Page:Dorothy's spy; a story of the first "fovrth of Jvly" celebration, New York, 1776.djvu/129

116 room, Sarah following close at her heels, with Scipio trailing on behind, eager to be beyond reach either of his master's hand or voice.

"Why wouldn't your father let you tell him what we had done?" Sarah asked when the three were in the kitchen alone, and the foremost of the visitors were trooping into the living room with the air of people who have both might and right on their side.

"I'm sure I can't tell. He was real angry, too!" and Dorothy choked back a sob, realizing that she had cried quite enough for one evening.

It was Scipio who understood the situation, or believed he did, and to the girls he gave the following explanation of his master's odd behavior:

"It am des like dis, chillun. Massa don' wan' ter know anything 'bout it till dis yere rumpus am all ober, kase dat's wha' Massa Lamb 'lows ought'er be did. Ef you'se up an' tole him de whole story, he'd be 'bleeged fur ter scriggle out'er it, an' dat would be mighty hard 'less he done tole a lie."

This seemed to be a very plausible explanation of the situation, and Dorothy no longer believed her father had used her harshly when she was pushed from the room.

The two girls would have been content to remain in the kitchen with the door closed, talking about the chances their spy had for escape; but the old darkey was not of the same mind. He