Page:The leopard's spots - a romance of the white man's burden-1865-1900 (IA leopardsspotsrom00dixo).pdf/209

 "You go see Miss Mar'get fur me, en git up close to her, en tell her taint right ter 'low no low down black nigger ter whip me!"

"All right Dick, I will," agreed Charlie.

"Case ef ole Josh beats me I gwine ter run away. I nebber git ober dat."

Dick had threatened to run away often before when he wanted to force Charlie to do something for him. Once he had gone a mile out of town with his clothes tied in a bundle, and Charlie trudging after him begging him not to leave.

The boy did his best to save Dick the humiliation of a whipping at the hands of Uncle Josh, but in vain.

When Uncle Josh led him out to the stable lot, his face was not pleasant to look upon. There was a dangerous gleam in Dick's eye that boded no good to his enemy.

"You imp er de debbil!" exclaimed Uncle Josh shaking his switch with unction.

"I fool you good enough, you ole bal' headed ape!" answered Dick gritting his teeth defiantly.

"I make you sing enudder chune fo I'se done wid you."

"En if you does, nigger, you know what I gwine do fur you?" cried Dick rolling his eyes up at his enemy.

"What kin you do, honey? askedhoney?" asked [sic] Uncle Josh, humouring his victim now with the evident relish of a cat before his meal on a mouse.

"Ef you hits me hard, I gwine ter burn you house down on you haid some night, en run erway des es sho es I kin stick er match to it," said Dick.

"You is, is you?" thundered Josh with wrath.

"Dat I is. En I burn yo ole chu'ch de same night."

Uncle Josh was silent a moment. Dick's words had chilled his heart. He was afraid of him, but he was