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The beautiful daughter of the old sea-captain
did not require to be told twice,
to obey the promptings of her own wishes.
He had kindly told her to go to the
door, and see who it was that was coming
with the sack, and to ascertain what
he wanted, before he had disappeared
from the room.

`That girl expects something or somebody,
you may be assured, sister!' said
the Captain. `That eagerness is not for
nothing. Did you see how she flew to
obey me?'

`Does any thing escape my observation,
brother? I could not but help seeing
it! I really hope that an end will
soon be put to this suspense!'

`I hope it won't effect your health,
Sally,' said her brother, laughing. `It
must be a terrible thing for a lady to
have her curiosity thwarted.'

`I will put the question direct to
Blanche, if she doesn't soon tell me the
whole.'

`Perhaps the dear girl has nothing to
tell after all, and we are both heaving the
lead off soundings. But hark! that negro
talks as loud as an old cook I once
had.'

`I wonder what he can want! I'll go
and see, for it might not be safe for
Blanche to be so near a black negro!'

`I never yet saw a negro that was
white, sister. But don't fear! Negroes
are the most harmless people in the
world! But you here in Kennebec don't
see 'em very often, and so look upon
them as some sort of a Johnny Scarcecrow.
'

`I'll see what he wants!' answered
Aunt Sarah rising to go to the door.

Blanche had gone into the entry to see
who the person was approaching the door
her heart bounding with, she knew not
what hopes and fears. She opened the
door at Cæsar's knock, and said on seeing
the black, honest countenance of the
black,—

`Who do you wish to see?'

`Am dis here Cap'n Talbo' house,
missis?' asked Cæsar scraping his foot,
and making his best bow as well as he
could make it for the sack of oranges
upon his back.

`This is Captain Talbot's,' she answered
with that courtesy which never
deserted her, even when addressing the
humblest individual.

`Dis am de place den, Missis, and dis
nigger hab no lost his reckonin'; but I
might hab known it am de place soon as
I see sich a handsum specimens ob beauty
as yoursef, missis, coz it wouldn't be
nobody else as live here but yourself,
sure! You Cap'n Talbo's darter?' he
added after this compliment, looking up
at her in a very mysterious way, and rolling
his eye in a fashion that almost made
her laugh.

`Yes.'

`I know'd it! Den you am de very
bressed one me wishes to see.'

With these words he set down the bag
of oranges upon the step, and taking
from his cap a piece of old sail-cloth, he
unrolled it very carefully, and exposed
the unsullied outside of a note to the expecting,
half-believing, half-doubting
Blanche.

`Dar, young missis,' said Cæsar, after
looking all about him, and even over his
head carefully, to see that he was not

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observed, `dar am a letter leetle bit for
you from Massa Archy, and he —'

`Hush! Don't speak!' she said putting
up her finger before his eyes. `Don't
say you brought one!' she added quickly
as she hid it in her throbbing bosom,
hearing her aunt's step.

`No, missis, I keep dark! Massa
Archy tell me gib you dat, and send de
Cap'n dis bag of oranges, but not to tell
him whar dey come from in tikkilar. I
keep bery dark about de leety bit letter,
missy.'

`Are you Cæsar?'

`Yis, missy, he, he, he! Whoy, how
you know dat?'

`Where is Archibald?'

`Who, missis?'

`Your young master, I mean?'

`I guess he tell himself in de letter!
He tell me say nottin' bout whar he be to
nobody.'

`Hist!'

The door opened and Aunt Sarah made
her appearance. Upon seeing the black
face and broad shoulders of the negro,
she started back a little, as if it was her
duty to appear startled at the sight of a
negro, even though her brother had assured
her that they were very harmless,
good natured beings.

`Dear me! How black he is! Aint
you afraid, Blanche? What does he
want? I really begin to feel alarmed
about you!'

`He says he has brought a sack of
oranges as a present to father.'

`A sack of oranges! Oh, how delightful!
Do you hear, brother?' she cried
to the Captain, for she had left the parlor
door open to secure her retreat from
any perils.

`Yes, tell him to come in! Bring
aim in, Blanche! Whose man is he?'

Blanche did not answer; but Cæsar
as if called upon to be spokesman, lifted
the sack and walked into the room with
Blanche closing it, the outside door after
him, and wondering what the present of
oranges meant; and almost wild with joy
and curiosity to read the letter: for she
had recognized the well known hand of
one with whom she had secretly corresponded
for most of the time since the
war had commenced. Restraining her
impatience, and kissing the letter in the
entry before following her aunt and the
negro in, she proceeded to hear what he
had to say.

The Captain surveyed Cæsar from
head to foot with a keen, inquiring look
and then fixing his eyes full on his face,
he seemed to observe his features as if
he recognized familiar ones; but at last
he shook his head and said,

`No, it can't be! I must be mistaken.
Who are you, my man?'

Cæsar who had been all this while
bowing and smiling with true African politeness,
now drew himself up and answered,

`Me Cæsar, massa Cap'n Talbo'!'

`Captain Talbot, man!'

`Cap'n Talbotty! Me no say him no
better, massa.'

`You are Cæsar, are you? Cæsar
who?'

`Cesar no more dan him!'

`Then we'll have you Ceasar Africanus!
'

`Yis, massa.'

`Well, what do you want with me?
What have you got there, hey?'

`Two hundred and fifty orange, massa.'

`For me?'

`Yis, massn.'

`Who sent 'em?'

`Well, massa, dem is too pertikkeler
kestion,' answered Cesar, twirling his
old tarpaulin about by a piece of spunyarn
which was tied about the crown in
place of a ribbon.

`You can't tell me?'

`I'd rather not, massa. De orange

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speak for demsells. Dey sweat as sugarcane.
'

`Where did I ever see you before?'

`Don't know, massa, where I hab dat
honor.'

`It is somewhere. Do you know me?'

`Nebber hab de pleasure ob de recollection
ob your features, massa,' answered
Cesar, looking at him very attentively
and with grave curiosity.

`But I can't take these oranges, my
man.'

`Dey berry nice, ones, massa!' answered
Cesar, untying the mouth of the
bag, and displaying the golden tinted
fruit, the fragrance of which had already
filled the room. `Try him, massa; and
you, old missis;'

`Old? How very uncivil these negroes
are,' thought Mistress Sarah; but
she nevertheless accepted the orange
which Cesar politely handed to her.—
`And you, young Missis, please try him.'

`No doubt they are good; but I don't
like to accept of the fruit without knowing
who they come from,' answered the
captain. `They are not long from the
West Indies, that is plain. Perhaps some
sea-captain. What, my boy?'

`Dey from a friend ob yours, massa,
dat you may be sure.'

`You black rascal,' said the captain,
laughing, `tell me who sent them?'

`The person say if you knew you
might not like to take 'em, so he tell me
not to tell.'

`Then of course I shan't like to take
'em!'

`Take them, brother. It is no doubt
from one who is your warm friend,' said
aunt Sarah, who was very fond of
oranges, and did not wish by any means
that these should be returned merely
from the fact that the donor saw fit to
withhold his name.

`I'll see what Blanche says!'

But Blanche had taken advantage of
the controversy to glide from the room
to the little porch at the back of the
house, and there taking the letter from
her bosom she broke it open and began
to read it by moonlight; for she was
too impatient to light a candle, and this
might have betrayed her to the sharp
eyes of her aunt. So she thought of the
moon, how brightly it shone, and resolved
it should lend her light, as it had,
doubtless, lovers before her day.

The letter began as follows:

`Dearest Blanche, —'

But we have no right to peep over the
blushing, happy girl's shoulder and read
the letter she so carefully concealed
even the existence of from her father.
We will wait until she sees fit to unfold
the whole mystery to her father and
aunt, and read to them without fear the
letter she now read with such a bright
eye and happy heart.

When she had ended its perusal, she
kissed the name which was signed to it,
and murmuring more than once `Dear,
noble Archy!' she thrust it back into the
secret covert of her bosom, and hastened
to re-enter the parlor.

`Ho, Blanche! Where have you
been?' asked the captain. `I have got
news.'

`Yes, that will surprise you!' exclaimed
her aunt. `You have no idea who
sent this present.'

`May I guess?' she asked smilingly,
as if she did not know.

`Yes; but you need not try,' said her
aunt, eager to tell her. `The black
man has confessed. It is from Archibald
worthington!'

`From him?'

`Yes, girl. Isn't it odd enough!' said
her father. `I made the darky who
stands grinning there as if he was a
laughing ivory-mill, I made him tell me.
For I got him by the ear and held him
till he out with it.'

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