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men, would be onfair for me. gentlemen, I shall not fight it."

Gentlemen, no;

After the explosion ensuing upon this determined refusal, and some discussion as to its import and most proper consequences, it was decided at last, with entire concurrence on the part of Oglethorpe Josh, that it would be fair to regard the money advanced, not exactly as won by Billy, nor as constituting a drawn bet, but that Billy-for Jack said it should be Billy's interest, and not his own-should have half the deposit of Oglethorpe Josh.

When Jack had communicated this decision to Billy, the brightness in an instant fled from his face, and he glanced around resentfully upon all. Then he looked upon the ground for a moment thoughtfully, putting his hand to his ear. Then he raised his head, his face putting on a conditional smile, looked at Oglethorpe, hugged himself, twisted his legs about, made a long mark upon the ground, struck his left forefinger with his right, and uttering several guttural sounds from his throat, looked at Jack as if he were not yet entirely through with giving expression to his ideas.

Oglethorpe watched Billy's actions with earnest and compassionate interest. Said he:

Ef it

"What do it want? Ain't it satisfied? ain't, let it take all the money. Sooner than worry the poor thing, I 'd let it have all I got. I'd-"

"Jes' so, jes' so, I know," said Jack. that ain't what Billy 's arfter."

"But

"Well, what is it arfter? I can't see from them doin's what it is arfter."

"Jes' so; but me and him 's neighbors, and always has been, and we understands one another same as ef Billy could talk. arfter a wrastle with you, stranger."

"A wrastle with me!"

Billy 's

"Jes' so; and he say ef you 'll give him a wrastle, jes' a friendly wrastle, you mind, you may have a dollar more o' your money, no matter which gits flung; and ef you don't he 'll have some more words to say to you."

"You

"Words!" ejaculated Oglethorpe. call them things words! Words! more words! Them things was its langwidges, was they?" Then Mr. Oglethorpe Josh Green grinned somewhat, and the iron in his frame seemed to begin to soften.

"Jes' so," answered Jack; "and Billy 's got more langwidges than you ever heerd of."

"More words, and in warious langwidges,"

said O. J. G., thoughtfully. “And they means it want a wrastle, and ef it can't git it, it'll have more words in more warious langwidges."

Then Mr. O. J. G. regarded Billy with the most intense scrutiny. It was evident that he was again doubtful, but seemingly to avoid the necessity of further remarks in other unknown tongues, he concluded to acquiesce in Billy's wishes.

“Very well, then,” he said. “But, gentlemen, I'm agin this thing, and I wants it onderstood that ef it git hurt, I ain't responchible." Everybody said that was right. Then they stripped themselves.

CHAPTER III.

"What hold do it want?" asked Mr. Oglethorpe Josh Green.

Billy, when the question was made known to him by Jack, raised and let fall first his right arm, then his left, shook his head contemptuously, then unwrapped from his finger an invisible rag, and threw it upon the ground.

"What kind o' words was them?" asked O. J. G.

"Them words," answered Jack, "them 's that Billy say he don't keer, not even to the

wrappin' of his fingers, which hold you give him, right or left."

"Yes, I see it were somethin' about-about fingers."

Mr. O. slowly scraped his upper lip with his lower teeth.

"And ef I don't wrastle with it, you say— it'll have yit more-words, and prob'ly in yit more warious langwidges?"

"Jes' so."

"Well, gentlemen," he said, resignedly; "'member, gentlemen, I 'm agin it, and both tharfore and wharfore I ain't to be responchible."

Certainly not, unanimously.

They were hitched. Jack Hall was to give the word, with a simultaneous nod to Billy. Billy's eye was on Jack, bright as a rattlesnake's when on the point of striking.

"Go," said Jack.

Billy, instantaneously detecting, from the feel of his adversary, which was his stronger side, quick as lightning swayed his back yet more, slid himself an inch or two aside, brought his right knee-joint against Oglethorpe's left, and, simultaneously with pressure there, and a resistless impulsion with his left arm, adroitly

tripped, with his left, Oglethorpe's right foot. The part of Oglethorpe that was likely to strike the ground first was his head. But Billy, as he was descending, softened the fall by hopping, with the agility of a greyhound, astraddle of his body, which barely touched the earth. There, holding Oglethorpe for a moment in his arms, flinging back from his eyes his long locks, he smiled in his face as a person does sometimes upon a child whom he has thrown up into the air playfully, and caught safely on the return. Then, when both had risen, he brushed him carefully with his hand and his handkerchief.

Omitting the numberless sayings, some of them interesting, in that crowd, now numbering a couple of hundreds or more, I confine myself to the main actors.

"Well I did n't fight it!" said Oglethorpe, contemplating Billy with yet enhanced interest. "Ef it could onderstand me," he continued, hesitatingly, "my desires would be to corngratilate it, as it 's the first thing that ever laid my back on the ground."

Then he extended his hand partially, which Billy, when made aware of his intention, seized, and cordially shook. Oglethorpe the while

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