you when you's naked,
The orphan stear he'll dry,
He'll clothe you when you's hongry
An' take you when you die."

Miss Minerva jerked him off with no gentle hand.

"What I done now?" asked the boy innocently, "'tain't no harm as I can
see jes' to straddle a churn."

"Go out in the front yard," commanded his aunt, "and sit in the swing
till I call you. I'll finish the work without your assistance. And,
William," she called after him, "there is a very bad little boy
who lives next door; I want you to have as little to do with him as
possible."

CHAPTER IV

SWEETHEART AND PARTNER

Billy was sitting quietly in the big lawn-swing when his aunt, dressed
for the street, finally came through the front door.

"I am going up-town, William," she said, "I want to buy you some
things that you may go with me to church Sunday. Have you ever been to
Sunday-School?"

"Naw 'm; but I been to pertracted meetin'," came the ready response,
"I see Sanctified Sophy shout tell she tore ev'y rag offer her back
'ceptin' a shimmy. She's one 'oman what sho' is got 'ligion; she ain't
never backslid 't all, an' she ain't never fell f'om grace but one
time--"

"Stay right in the yard till I come back. Sit in the swing and don't go
outside the front yard. I shan't be gone long," said Miss Minerva.

His aunt had hardly left the gate before Billy caught sight of a round,
fat little face peering at him through the palings which separated Miss
Minerva's yard from that of her next-door neighbor.

"Hello!" shouted Billy. "Is you the bad little boy what can't play with
me?"

"What you doing in Miss Minerva's yard?" came the answering
interrogation across the fence.

"I's come to live with her," replied Billy. "My mama an' papa is dead.
What's yo' name?"

"I'm Jimmy Garner. How old are you? I'm most six, I am."

"Shucks, I's already six, a-going on seven. Come on, le's swing."

"Can't," said the new acquaintance, "I've runned off once to-day, and
got licked for it."

"I ain't never got no whippin' sence me an' Wilkes Booth Lincoln 's
born," boasted Billy.

"Ain't you?" asked Jimmy. "I 'spec' I been whipped more 'n a million
times, my mama is so pertic'lar with me. She's 'bout the pertic'larest
woman ever was; she don't 'low me to leave the yard 'thout I get a
whipping. I believe I will come over to see you 'bout half a minute."

Suiting the action to the word Jimmy climbed the fence, and the t