Page:Harris Dickson--Old Reliable in Africa.djvu/68

 away money jes same as ef twuz buttons—fo' bits here, an' a dollar yonder. Folks jes laff an' say de onliest thing Cunnel is stingy 'bout is ammynition. He sho do hate to waste none o' dat. I been wid 'im, man an' boy, fer nigh on to fifty years, an' he ain't never wasted none to my knowin'. Comin', suh, comin'." Zack reached down, grabbed his hat and hustled out, for the Colonel himself had appeared at the door and beckoned him.

Three foreigners stared at each other. Castelleone wasn't satisfied. "Mees Stanton," he inquired, "what does the black mean when he says 'stingy wid ammynition'?"

Miss Stanton laughed outright and explained, "He says the Colonel never misses a shot—always hits something with each bullet. Hates to waste a shot, just as you hate to waste a dollar—to throw it away, to get nothing for it. Do you understand?"

"Si, Signorina—oh, yes—Mees" Castelleone answered slowly.