ckly
into the street, where the lad stood beside his wheel, and grasped him
by the shoulder. He gave Tom a vicious shake.

"Take your hand off me!" cried Tom, who was hampered by having to hold
up his heavy machine.

"I will when I've given you what I owe you!" retorted the scoundrel.
"I'm going to have satisfaction now if I never--"

At that instant there came from down the street the sound of a rattling
and bumping. Tom looked up quickly, and saw approaching a rattletrap of
a wagon, drawn by a big, loose-jointed mule, the large ears of which
were flapping to and fro. The animal was advancing rapidly, in response
to blows and words from the colored driver, and, before the uplifted
fist of Morse could fall on Tom's head, the outfit was opposite them.

"Hold on dar, mistah! Hold on!" cried the colored man in the wagon.
"What are yo' doin' to mah friend, Mistah Swift?"

"None of your business!" snapped Morse. "You drive on and let me manage
this affair if you don't want trouble! Who are you anyhow?"

"Why doan't yo' know me?" asked the colored man, at whom Tom looked
gratefully. "I's Eradicate Sampson, an' dish yeah am mah mule,
Boomerang. Whoa, Boomerang! I reckon yo' an' I better take a hand in
dish yeah argument."

"Not unless you want trouble!" cried Morse.

"I doan't mind trouble, not in de leastest," answered Eradicate
cheerfully. "Me an' Boomerang has had lots of trouble. We's used to it.
No, Mistah Man, you'd better let go ob mah friend, Mistah Swift, if yo'
doan't want trouble yo' ownse'f."

"Drive on, and mind your business!" cried Morse, now unreasoningly
angry. "This is my affair," and he gave Tom a shake.

Our hero was not going to submit tamely, however. He had one hand free,
and raised to strike Morse, but the latter, letting go his hold on the
lad's shoulder, grasped with that hand, the fist which the young
inventor had raised. Then, with his other hand, the scoundrel was about
to hit Tom.

"Break away four him, Mistah Swift!" directed the colored man. "Yo' can
fight him, den!"

"I guess he'll have his own troubles doing that," sneered Morse.

"Not ef I help him," answered Eradicate promptly, as he climbed back
off the seat, into the body of his ramshackle vehicle.

"Don't you interfere with me!" stormed the man.

An instant later Tom broke away from his tormentor, and laid his
motor-cycle on the ground, in order to have both hands free for the
attack he felt would follow.

"Ha! You th