YOURS WITH ALL MY HEART 



Skippum and I watched the wary face of 

 the questioner, and we saw his grizzly 

 mustache twitch with a suppressed smile, 

 and a kindly light just glimmer across his 

 blue-gray eyes, and the comforting thought 

 came to our little hearts that he wasn't 

 blaming Becky. We loved her, 'cause she 

 loved us. 



Then the inquisitive little man took a 

 turn around the kitchen; he seemed to have 

 forgotten where to go or what to say; he 

 stuffed his hands down deep in his pockets; 

 he whistled the first line of the tune that 

 Becky sung to us sometimes, "Way down 

 upon der Swanee ribber," and studied the 

 figure of the kitchen oil-cloth ; then he threw 

 up his head and seemed to be searching for 

 cobwebs on the ceiling. Then he burst out 

 on the same track again. 



"Rebecca, were those two little dogs in 

 the house when your mistress started?" 



"Dey was in der house, sah, when she 

 fust got in der carriage, an' dey was barkin' 

 like mad." 



"Whereabouts in the house?" 



" In der missus' room, sah, an' tearin' back 

 an' forfh ter der glass do'r." 



115 



