, saying:
"I must start early in the morning for Lewisburg, our county seat. It istwenty miles distant, and I shall not return until night. Do you thinkyou can bear the day without me?" playfully.
"Must you really go?" she sighed.
"Yes; I have some business that must not be postponed. I would take youwith me, darling, but it is a long drive over rough mountain roads, andwould fatigue you too much. But I hate to leave you for a whole day,Dainty, and I shall be thinking of you all day," whispered the fondlover, longing to take her in his arms and bid her an ardent farewell,but deterred because his step-mother was lingering officiously close by.
They parted with a swift-stolen kiss when her head was turned, andDainty went reluctantly enough to her room, dreading the almost nightlyrepeated experience with the grim ghost of Ellsworth.
She had grown to dread with a sickening terror the nights that werestealing some of the rose-bloom from her cheeks and the brightness fromher violet eyes; but in her pride lest Love should deem her a coward,she would not yield to the longing to ask him to let her go home to hermother till the wedding day.
"It would be too great a triumph for my cruel rivals to have me go homenow, and they would try to turn my lover's heart against me. Besides,now that he has written mamma to come, she will soon be with me, andthen I shall not fear anything," she thought, as she entered the roomreluctantly, hating the night and the company of the coarse SheilaKelly, but too unwilling to spend the night alone to dismiss her fromthe room.
But to her surprise she was confronted by an aged negro woman with akindly black face that beamed benevolence on the startled girl.
"Hi, honey, yo' look 'sprised ter see me in yo' room. Aine Massa Lovetole you dat I gwine tek de place o' dat uppish Irish gal?" sheexclaimed, gently.
Dainty smiled and shook her head. The old woman continued:
"Den I must interduce myse'f to yo', honey. My name is Virginny, but yo'kin call me Mammy, kase I been de black mammy o' two ginerations o'Ellsworfs--from Massa Love's pappy down to Massa Love heself--an' maybeI gwine lib to nuss his chillen, too. Hi, what yo' blushin' at? Won'tyo' be proud when yo' an' Massa Love git married an' settle down, wif delittle ones springing up around yo' like flowers, some wif sassy blackeyes like deir pappy, an' some wif blue-vi'let eyes like deir mammy. Oh,I want to lib ter see dat day, an' ter rock dem in my ole arms, an'snuggle deir shiny heads up agin my breast, an' sing to dem like I donesing to deir pappy an' deir grandpappy," folding her arms on her breastand crooning musically:
"Byo, baby boy, bye-- Byo, li'l boy! Oh, run ter 'is mammy, En she tek 'im 'er arms-- Mammy's li'l baby boy!
"Who all de time er frettin' in de middle er de day? Mammy's li'l boy, mammy's li'l baby boy! Who all de time er gittin' so sleepy he can't play? Mammy's li'l boy, mammy's li'l baby boy!
"Byo, baby boy, bye-- Byo, li'l boy! Oh, run ter 'is mammy, En climb up en 'er lap-- Mammy's li'l baby boy!
"Who all de time stumpin' 'is toe ergin a rock? Mammy's li'l boy, mammy's li'l baby boy! Who all de time er rippin' big hole in 'is frock? Mammy's li'l boy, mammy's li'l baby boy!
"Byo, baby boy, bye-- Byo, li'l boy! En 'e run ter 'is mammy Fer ter git 'im out er trouble-- Mammy's li'l baby boy!"
Dainty had sunk down in the easy-chair at the open window, and thetender tears flashed into her eyes at the sweet domestic picture paintedby the loving old black mammy.
How beautiful it had sounded, the picture of the future to her fondyoung heart; but would it ever come true, or would the malice of herenemies yet come between her and happiness? Sad foreboding filled hermind as she recalled Olive's black looks and cruel words while sheplayed the gypsy fortune-teller.
"She was trying to frighten me to death, and I believe she would havesucceeded, had not Love so fortunately discovered her identity," shemused, while mammy crooned on monotonously with her nursery song.Suddenly coming to herself, she cried:
"Dar now, I forgot mys'f, as I often do, and t'ought I was back in degood ole times, nussin' de babies dat's all growed up now, an' some on'em dead, too! But as I was a-sayin', Miss Dainty, deares', Massa Lovehe kem down ter my darter's cabin dis arternoon, an' say, 'Well, well,mammy, settin' in de sun an' bakin' yo' ole haid es usual! How it bringsup de chilehood days wheneber I see yo'! Here's a dollar fer yer, an'some baccy fer yer pipe, an' mammy, I want yer ter do er favor fer yerli'l boy.'
"When Massa Love speak dat coaxin' way he knows I gwine let him tromp onole black mammy ef he want ter; an' I nods, an' he goes on:
"'Mammy, I come to tole yer I gwine git married on my birfday--de firsto' August, yo' know. My sweetheart is a-visitin' at Ellsworf, an' she'sde prettiest girl in de world! Her cheeks is like roses, an' her hair isbright like sunshine, an' her eyes blue as de dark vi'lets down in dewood. An' she's good as she's pretty; but dem mean servants at Ellsworfdey done tole her ghost stories, an' she's dat nervous she can't sleepat night for vain 'maginings of hearing ole men coughin' an' seein' olemonks paradin' an' layin' cole hands on her face. She must not sleepalone, fer she's never been parted from her mammy before; but she hatesdat coarse Sheila Kelly; so, mammy, you must go up ter de house an'watch in my dear girl's room ebery night till her own mammy comes fromRichmun', an' yo' must sleep all day an' lie awake all night ter soothemy nervous darlin' ef she gits frightened, an' mammy, you shall hab asilber dollar ever' mornin' fer takin' keer ob my lub.' So you see whyI come, honey. Kase he want me, not fer de silber dollar; kase I don'mean ter tek hit at all, only I didn't tell him so, not ter git inter anargyment wif him. So now, honey, lemme he'p yer to baid, an' I'sewarrant de ha'nts sha'n't 'sturb you dis night."
"Then you don't believe the stories of the old monk, mammy?" Daintysaid, timidly, as she laid her golden head down on the lace pillow.
"Monks, indeed! No, chile, no; deir aine no monks at Ellsworf, an' neverwas, 'cept when de circus kem ter de kentry, las' summer was a yearagone. Dey was two cute li'l monks den, wif white faces like li'l olemen, an' dey was mighty cur'us li'l rascals, an' dat sassy wif deir redsuits and yaller caps; but I aine never heerd o' deir gitten loose fromde circus, an' I don' b'leeve dey ever did, an' you can 'pend on what Isay, fer I been at Ellsworf ever sence I was born, an' dat's a hunnerdyears more or less. Now shet yo' eyes, ma honey. I gwine sing yo' tosleep."
And while Dainty dozed away, thinking gratefully of the fond care of hernoble lover, the old woman crooned over her in monotonous cadences thelulling nursery song:
"Byo, baby girl, bye-- Byo, li'l girl! Oh, run ter 'er mammy, Fer ter git 'er out o' trouble-- Mammy's li'l baby girl!"
Softly the white lids drooped over the tired eyes, and Dainty sleptpeacefully as a little child.
Then the old black mammy hushed her lullaby song and relapsed intosilence, gazing in admiring pride at the lovely sleeping face under itsbillows of golden hair, perhaps wondering why God made people sodifferent--some as fair and beautiful as angels, others black and homelylike herself.
But no discontent or envy marred her humble thoughts. Instead, shemurmured a low prayer of blessing for the girl who had prayed forherself, kneeling by the bed, but a little while ago; then put out thelight and moved over to the window to keep the vigil her "Massa Love"had commanded over his precious darling.
And as she was accustomed to watching by sickbeds, and had been sleepingall afternoon, she managed to keep awake all night, and Dainty sleptdreamlessly till dawn. Apparently the ghost was exorcised.