ed the yard he saw, standing on the drive, a
ramshackle old wagon, drawn by a big mule, which seemed, at the time
Tom observed him, to be asleep.

"I'll wager that's Boomerang," said Tom aloud, and the mule opened
its eyes, wiggled its ears and started forward.

"Whoa dar, Boomerang!" exclaimed a voice, and Eradicate Sampson
hurried around the corner of the house. "Dat's jest lake yo'," went
on the colored man. "Movin' when yo' ain't wanted to." Then, as he
caught sight of Tom, he exclaimed, "Why, if it ain't young Mistah
Swift! Good lordy! But dat livery brake yo' done fixed on mah wagon
suttinly am fine. Ah kin go down de steepest hill widout ropin' de
wheel."

"Glad of it," replied Tom. "Did you come to do some work?"

"Yais, sah, I done did. I found I had some time t' spah, an' thinks
I dere might be some whitewashin' I could do. Yo' see, I lib only
'bout two mile from heah."

"Well, I guess you can do a few jobs," said Tom. "Wait here."

He hunted up his father, and obtained permission to set Eradicate at
work cleaning out a chicken house and whitewashing it. The darky was
soon at work. A little later Tom passing saw him putting the
whitewash on thick. Eradicate stopped at the sight of Tom, and made
some curious motions.

"What's the matter, Rad?" asked the young inventor.

"Why, de whitewash done persist in runnin' down de bresh handle an'
inter mah sleeve. I'm soakin' wet from it now, an' I has t' stop
ebery onct in a while 'case mah sleeve gits full."

Tom saw what the trouble was. The white fluid did run down the long
brush handle in a small rivulet. Tom had once seen a little rubber
device on a window-cleaning brush that worked well, and he decided
to try it for Eradicate.

"Wait a minute," Tom advised. "I think I can stop that for you."

The colored man was very willing to take a rest, but it did not last
long, for Tom was soon back at the chicken coop. He had a small
rubber disk, with a hole in the center, the size of the brush
handle. Slipping the disk over the wood, he pushed it about half way
along, and then, handing the brush back to the negro, told him to
try it that way.

"Did yo' done put a charm on mah bresh?" asked Eradicate somewhat
doubtfully.

"Yes, a sort of hoodoo charm. Try it now."

The darky dipped his brush in the pail of whitewash, and then began
to spread the disinfectant on the sides of the coop near the top.
The surplus fluid started to run down the handle, but, meeti