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"Yes, my Uncle Robert," I answered him without turning my eyes from his. "Well, then, here we are. I came to the side door so I wouldn't have to introduce you to any of the boys this morning, for we want to have a talk with the Governor before dinner and I don't dare keep Kizzie waiting. It riles her, and a riled woman burns up things: masters, husbands, cooking or worse. Come on."
Aunt Kizzie, in her new linsey-woolsey and shining bandana as a turban, started off in great glee for the Court House. That she might appear there fresh, brisk, and pert, she was not suffered to walk, but Washington, the coachman, was ordered to drive her in the ark of the plantation wagon.
Just before the proposed sale she had had a serious difficulty with her. Mistress and servant regarded each other as two enraged tigers might do, whenever they met. Mrs. Lisle made up her mind she would have Kizzie taken to the Court House and sold. Court was to be holden in a week or so; at such a time more or less slaves were put up at auction.
"You will do no such thing, Lucy; and, madam, you have done enough," said the indignant voice of Mr. Lisle, who had entered upon the scene. "Go to your cabin, Kizzie; call for Amy and take her along with you." Kizzie disappeared, and Mr. Lisle, meeting boldly the angered face of his wife, inquired into the origin of this disgraceful scene. "Kizzie is mine, not yours.
"I thought I would let him have a try-out with Kizzie before we decided what to feed the savages," also said my Uncle, the General Robert, with a laugh. "Besides, he's one himself and I'll have to go slow and tame him gradually." "No, he's ours.
"I will myself send you in my car with good black Kizzie to see Timms to-morrow, Mary," I promised her while she wrote. "I got ter get my arms around his neck once more 'fore he kills me fer telling," she answered as she signed her name to the paper and handed it to me.
Lisle flung herself out of the room, to vent her bad humor upon whatever ill-starred persons should cross her path. To do justice to Mrs. Lisle, she had intended to have sold both Kizzie and her son to the same buyer. As she herself said, she was always having trouble with Kizzie. There were times when she was positively afraid of her.
"Mother," said the trembling, glad voice, though so deep and heavy, "you still love your pinks, mother, do you still love your Joe?" Ah, what a meeting was that! The wonder is that Kizzie survived it. Sorrow, grief, had not killed, neither did joy. When Joe told his mother he had come for her to accompany him North, she proposed taking her pinks, earth and all.
I laid off ter ax Miss Ann herself but when she come a sailin' down the steps like she done swallowed the poker an' helt out this here dime ter me like it wa' a dollar somehow she looked kinder awesome an' I couldn't say nothin' but 'Thanky! Kizzie, did you notice which-away the coach took when they reached the pike?"
"Yes, yes, Aunt Em'ly, we have had dinner, but we should like to " "Yassir! I'll git the ice cracked in no time an' sen' Kizzie fer some mint." "Not yet, Aunt Em'ly," faltered her master miserably. "A little later, perhaps, but now " "I know! You done had a po' dinner an' come home fer some 'spectable victuals. It ain't gonter take me long."
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