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Show • 20 ROEBUCI{. "Th~t \vill never do, 1\Ir. llig-gs." "I be1ieve nothing cl. e \vill do ,vith Jnb:t." "If there ,vere no other objection, he 1nighi beat you." " Then you ·will h~vc to get another overseer. I an1 \villing to take the ri k, if you consent. I \V:13 once active and had on1e skill at boxing. I :un older now a1Hl out of pracLicc. 13ut I'll risk it." The colonel shook his head doubtJully nt this novel proposition, but Juba can1e up :uHl he 1nerely ~aiJ, " o-o \vith the over. cer" as he rode a'vay. b • 1 "No,v, Jnba," sn.id Iliggs, "lay <.1own the sw1tc 1es. You \vill need your fists. You n1u:-;t iight 1ne. I give you a \vhiie 1nan's chance. It's a fair ii.ght." "Fa'r fight? vVhite m·a.n's chance? Sure cuough. ?" "Yes, thai's \vhat I £ay." "vVhoop !" shont d Jnb:t\ so loncl that he 'nts heard by some of his fello\v-servnnis in n. neighboring field, and, leaning on their hoc~, they beca1ne spcct~iors of the scene. " Get rcauy, J uba." "1'~ always ready for a fa'r fight." "Come on, then." J uba was not slo\V to act upon this hint. lie 1111-cle a lunge \Vith hi great 1naul of a ih;t a~ the overseer's face, and \vould have flattened his features if the blow had not been dexterously parried. J uba. open eel his eyes ·with \VQndcr to sec that so much force had dono no 1nischicf. lie rcp<eated the cfl'ort several times \Viih little variation aud \Viih no b )tier ~ucce. ~. Then the overseer in turn bcg~n to plant his blo'rvs. lie struck J ub~ on the hcau-his least vulnerable pa-rtand J uba. fell flat on the grass. lie rose and came to the scratch again, but almost instantly he measured • ROEBUCK. 21 1ds length npon the ground II . thrn, wlwn he rose 1 . took n. tlunl fall, hut 1 ' ' le tnrnect hi.. 1 1 a( versary an<1 t 1 . >rwc npon his . ooctoJnshcelR li 1"1 llltttl he ioin d tl 1 1 . · · e <. t< not st< p II lC n. orers 1n tJ 1· · . c th re s \izcd 1 • lC :l<JOllling fi •1<1. . , a lOC and \V nt t I . sayIng n wonl After a lo . o \VOr c \VI t hout an cl ~n.i<1 \vith ,l.l, I"tt c1 :u I gn. n.n g tune he looked round . " 1.) nt ai. n't snch a Hlcan ov. . . I lus folks is pretty dcccut ~ . Cl sec~ n.ft?r a~l ; I reckon In the Incantinte Colonc~ri_,P_G~t '\v}ute folk:-;." 'vhcrc :t GO''Cll coJn I au·iax pn.~ .... d into :t field one oft} · .~~ .., ... vc, \\"Crc a t \vorI c under the len. I f' leH own cln ·s \vh l , l o gan o-. 1Ic \V'"'.. • . • ' o actc< a headman of the o •LS a coten1porar f 1 they had play ,<1 t rr t1 . ' Y 0 ~ lC colonel, an<l \vhen they "\Vereb :-, , lCl' ~ncl sonl .tun'S fought too, lifo, ailcl 'voul<l ha oys. As he r m:uno<.l a boy all ]lis 1 · .. v e protracted al . tl ,, liS Ina:-;tcr he cont· 1 , so 1 uoyhood of JI 1. ~ nose ,v' n.s lil,.e a1 11 u <I to c·' tll hi Jn " l\I .n aster I~"red." 1 • · \. • pac \:-~addle JI 1 t lough not corpulo t 1 . h . c ''ras s lOrt, and \\-'ere all roun<l anclnl ·~ usl eaa,. f:tee, body and litnbs b en rolled ab' o. ut liukse Pa nmp httlc fli gnre Jni.c rht have With the bland screJ . t.. ~all. _Tic "\Ya callc 1 Joe. authority he led bu y o . anciCnt aud uncli ·pnted ' a vy ol ·I cJ ~ 11 .l' 1 \VhO "\VhistJcd O. , : .._, 'VC -J.C(. JICOTO(\S . 1 sung at the1r h ,b . · ~ ' 'v1th their l)rO~J)CC'. 1 · 01 ' q nttc Hatt:-)fied 1 . t~IVe s larc of the 1 P antation. \Vhon tl 1 pro< uct ' of the If 1 . 1c co on \1 :t}>]n;,on. ,1 1 J 0 ns l1at and sa1nt 1 1 . . · 0 'le<. oe, took " C< HlH \VIth n, OT•tve b .. yonr snrvant, l\Iast r F. 1" . o • O\V, saying, ·' JI 1 e<. . O\V goes it, Joe, and ho\v ,, the '''o J t 1 uo yon ,(!"et on "'Vl.t11 , _ . r c o-< ay ?" , ~ , J\IIghty well .. ir . de bo , • . day, lively, 1\Ia~ter li\·ed. )~t~: ~or~nn' l:? li_v~Iy ~oJnnybe you'd a1lo 11 J .l.Hu tlunktn' Sir, di \V o <. oc to 'sprcss b. ' . . s 'ere corn-plantin' snbjeo'." lS punon ou |