“Bejabers, av it was me,” declared Barney, sententiously, “I’d jist go an up there mesilf alone and lave the naygur aboard the Steam Man.”
“Golly! it am jes’ as easy fo’ yo’ to stay dar as fo’ me,” spluttered Pomp. “You’se a no count I’ishman, anyway.”
“Don’t yez say that to me, naygur, or I’ll spile the face av yez,“retorted Barney, with mock earnestness.
“Huh! jes’ yo’ try it, I’ish. Yo’ll hab yo’ han’s full in jes’ a minnit.”
“Begorra, I will thry it.”
“Jes’ cum right along.”
Barney began to roll up his sleeves.
It was likely that the two rascals would have indulged in a friendly rough-and-tumble but for Frank.
“Come, this won’t do,” he said, sharply. “If you want to have any skylarking, you must wait for a better time.”
Pomp made a grimace to Barney behind Frank’s back, and Barney shook his fist at the darky.