"
Then Tom took an attitude and let on to be studying
with all his might, and scratching his head. Then all
of a sudden he glanced up chipper, and says:
"Oh, now I've got it ! I'd forgot."
Which was a lie, and I knowed it. Then he says:
"Will somebody be good enough to lend me a little
small screwdriver? There was one in your brother's
hand-bag that you smouched, Jubiter. but I reckon
you didn't fetch it with you."
"No, I didn't. I didn't want it, and I give it
away."
"That's because you didn't know what it was
for."
Jubiter had his boots on again, by now, and when
the thing Tom wanted was passed over the people's
heads till it got to him, he says to Jubiter:
"Put up your foot on this chair." And he kneeled
down and begun to unscrew the heel-plate, everybody
watching; and when he got that big di'mond out of
that boot-heel and held it up and let it flash and blaze
and squirt sunlight everwhichaway, it just took every-
body's breath; and Jubiter he looked so sick and sorry
you never see the like of it. And when Tom held up
the other di'mond he looked sorrier than ever. Land!
he was thinking how he would 'a' skipped out and been
rich and independent in a foreign land if he'd only had
the luck to guess what the screwdriver was in the
carpet-bag for.
Well, it was a most exciting time, take it all around,
and Tom got cords of glory.
Pages:
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82