f'om gittin' hurted, Aunt Minerva, don't it?"

Miss Minerva laid down her fork and gave her nephew her
undivided attention.

"You have been getting into mischief again, I see, William;
now tell me all about it. Are you afraid of me?"

"Yas 'm," was his prompt response, "an' I don't want to be put
to bed neither. The Major he wouldn't put little boys to bed
day times."

She blushed and eyed him thoughtfully. She was making slow
progress with the child, she knew, yet she still felt it her
stern duty to be very strict with him and, having laid down
certain rules to rear him by, she wished to adhere to them.

"William," she said after he had made a full confession, "I won't
punish you this time for I know that Jimmy led you into it but--"

"Naw'm, Jimmy didn't. Me an' him an' Frances an' Lina's all
'sponsible, but I promise you, Aunt Minerva, not to clam' no mo'
ladders."





CHAPTER XXI