Peggy Stewart at School | Page 8

pressure of the knee
against Shashai, a low whistle to Tzaritza and she had whirled and was
away like the wind.
Madam Stewart drew a quick breath and compressed her thin lips until
they formed barely a line, and during that drive into Annapolis did
some rapid thinking. Evidently she had made another mistake.
As Peggy rode along the highway which led to Annapolis, the usual
merry, lilting songs, to which Shashai's hoofbeats kept time, were
silenced, and the girl rode in deep thought. Shashai tossed his head
impatiently as though trying to attract her attention, and now and again
Tzaritza bounded up to her with a deep, questioning bark. Peggy smiled
a little abstractedly and said:
"Your Missie is doing some hard thinking, my beauties and doesn't feel
songful this morning." Then after a moment she resumed:

"O Shashai, what is the matter with everything? Am I all wrong, or is
Aunt Katherine different from everybody else? I have never met
anyone just like her before, and I feel just exactly as though someone
had drawn a file across my teeth, and I dare say that's all wrong too. If
the Little Mother and Polly were only here they'd know how to make
me see things differently, but I seem to get in wrong at every turn. Aunt
Katherine has been here only two days, but what days they have been!
And ten times more to follow before the month ends!"
Shashai had gradually slowed down until he was walking with his own
inimitably dainty step, his hoofs falling upon the leaf-strewn road with
the lightness of a deer's. Presently they came to a pretty wood-road
leading almost at angles to the highway, but Peggy was again too
occupied to notice that Tzaritza had turned into it and that Shashai, as a
matter of course, had followed her. Annapolis could be reached by this
less frequented way but it made a wide detour, leading past Nelly
Bolivar's home. As they struck the refreshing coolness of the byway
Shashai broke into what Peggy called his "rocking-chair gait," though
she was so much a part of him that she was hardly aware of the more
rapid motion. Her first clear intimation that her route had changed
occurred when a cheerful voice called out:
"And she wandered away and away into the land o' dreams, my
princess."
Peggy raised her head quickly and the old light flashed back into her
eyes, the old smile curved her lips as she cried:
"Why, Nelly Bolivar! How under the sun came I here?"
"In the usual way, I reckon, Miss Peggy. I don't often see you come in
any other. But this time you sure enough look as though you had been
dreaming," laughed Nelly, coming close to Shashai, who instantly
remembered his manners and neighed his greeting, while Tzaritza
thrust her head into the girl's arms with the gentlest insinuation. Nelly
held the big head close, rested her face against it a second, then took
Shashai's soft muzzle in both hands and planted a kiss just where it was
most velvety, saying softly:

"I can't imagine you three separated. The picture would not be
complete. But what is wrong, Miss Peggy? You look so sober you
make me feel queer," for the smile had gone from the girl's face and
Nelly was quick to feel the seriousness of her expression.
"Perhaps I'm cross and cranky, Nelly. At any rate I've no business to be
here this minute. I started for Annapolis, but my wits got
wool-gathering, I reckon, and I let Shashai turn in here without noticing
where he was going. Aunt Katherine will reach Annapolis before I do
and--then--" and Peggy stopped and wagged her head as though pursuit
of the subject would better be dropped. Nelly's face clouded. It had not
required the two days of Mrs. Stewart's visit to circulate a good many
reports concerning her. Indeed both Jerome and old Mammy had
described her at length, and the description had lost nothing upon their
African tongues, nor had the experiences of the three months spent up
north: Madam Stewart had figured rather conspicuously in their
pictures of the "doin's up yander." Had she suspected how accurately
the old colored people had gauged her, or how great an influence their
gauging was likely to have upon the plans she had so carefully laid, she
might have been a little more circumspect in her conduct toward them.
But to her they were "just black servants" and she was entirely
incapable of weighing their influence in the domestic economy, or of
understanding their shrewd judgment as to the best interests of the
young girl whom each, in common with all the other old servants upon
the estate, loved with a devotion absolutely incomprehensible to most