Part 7 (1/2)
”No, sir--what I said was--dthat if you'd len' me seventeen dollars I'd take Dix there and kill any dawg dthat yaller n.i.g.g.e.r up yonder in the Raleigh Hotel could trot out--I didn' keer what he was--and I said I'd--give you a hundred dollars out of the skads I picked up--dthat's what I said, and you got it wrong.”
”You'll do what?”
”You see, hit's this away--dthat big-moufed, corn-fed yaller n.i.g.g.e.r--he was allowin' dthat Mr. Mulligan had a dawg could chaw up any dawg dis side o' torment, and I 'lowed him a ten dthat I had one 's could lick H--l out o' any Mulligan or Mulligan's dawg top o' groun'--'n' dthat you'd len' me th' ten to put up.”
”Well, you've lost one ten anyway--I won't lend you a cent, and if I catch you fighting Dix, I'll give you the worst lambing you ever had since Justice John had you skinned for stealing those chickens.”
Jeams threw up his eyes in reprobation.
”Now, Cap'n--you know I never stole dem stags--dthat old jestice he jes'
sentenced me 'cause you was my counsel an' cause' I was a n.i.g.g.e.r an' he had'n had a chance at me befo'--I bet if I'd give' him half de money 'sted o' payin' you, he'd a' let me off mighty quick.”
”Pay me! you never paid me a cent in your life.”
”Well, I promised to pay you, didn' I? An' ain't dthat de same thin'?”
”Not by a big sight----”
”Dthat's de way gent'mens does.”
”Oh! do they?”
Jeams came back to the main theme.
”Mr. Hen, ain' you gwine let me have dem ten dollars, sho' 'nough? Hit's jes' like pickin' money up in de road: Dix kin kill dat dawg befo' you ken say Jack Roberson.”
”Jeams,” I said, ”look at me!”
”Yes, suh, I'm lookin',” and he was.
”I am going away to-night----”
”Well, I'm gwine width you, I ain' gwine stay heah by myself after you and Dix is gone.”
”No, you can't do that. I don't know yet exactly where I am going, I have not yet decided. I am going West--to a big city.”
”Dthat's where I want to go--” interrupted Jeams.
”And when I get settled I'll send for Dix--I'm going to leave him with you.”
”Yes, suh, I'll teck keer of him sure. I'll match him against any dawg in dthis town--he can kill dthat dawg of dthat yaller n.i.g.g.e.r's----”
”No, if you put him in a fight, I'll kill you the first time I see you--d'you hear?”
”Yes, suh--I ain' gwine put him in no fight. But ef he gits in a fight--you know he's a mighty high-spirited dawg--he don' like dawgs to come nosin' roun' him. Hit sort o' aggrivates him. An' ef he should----?”
”I'll whip you as sure as you live----”
”Jes' ef he should?”