before the reduction of the pain in mah muscles begun
to took place. I was plumb busted when Marsa Frank gib me dat position.
Ah didn't hab a cent about me. Eber hear ob a coon what didn't hab a
cent about him? Yah! yah! yah! Well, sah, dat was my condition. Now,
sah, Ah'ze rich. Ah'ze gut eleben dol's in de bank, an' Ah'ze addin' to
it continerly, sah--Ah'ze addin' to it continerly. If things keep up an'
nuffin' goes wrong, Ah'll soon hab mo' money dan dat bloated bond
holder, old Stranded Royle, an' dey say he's one ob de richest Creases
dere am outside ob de Raithchils. But Ah ain't nowhere nigh as rich as
at gemman friend ob mine, Toots. Bah golly! Ah bet dat brack nigger has
gut pretty nigh a hundred dollars salted away. He suttingly belongs to
de colored narrerstocracy. If Ah eber 'cumulates as much as dat, Ah'll
buy a brownstone house in Pillumdelphy an' settle down dar to lib on mah
income. Ah'd suttinly like to keep mah strength down the rest ob mah
life a crippin' coupins off'n gover'ment bands. Neber see none ob dem
gover'ment bands, but, bah jinks! dey mus' be de real stuff. Yah! yah!
yah!"

At last, to the satisfaction of Hodge, Carson was genuinely amused, and
he joined heartily in the infectious laughter of the big colored man.

CHAPTER VIII.

THE SUBSTITUTES.

After looking through the baths and the cozy little clubhouse, Bart and
Berlin mounted the stairs to the observation cupola of the latter. From
this point they could look down on the field or back toward Farnham Hall
and Merry Home.

"Truly a most fascinating spot. That's a grand old house of Frank's.
Makes me think of the fine old colonial mansions of the South."

"That was Merry's idea in remodeling it," nodded Hodge. "Although born
in the North, Frank is a man of the whole country. He's cosmopolitan. He
has absorbed the spirit of the South, the East, and the West. He's in
every way what you may call a representative American. There's no
question about the home atmosphere of those old colonial houses. They
make one feel sorry for the dinky, finicky, filigree houses built by
most people in these days."

There was a shout from the baseball field below, and, looking down
there, they saw several boys scampering round the diamond.

"Somebody made a great hit then," observed Berlin. "It was a homer, and
evidently the bases were full."

"That's the regular team at bat," exclaimed Hodge. "It's playing the
second team."

"How many tea