When You Call Me That, Smile!
We cannot see ourselves as other see us, or I should know what appearance I cut at
hearing this from the tall man. I said nothing, feeling uncertain.
"I reckon I am looking for you, seh," he repeated politely.
"I am looking for Judge Henry," I now replied.
He walked toward me, and I saw that in inches he was not a giant. He was not more than
six feet. It was Uncle Hughey that had made him seem to tower. But in his eye, in his
face, in his step, in the whole man, there dominated a something potent to be felt, I
should think, by man or woman.
"The Judge sent me afteh you, seh," he now explained, in his civil Southern voice; and he
handed me a letter from my host. Had I not witnessed his facetious performances with
Uncle Hughey, I should have judged him wholly ungifted with such powers. There was
nothing external about him but what seemed the signs of a nature as grave as you could
meet. But I had witnessed; and therefore supposing that I knew him in spite of his
appearance, that I was, so to speak, in his secret and could give him a sort of wink, I
adopted at once a method of easiness. It was so pleasant to be easy with a large stranger,
who instead of shooting at your heels had very civilly handed you a letter.
"You're from old Virginia, I take it?" I began.
He answered slowly, "Then you have taken it correct, seh."
A slight chill passed over my easiness, but I went cheerily on with a further inquiry.
"Find many oddities out here like Uncle Hughey?"
"Yes, seh, there is a right smart of oddities around. They come in on every train."
At this point I dropped my method of easiness.
"I wish that trunks came on the train," said I. And I told him my predicament.
It was not to be expected that he would be greatly moved at my loss; but he took it with
no comment whatever. "We'll wait in town for it," said he, always perfectly civil.
Now, what I had seen of "town" was, to my newly arrived eyes, altogether horrible. If I
could possibly sleep at the Judge's ranch, I preferred to do so.
"Is it too far to drive there to-night?" I inquired.
