poke up, apropos of nothing,

"'F I had a boy 't wouldn't fight, I'd tie him to a good sapling and
fill him so full of bullets the buzzards wouldn't eat him!"

Having observed anything but a lack of the "fighting edge" since my
arrival on Perilous, I saw no point in this remark, and let it pass.
Nucky spoke again, accusingly,

"You got one," he said; "you got a boy 't won't fight!"

"I?" I demanded in amazement.

"Iry Atkins yander. Little Jason Wyatt's been a-picking on him for three
days, and he's afeared to fight him back, by Ned!"

"You're a liar, Trojan!" spoke up the "pure scholar," hotly; "I haint
fit him because I'm a-minding her. She said for us not to fight him
because he were so little. I can fight as good as you, dag gone you!"

"Le's see you then, dad swinge you!"

Iry rushed upon Nucky with murder in his eye, and it took Taulbee and
me, aided by a hoe-handle, to separate them.

Iry's conscientiousness is very gratifying. I wish that I could remove
the interdict made at first for Jason's protection; but probably it had
better remain now for Iry's.

_Friday Night._

When Jason and Keats came up from the wash-house to-night in their fresh
gowns, looking startlingly clean, (I let them bathe together because
Keats is so kind-hearted, and carries the water from kettles to tubs for
Jason, and even washes his back for him) I handed Keats a pair of
scissors. "Do you mind cutting Jason's toe-nails?" I asked; "I notice
that they are dreadfully long."

To my utter confounding, Jason threw himself on the floor, kicking and
beating it violently and letting out terrific yells.

"Why, it won't hurt you, dear," I said, "or, if you fear Keats will, I
will gladly do it myself."

The howls and yells increased if possible.

"He haint afeared of being hurt," said Keats; "he just don't aim to
part with them toe-nails."

"Why?" I inquired.

"He needs 'em in his business. He fights with 'em. I found it out when
him and Hen fit a-Tuesday. He tried it on me, the feisty little skunk!
That's the way he lays out the day-schools five-at-a-time. He jobs out
the eyes of two with his thumbs, and bites and butts another, and rakes
the shins of two more with his toe-nails, and whups out five as easy as
falling off a log!"

"They certainly must come off then," I declared sternly. "You hold one
leg, and Killis one, and Philip and Taulbee his arms and head, and I'll
cut them off!"

And thus surprised of his secre