dience howling.

The buffoon would have collided with Peter, but the mulatto caught Jim
Pink by the arm and shoulder, brought him to a halt, and at the same
time helped him keep his feet.

To Peter's inquiry what was the matter, the black fellow whirled and
blared out loudly, for the sake of his audience:

"'Fo' Gawd, nigger, I sho thought Mr. Bobbs had me!" and he writhed his
face into an idiotic grimace.

The audience reeled about in their mirth. Because with negroes, as with
white persons, two thirds of humor is in the reputation, and Jim Pink
was of prodigious repute.

Peter walked along with him patiently, because he knew that until they
were out of ear-shot of the crowd there was no way of getting a sensible
answer out of Jim Pink.

"Where are you going?" he asked presently.

"Thought I'd step over to Niggertown." Jim Pink's humorous air was still
upon him.

"What's doing over there? What were the boys raising such a hullabaloo
about?"

"Such me."

"Why did that boy go running across like that?"

Jim Pink rolled his eyes on Peter with a peculiar look.

"Reckon he mus' 'a' wanted to git on t'other side o' town."

Peter flattered the Punchinello by smiling a little.

"Come, Jim Pink, what do you know?" he asked. The magician poked out his
huge lips.

"Mr. Bobbs turn acrost by de church, over de Big Hill. Da' 's always a
ba-ad sign."

Peter's brief interest in the matter flickered out. Another arrest for
some niggerish peccadillo. The history of Niggertown was one long series
of petty offenses, petty raids, and petty punishments. Peter would be
glad to get well away from such a place.

"Think I'll go North, Jim Pink," remarked Peter, chiefly to keep up a
friendly conversation with his companion.

"Whut-chu goin' to do up thaiuh?"

"Take a position in a system of garages."

"A position is a job wid a white color on it," defined the minstrel.
"Whut you goin' to do wid Cissie?"

Peter looked around at the foolish face.

"With Cissie?--Cissie Dildine?"

"Uh huh."

"Why, what makes you think I'm going to do anything with Cissie?"

"M-m, visitin' roun'." The fool flung his face into a grimace, and
dropped it as one might shake out a sack.

Peter watched the contortion uneasily.

"What do you mean--visiting around?"

"Diff'nt folks go visitin' roun';
Some goes up an' some goes down."

Apparently Jim Pink had merely quoted a few words from a poem he knew.
He stared at the g