sho did like dat ar hoss. You er de onliest white man what been straddle un 'im ceppin' Marse 'Lisha. I ain't gwine to be nowhars 'roun' when he come huntin' dat hoss."
The horse evidently knew all about the Kilpatrick place, for he went directly to the hitching-post and there stopped. As O'Halloran dismounted, Plato took the halter strap, dexterously fastened it to the ring in the post, and promptly disappeared. He evidently had no idea of being made an interested party in the scene that he supposed would take place when the big Irishman loomed up before the astonished gaze of his mistress and her daughter.
But the scene he anticipated did not occur. It is the unexpected that happens, and it happened in this instance. O'Halloran went to the door that Plato had indicated, removed his waterproof coat, shook off the shining rain mist, and laid it on a convenient bench seat. Then he took off his hat, reached back his hair, and knocked confidently at the door. He was quite a presentable figure as he stood there, considering all the circumstances. His look of expectation had a genial smile for its basis, and there was a large spark of humor glistening in his fine black eyes.
