--Pudd'nhead Wilson's Calendar

Tom flung himself sofa, and put his throbbing head hands, and rested his elbows knees He rocked himself back and forth and moaned

"I've knelt to nigger wench ! " he muttered " I had struck the deepest depths of degradation before, but oh, dear, nothing . . Well, one consolation, such --I've struck bottom ; there's nothing lower "

But that was hasty conclusion

At ten that night he climbed the ladder haunted house, pale, weak, and wretched Roxy was standing door of rooms, waiting, for she had heard him

two-story log house which had acquired the reputation few of being haunted, end usefulness Nobody would live afterward, or go near it by night, and most people even gave it wide berth daytime As it had no competition, called the haunted house getting crazy and ruinous now, from long neglect It stood three hundred yards beyond Pudd'nhead Wilson's house, with nothing between but vacancy It last house town end

Tom followed Roxy room She had pile of clean straw corner for bed, some cheap but well-kept clothing was hanging wall, tin lantern freckling the floor with little spots of light, and there were various soap and candle boxes scattered about, which served for chairs The two sat down Roxy said:

"Now den, I'll tell you straight off, en I'll begin to k'leck de money later on; I ain't in no hurry What does you reckon I's gwine you ? "

"Well, you--you--oh, Roxy, don't make it too hard ! Come right out and tell me you've found out somehow what shape I'm in on account of dissipation and foolishness "

"Disposition en foolishness ! NO sir, dat ain't it Dat jist ain't nothin' at all, 'longside o' what I knows "

Tom stared at her, and said:

"Why, Roxy, what ? "

She rose, and gloomed above him like Fate

"I means dis--en it's de Lord's truth You ain't no more kin to ole Marse Driscoll den I is ! dat's what I means ! " and her eyes flamed with triumph

"What ? "

"Yassir, en dat ain't all ! You's nigger ! --_bawn nigger and slave ! --en you's nigger en slave dis minute; en if I opens my mouf ole Marse Driscoll'll sell you down de river befo' you is two days older den what you is now ! "

"It's thundering lie, you miserable old blatherskite ! "

"It ain't no lie, nuther It's just de truth, en nothin' but de truth, so he'p me Yassir--you's my son_--"

"You devil ! "

"En dat po' boy dat you's be'n a-kickin' en a-cuffin' today is Percy Driscoll's son en yo' marster_--"

"You beast ! "

"En his name is Tom Driscoll, en yo's name's Valet de Chambers, en you ain't GOT no fambly name, beca'se niggers don't have em ! "

Tom sprang up and seized billet of wood and raised it, but his mother only laughed at him, and said:

"Set down, you pup ! Does you kin skyer me ? It ain't in you, nor de likes of you I reckon you'd shoot me in de back, maybe, got chance, for dat's jist yo' style--_I knows you, throo en throo--but I don't mind gitt'n killed, beca'se all dis is down in writin' and it's in safe hands, too, en de man dat's got it knows whah to look for de right man when I gits killed Oh, bless yo' soul, puts yo' mother up for as big fool as _you is, you's pow'ful mistaken, I kin tell you ! Now den, you set still en behave yo'self; en don't you git up ag'in till I tell you ! "

Tom fretted and chafed awhile in whirlwind of disorganizing sensations and emotions, and finally said, with something like settled conviction:

"The whole thing is moonshine; now then, go ahead and do your worst; I'm done "

Roxy made no answer She took the lantern and started door Tom was in cold panic in moment

"Come back, come back ! " he wailed "I didn't mean it, Roxy; I take it all back, and I'll never say it again ! Please come back, Roxy ! "

The woman stood moment, then she said gravely:

"Dat's you's got to stop, Valet de Chambers 't call me Roxy_, same as was my equal Chillen don't speak to dey mammies like dat You'll call me ma or mammy, dat's what you'll call me--leastways when de ain't nobody aroun' Say it ! "

It cost Tom struggle, but he got it out

"Dat's all right don't you ever forgit it ag'in, knows what's good Now den, you had said you wouldn't ever call it lies en moonshine ag'in I'll tell you dis, for warnin': ever does say it ag'in, it's de LAS' time you'll ever say it ; I'll tramp as straight to de judge as I kin walk, en tell him who you is, en prove it Does you b'lieve me when I says dat ? "

"Oh," groaned Tom, "I more than believe it; it "

Roxy knew her conquest was complete She proved nothing to anybody, and her threat of writings was lie; but she knew the person she was dealing with, and had made both statements without any doubt effect produce

She went and sat down on her candle box, pride and pomp of her victorious attitude made it throne She said:

"Now den, Chambers, we's gwine business, en dey ain't gwine no mo' foolishness In de fust place, you gits fifty dollahs month; you's gwine to han' over half of it to yo' ma Plank it out ! "

But Tom had only six dollars her that, and promised to start fair on 's pension

"Chambers, is you in debt ? "

Tom shuddered, and said:

"Nearly three hundred dollars "

"How is you gwine it ? "

Tom groaned out: "Oh, I don't know; don't ask me such awful questions "

But she stuck to her point until she wearied confession out of him: he prowling about in disguise, stealing small valuables from private houses; , of raid fellow villagers fortnight before, when supposed in St Louis; but he doubted if he had sent away enough stuff to realize the required amount, and was afraid further venture present excited state town His mother approved conduct, and offered to help, but this frightened him He tremblingly ventured that if retire town feel better and safer, and could hold his head higher--and was going on an argument, but she interrupted and surprised him pleasantly by saying she was ready; it didn't make any difference to her where she stayed, she got her share pension regularly She said not go far, and would call haunted house for her money Then she said:

"I don't hate you now, but I've hated you many year-- and anybody would Didn't I change you off, en good fambly en good name, en made you white gen'l'man en rich, wid store clothes on--en what did I git ? You despised me all de time, en was al'ays sayin' mean hard things befo' folks, en wouldn't ever let me forgit I's nigger--en--en--"

She fell to sobbing, and broke down Tom said: "But I didn't know you were my mother; and besides--"

"Well, nemmine 'bout dat, now; let it go I's gwine to fo'git it " Then she added fiercely, "En don't ever make me remember it ag'in, or you'll be sorry, I tell you "

were parting, Tom said, most persuasive way command:

"Ma, would you mind telling me who was my father ? "

He had supposed asking an embarrassing question mistaken Roxy drew herself up with proud toss of her head, and said:

"Does I mine tellin' you ? No, dat I don't ! You ain't got no 'casion shame' o' yo' father, I kin tell you He wuz de highest quality in dis whole town--ole Virginny stock Fust famblies, he wuz Jes as good stock as de Driscolls en de Howards, de bes' day dey ever seed " She put on little prouder air, if possible, and added impressively: "Does you 'member Cunnel Cecil Burleigh Essex, dat died de same year yo' young Marse Tom Driscoll's pappy died, en all de Masons en Odd Fellers en Churches turned out en give him de bigges' funeral dis town ever seed ? Dat's de man "

Under the inspiration of her soaring complacency the departed graces of her earlier days returned to her, and her bearing took to itself dignity and state that passed for queenly if her surroundings little more in keeping with it

"Dey ain't another nigger in dis town dat's as highbawn is Now den, go 'long ! En jes you hold yo' head up as high as to-- you has de right, en dat I kin swah "

CHAPTER 10

The Nymph Revealed

All say, "How hard it to die"--a strange complaint mouths of people to live

--Pudd'nhead Wilson's Calendar

When angry, count four; when very angry, swear

--Pudd'nhead Wilson's Calendar

Every , after Tom went to bed, he had sudden wakings out sleep, first thought was, "Oh, joy, all dream ! " Then he laid himself heavily down again, with groan muttered words, "A nigger ! nigger ! Oh, dead ! "

He woke at dawn with one more repetition horror, and then he resolved to meddle no more treacherous sleep He began Sufficiently bitter thinkings they were They wandered along something fashion:

Why were niggers and whites made ? What crime did the uncreated first nigger commit curse of birth was decreed for him ? And why awful difference made between white and black ? . How hard the nigger's fate seems, ! --yet until last night such thought never entered my head "

He sighed and groaned an hour or more away Then "Chambers" came humbly in that breakfast was nearly ready "Tom" blushed scarlet this aristocratic white youth cringe to him, nigger, and call him "Young Marster " roughly:

"Get out sight ! " and youth was gone, he muttered, "He me no harm, poor wrench, but an eyesore now, for Driscoll, the young gentleman, and a--oh, dead ! "

gigantic eruption, like that of Krakatoa few , accompanying earthquakes, tidal waves, and clouds of volcanic dust, changes the face surrounding landscape beyond recognition, bringing down the high lands, elevating the low, making fair lakes where deserts , and deserts where green prairies had smiled before The tremendous catastrophe which had befallen Tom had changed his moral landscape in much the same way Some low places lifted to ideals, some ideas had sunk valleys, and lay there sackcloth and ashes of pumice stone and sulphur on their ruined heads