“Please, Miss Eas’man,” he began, suddenly stopping his grin, and looking preternaturally demure, with a portentous roll of his saucer eyes, “please, Miss Eas’man, I jus’ run up here like a bob-tail nag for to say—to wit, that Brudder Baby is fus’ rate; so is Josey; so is Tom; so is I; so is father; and mar isn’t not nearly so well, an’ she feels right bad lest father should be took off, an’ them kidnappers is in town, an’ we’ll all be took off, jus’ so sure’s my name’s Tugmutton, Miss Eas’man—yes, Miss Eas’man, there aint no sort of a chance for us anyway, jus’ so sure as you’re born.”
Having delivered himself in shrill, fluent tones, to this effect, the young imp grinned cheerfully, and stood rapidly twirling his cap on his hand like a pin-wheel, and rolling his eyes at the three ladies. Muriel looked at him with a still face, but Mrs. Eastman smiled, and Emily, who had seen him once before, laughed amusedly.
“What an odd creature he is,” said the latter. “To think of his preferring to be called by that droll name? Don’t you like to be called Charles?” she asked, addressing the boy.
“Like it extrornerly, Miss Ames—never git done likin’ that name noways, Miss Ames,” he asseverated, with great earnestness. “But you see, Miss Ames, ’taint so familiar like as Tugmutton. Father calls me Tugmutton, an’ mar, an’ Josey, an’ Tom, an’ everbody, since I was knee-high to a toad, Miss Ames. Tugmutton’s my Christian name, Miss Ames, and Charles’s my given name as Miss Eas’man give me, Miss Ames.”
“Look here, Charles,” said Muriel, suddenly, “are you sure the kidnappers are in town?”
“Dead sure, Miss Eas’man—jus’ as sure as can be.”
“How do you know? Who told you?”
“Laws! Miss Eas’man! Why it’s in the newspaper!” blurted out the imp, rolling up the whites of his eyes at her with a look of amazed reproach.
“O, no, Charles! It’s not in the newspaper, for I’ve read the papers this morning,” said Muriel, smiling, and shaking her finger at him.
Tugmutton looked demure for a second, then smiled sheepishly, furtively rolled his eyes one side at the wall, and fidgeted on his feet, and with his cap and jacket.