If there are two or three famished soldiers out there, none of us

will even get a taste," said Scarlett.

While Pork stood with the little melon clutched to him, uncertain

as to the final decision, they heard Prissy cry out.

"Gawdlmighty! Miss Scarlett! Miss Melly! Come quick!"

"Who is it?" cried Scarlett, leaping up from the steps and racing

through the hall with Melly at her shoulder and the others

streaming after her.

Ashley! she thought. Oh, perhaps--

"It's Uncle Peter! Miss Pittypat's Uncle Peter!"

They all ran out to the front porch and saw the tall grizzled old

despot of Aunt Pitty's house climbing down from a rat-tailed nag on

which a section of quilting had been strapped. On his wide black

face, accustomed dignity strove with delight at seeing old friends,

with the result that his brow was furrowed in a frown but his mouth

was hanging open like a happy toothless old hound's.

Everyone ran down the steps to greet him, black and white shaking

his hand and asking questions, but Melly's voice rose above them

all.

"Auntie isn't sick, is she?"

"No'm. She's po'ly, thank God," answered Peter, fastening a severe

look first on Melly and then on Scarlett, so that they suddenly

felt guilty but could think of no reason why. "She's po'ly but she

is plum outdone wid you young Misses, an' ef it come right down to

it, Ah is too!"

"Why! Uncle Peter! What on earth--"

"Y'all nee'n try ter 'scuse you'seffs. Ain' Miss Pitty writ you

an' writ you ter come home? Ain' Ah seed her write an' seed her

a-cryin' w'en y'all writ her back dat you got too much ter do on

disyere ole farm ter come home?"

"But, Uncle Peter--"

"Huccome you leave Miss Pitty by herseff lak dis w'en she so scary

lak? You know well's Ah do Miss Pitty ain' never live by herseff

an' she been shakin' in her lil shoes ever since she come back frum

Macom. She say fer me ter tell y'all plain as Ah knows how dat she

jes' kain unnerstan' y'all desertin' her in her hour of need."

"Now, hesh!" said Mammy tartly, for it sat ill upon her to hear

Tara referred to as an "ole farm." Trust an ignorant city-bred

darky not to know the difference between a farm and a plantation.

"Ain' us got no hours of need? Ain' us needin' Miss Scarlett an'

Miss Melly right hyah an' needin' dem bad? Huccome Miss Pitty doan

ast her brudder fer 'sistance, does she need any?"

Uncle Peter gave her a withering look.

"Us ain' had nuthin' ter do wid Mist' Henry fer y'ars, an' us is

too ole ter start now." He turned back to the girls, who were

trying to suppress their smiles. "You young Misses ought ter tek

shame, leavin' po' Miss Pitty 'lone, wid half her frens daid an' de

other half in Macom, an' 'Lanta full of Yankee sojers an' trashy

free issue niggers."

The two girls had borne the castigation with straight faces as long

as they could, but the thought of Aunt Pitty sending Peter to scold

them and bring them back bodily to Atlanta was too much for their

control. They burst into laughter and hung on each other's

shoulders for support. Naturally, Pork and Dilcey and Mammy gave