The next day was the Sabbath. Contrary to their usual custom on such
mornings, Mr. Middleton and his negroes were astir at an early hour. The
female portion of the latter were occupied in preparing a great breakfast
in honor of "Marster William's" arrival, while Mr. Middleton busied
himself in removing a part of his dark, heavy beard.
When William made his appearance in the sitting room, he was greeted by
his brother with, "How are you, Bill? Hope you slept better than I did,
for 'pears like I couldn't get asleep nohow, till toward mornin' and then
I was mighty skeary about wakin' up, for fear I should find it all
moonshine, and no Bill here after all." After a moment's pause, he added,
"Whar's t'other chap? If he don't come down directly, the hen'll spile,
for Judy's had it ready better than half an hour."
Ashton soon appeared, and the party did ample justice to Aunt Judy's
well-cooked breakfast. That meal being over, Mr. Middleton said, "Now,
boys, what do you say to goin' to meetin'? The Baptists have preachin',
and I've a mind to go. How the folk'll stare though to see Bill. Say, will
you go?"
The gentlemen signified their assent, and at the usual hour they proceeded
to the church, which was situated about two miles from Mr. Middleton's. We
are sorry for it, but truth compels us to say that on this day Uncle
Joshua was not quite as devotional as usual. He was looking over the
congregation to see what effect his brother's presence was producing. When
he saw that no one exclaimed or turned pale, and that even the minister
kept on the even tenor of his discourse, he inwardly accused them all of
being "doughheads," and wondered he had never before discovered how little
they knew. However, when meeting was over, the neighbors crowded around
the old man, congratulating him on the unexpected return of his brother,
whom they welcomed so warmly that Uncle Joshua began to think he had been
too hasty in condemning them, for "after all, they knew a heap."
That night, after supper, Mr. Middleton was again seated in the little
porch with his guests. They had been speaking of the sermon they had
heard, when Mr. Middleton said, "That's the right kind of meetin' to my
notion. A feller can sleep a bit if he feels like it; but whar my gals go,
in Frankford, they have the queerest doin's--keep a gittin' up and sittin'
down; 'pears like you don't moren't git fairly sot afore you have to hist
up again, and you can't sleep to save you. Then they have streaked yaller
and black prar books and keep a-readin' all meetin' time."