A little darkey riding a big black horse was galloping by; Jimmy hailed and halted him.
“You better go fast,” he shrieked. “Me and Billy and Frances and Lina's got the mumps and you ain't got no business to have 'em 'cause you're a nigger, and you better take your horse to the lib'ry stable 'cause he might ketch 'em too.”
The negro boy dismounted and hitched his horse to the fence. “I gotter little tarrapim—” he began insinuatingly.
And thus it came to pass that there was an epidemic of mumps in the little town of Covington, and William Green Hill grew rich in marbles, in tops, in strings, in toads, in chewing gum, and in many other things which comprise the pocket treasures of little boys.
CHAPTER XXIII
THE INFANT MIND SHOOTS
Miss Minerva had bought a book for Billy entitled “Stories of Great and Good Men,” which she frequently read to him for his education and improvement. These stories related the principal events in the lives of the heroes but never mentioned any names, always asking at the end, “Can you tell me who this man was?”
Her nephew heard the stories so often that he had some expression or incident by which he could identify each, without paying much attention while she was reading.
He and his aunt had just settled themselves on the porch for a reading.