Page:The traitor; a story of the fall of the invisible empire (IA traitorstoryoffa00dixo).pdf/133

 Larkin had captured Isaac, but his influence had not reached his wife. For any white man who stayed at a Negro's house her contempt was beyond words. That the house happened to be her husband's only aggravated the offence.

"I must see him," urged Larkin.

"He's in bed sick, I tell ye!"

"But you had'nthadn't [sic] told me," protested the Carpetbagger.

"Well I tells ye now. De Judge ain't lif' his head offen de piller ter-day. De ghosts wuz here agin las' night—an' you'd better be a movin' 'fore Miss Stella find you here. She sick de dog on you."

Larkin took a threatening step toward her and said in low tones:

"Shut your mouth, and tell the Judge I'm here to see him on important business. I'm not going out of this house until I do seehim. Tell him so."

Aunt Julie Ann turned muttering and slowly climbed the stairs to Butler's room.

In a moment the Judge came down, hastily dressed in a faded slouchy dressing-gown and a pair of bedroom slippers.

"Is it possible!" exclaimed Larkin," thatLarkin, "that [sic] you know nothing of what's happened here within the past twenty-four hours?"