Nascent Drama

[The Dork Lord]

"Honest, I'll tell you everything just as it happened, your majesty. The man that had a-holt of me was very good to me, and kept saying he had a boy about as big as me that died last year, and he was sorry to see a boy in such a dangerous fix; and when they was all took by surprise by finding the gold, and made a rush for the coffin, he lets go of me and whispers, 'Heel it now, or they'll hang ye, sure!' and I lit out. It didn't seem no good for me to stay -- I couldn't do nothing, and I didn't want to be hung if I could get away. So I never stopped running till I found the canoe; and when I got here I told Jim to hurry, or they'd catch me and hang me yet, and said I was afeard you and the duke wasn't alive now, and I was awful sorry, and so was Jim, and was awful glad when we see you coming; you may ask Jim if I didn't."

 

[The Dork Lord]

Jim said it was so; and the king told him to shut up, and said, "Oh, yes, it's mighty likely!" and shook me up again, and said he reckoned he'd drownd me. But the duke says:

 

[The Dork Lord]

"Leggo the boy, you old idiot! Would you a done any different? Did you inquire around for him when you got loose? I don't remember it."

 

[The Dork Lord]

So the king let go of me, and begun to cuss that town and everybody in it. But the duke says:

 

[The Dork Lord]

"You better a blame' sight give yourself a good cussing, for you're the one that's entitled to it most. You hain't done a thing from the start that had any sense in it, except coming out so cool and cheeky with that imaginary blue-arrow mark. That was bright -- it was right down bully; and it was the thing that saved us. For if it hadn't been for that they'd a jailed us till them Englishmen's baggage come -- and then -- the penitentiary, you bet! But that trick took 'em to the graveyard, and the gold done us a still bigger kindness; for if the excited fools hadn't let go all holts and made that rush to get a look we'd a slept in our cravats to-night -- cravats warranted to wear, too -- longer than we'd need 'em."

 

[The Dork Lord]

They was still a minute -- thinking; then the king says, kind of absent-minded like:

 

[The Dork Lord]

"Mf! And we reckoned the niggers stole it!"

 

[The Dork Lord]

That made me squirm!

 

[The Dork Lord]

"Yes," says the duke, kinder slow and deliberate and sarcastic, " we did."

 

[The Dork Lord]

After about a half a minute the king drawls out:

 

[The Dork Lord]

"Leastways, I did."

 

[The Dork Lord]

The duke says, the same way:

 

[The Dork Lord]

"On the contrary, I did."

 

[The Dork Lord]

The king kind of ruffles up, and says:

 

[The Dork Lord]

"Looky here, Bilgewater, what'r you referrin' to?"

 

[The Dork Lord]

The duke says, pretty brisk:

 

[The Dork Lord]

"When it comes to that, maybe you'll let me ask, what was you referring to?"

 

[The Dork Lord]

"Shucks!" says the king, very sarcastic; "but I don't know -- maybe you was asleep, and didn't know what you was about."

 

[The Dork Lord]

The duke bristles up now, and says:

 

[The Dork Lord]

"Oh, let up on this cussed nonsense; do you take me for a blame' fool? Don't you reckon I know who hid that money in that coffin?"