He turned to face her and to his horror found her lips so close she had evidently placed them in position for the first kiss.

He stopped appalled, fidgeted, looked the other way and stammered:

"H-hit sho is powful warm ter-day, m'am!"

"Tain't so much de heat, Brer Andy," she responded tenderly, "as 'tis de humility dat's in de air!"

Andy turned, looked into her smiling face for a moment and they both broke into a loud laugh while he repeated:

"Ya.s.sam, de humility--dat's. .h.i.t! De humility dat's in de air!"

The expression had caught his fancy enormously.

"Ya.s.sir, de humility--dat's. .h.i.t!" Minerva murmured.

When the laughter had slowly died down she moved a little closer and said rea.s.suringly:

"And now, Brer Andy, ez dey's des you an' me here tergedder--ef hits suits yo' circ.u.mstantial convenience, hab no reprehenshun, sah, des say what's on yo' min'."

Andy glanced at her quickly, bowed grandiloquently and catching the spirit of her high-flown language decided to spring his confession and ask her help to win Cleo.

"Ya.s.sam, Miss Minerva, dat's so. An' ez I allays sez dat honesty is de bes'

policy, I'se gwine ter re-cede ter yo' invitation!"

Minerva laughed with joyous admiration:

"Des listen at dat n.i.g.g.e.r now! You sho is er talkin' man when yer gits started----"

"Ya.s.sam, I bin er tryin' ter tell ye fer de longest kind er time an' ax ye ter help me----"

Minerva moved her ma.s.sive figure close against him:

"Cose I help you."

Andy edged as far away as possible, but the arm of the settee had caught him and he couldn't get far. He smiled wanly and tried to a.s.sume a purely platonic tone:

"Wuz yer ebber in love, Miss Minerva?"

Minerva nudged him slyly:

"Wuz I?"

Andy tried to ignore the hint, lifted his eyes to the ceiling and in far-away tones put the hypothetical case of the friend who needed help:

"Well, des 'spose m'am dat a po' man wuz ter fall in love wid er beautiful lady, fur above him, wid eyes dat shine lak de stars----"

"Oh, g'way frum here, man!" Minerva cried entranced as she broke into a peal of joyous laughter, nudging him again.

The insinuating touch of her elbow brought Andy to a sharp realization that his plan had not only failed to work, but was about to compromise him beyond hope. He hurried to correct her mistake.

"But listen, Miss Minerva--yer don't understand. Would yer be his friend an' help him to win her?"

With a cry of joy she threw her huge arms around his neck:

"Would I--Lordy--man!"

Andy tried to dodge her strangle hold, but was too slow and she had him.

He struggled and grasped her arms, but she laughed and held on.

"B-b-but--yer--yer," he stammered.

"Yer needn't say annudder word----"

"Ya.s.sam, but wait des er minute," he pleaded, struggling to lower her arms.

"Hush, man," Minerva said good-naturedly. "Cose I knows yer bin er bad n.i.g.g.e.r--but ye needn't tell me 'bout it now----"

"For Gawd's sake!" Andy gasped, wrenching her arms away at last, "will yer des lemme say one word?"

"Nasah!" she said generously. "I ain't gwine ter let ye say no harsh words ergin yoself. I sho do admire de indelicate way dat yer tells me of yo'

love!"

"B-but yer don't understand----"

"Cose I does, chile!" Minerva exclaimed with a tender smile.

Andy made a gesture of despair:

"B-b-but I tries ter 'splain----"

"Yer don't hatter 'splain nuttin' ter me, man--I ain't no spring chicken--I knowed what ye means befo' ye opens yer mouf. Yer tells me dat ye lubs me an' I done say dat I lubs you--an' dat's all dey is to it."

Minerva enfolded him in her ample arms and he collapsed with feeble a.s.sent:

"Ya.s.sam--ya.s.sam."

CHAPTER XI

A RECONNOITRE

Norton slept at last from sheer physical exhaustion and waked at eleven o'clock refreshed and alert, his faculties again strung for action.

He wondered in the clear light of noon at the folly of his panic the night before. The fighting instinct in him had always been the dominant one. He smiled now at his silly collapse and his quick brain began to plan his line of defense.