"Howdy," said Robert, approaching Uncle Daniel, the leader of the prayer-meeting, who had preceded him but a few minutes. "Thanks and praise; I'se all right. How is you, chile?" "Oh, I'm all right," said Robert, smiling, and grasping Uncle Daniel's hand. "What's de news?" exclaimed several, as they turned their faces eagerly towards Robert. "I hear," said Robert, "that they are done sending the runaways back to their masters." "Is dat so?" said a half dozen earnest voices. "How did you yere it?" "I read it in the papers. And Tom told me he heard them talking about it last night, at his house. How did you hear it, Tom? Come, tell us all about it." Tom Anderson hesitated a moment, and then said:-- "Now, boys, I'll tell you all 'bout it. But you's got to be mighty mum 'bout it. It won't do to let de cat outer de bag." "Dat's so! But tell us wat you yered. We ain't gwine to say nuffin to nobody." "Well," said Tom, "las' night ole Marster had company. Two big ginerals, and dey was hoppin' mad. One ob dem looked like a turkey gobbler, his face war so red. An' he sed one ob dem Yankee ginerals, I thinks dey called him Beas' Butler, sed dat de slaves dat runned away war some big name--I don't know what he called it. But it meant dat all ob we who com'd to de Yankees should be free." "Contraband of war," said Robert, who enjoyed the distinction of being a good reader, and was pretty well posted about the war. Mrs. Johnson had taught him to read on the same principle she would have taught a pet animal amusing tricks. She had never imagined the time would come when he would use the machinery she had put in his hands to help overthrow the institution to which she was so ardently attached. "What does it mean? Is it somethin' good for us?" "I think," said Robert, a little vain of his superior knowledge, "it is the best kind of good. It means if two armies are fighting and the horses of one run away, the other has a right to take them. And it is just the same if a slave runs away from the Secesh to the Union lines. He is called a contraband, just the same as if he were an ox or a horse. They wouldn't send the horses back, and they won't send us back." "Is dat so?" said Uncle Daniel, a dear old father, with a look of saintly patience on his face. "Well, chillen, what do you mean to do?" "Go, jis' as soon as we kin git to de army," said Tom Anderson. "What else did the generals say? And how did you come to hear them, Tom?" asked Robert Johnson. "Well, yer see, Marster's too ole and feeble to go to de war, but his heart's in it. An' it makes him feel good all ober when dem big ginerals comes an' tells him all 'bout it. Well, I war laying out on de porch fas' asleep an' snorin' drefful hard. Oh, I war so soun' asleep dat wen Marster wanted some ice-water he had to shake me drefful hard to wake me up. An' all de time I war wide 'wake as he war." "What did they say?" asked Robert, who was always on the lookout for news from the battle-field.