A loud groan arose from the watching negroes.
Shin Bone stood up on the end of the bar and squealed:
“Good-bye, niggers! Ef dat worm ever gits offen dat copper cent I’ll pay de money back an’ eat de worm raw!”
He turned and walked out of the saloon a happy and wealthy man!
Ten minutes later Pap Curtain, Hitch Diamond, and Prince Total appeared at the home of Colonel Tom Gaitskill.
“Kunnel,” Hitch said earnestly, “us niggers wants to show you somepin an’ ax you how come!”
“What is it?” Gaitskill smiled.
Pap laid a silver dollar on the floor of the porch, Hitch Diamond placed a copper cent on top of it, and Prince Total laid a worm on top of the cent.
“Now, Kunnel, fer Gawd’s sake, tell us how come dat worm cain’t crawl offen dat cent?”
Gaitskill laughed.