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
PRETENDING REALITY
The chain-gang had been working in the street not far from Miss Minerva's house, and Lina, Frances, Billy and Jimmy had hung on her front fence for an hour, watching them with eager interest. The negroes were chained together in pairs, and guarded by two, big, burly white men.
“Let's us play chain-gang,” suggested Jimmy.
“Where we goin' to git a chain?” queried Billy; “'t won't be no fun 'thout a lock an' chain.”
“I can get the lock and chain off 'm Sarah Jane's cabin.”