und, and
get these beats jailed."

"Good," she says, "I'll do it."

"And if it just happens so that I don't get away, but get took up
along with them, you must up and say I told you the whole thing
beforehand, and you must stand by me all you can."

"Stand by you! indeed I will. They sha'n't touch a hair of your head!"
she says, and I see her nostrils spread and her eyes snap when she
said it, too.

"If I get away I sha'n't be here," I says, "to prove these
rapscallions ain't your uncles, and I couldn't do it if I _was_ here.
I could swear they was beats and bummers, that's all, though that's
worth something. Well, there's others can do that better than what I
can, and they're people that ain't going to be doubted as quick as I'd
be. I'll tell you how to find them. Gimme a pencil and a piece of
paper. There--'_Royal Nonesuch, Bricksville._' Put it away, and don't
lose it. When the court wants to find out something about these two,
let them send up to Bricksville and say they've got the men that
played the 'Royal Nonesuch,' and ask for some witnesses--why, you'll
have that entire town down here before you can hardly wink, Miss Mary.
And they'll come a-biling, too."

I judged we had got everything fixed about right now. So I says:

"Just let the auction go right along, and don't worry. Nobody don't
have to pay for the things they buy till a whole day after the auction
on accounts of the short notice, and they ain't going out of this till
they get that money; and the way we've fixed it the sale ain't going
to count, and they ain't going to get no money. It's just like the way
it was with the niggers--it warn't no sale, and the niggers will be
back before long. Why, they can't collect the money for the _niggers_
yet--they're in the worst kind of a fix, Miss Mary."

"Well," she says, "I'll run down to breakfast now, and then I'll start
straight for Mr. Lothrop's."

"'Deed, _that_ ain't the ticket, Miss Mary Jane," I says, "by no
manner of means; go _before_ breakfast."

"Why?"

"What did you reckon I wanted you to go at all for, Miss Mary?"

"Well, I never thought--and come to think, I don't know. What was it?"

"Why, it's because you ain't one of these leather-face people. I don't
want no better book than what your face is. A body can set down and
read it off like coarse print. Do you reckon you can go and face your
uncles when they come to kiss you good-morning, and never--"

"There, there, don't! Yes, I'