"Now, Ozzie B., this is a monkey--the furst you've ever seed. He looks jes' like I told you--sorter like a man an' sorter like a nigger an' sorter like a groun' hog."
"The pretties' thing I ever seed," said Ozzie B., walking around and staring delightedly.
The crowd grew larger. It was a show Cottontown had never seen before.
Then two men came out of the bar-room--one, the bar-keeper, fat and jolly, and the other lank and with malicious eyes.
This gave Bonaparte his cue and he bristled and growled.
"Look out, mister," said the tender-hearted Ozzie B. to the Italian, "watch this here dog, Bonaparte; he's terrible 'bout fightin'. He'll eat yo' monkey if he gets a chance."
"Monk he noo 'fear'd ze dog," grinned the Italian. "Monk he whup ze dog."
"Vot's dat?" exclaimed Billy Buch--"Vot's dat, man, you say? Mine Gott, I bet ten to one dat Ponyparte eats him oop!"
To prove it Bonaparte ran at the monkey savagely. But the monkey ran up on the Italian's shoulder, where he grinned at the dog.
The Italian smiled. Then he ran his hand into a dirty leathern belt which he carried around his waist--and slowly counted out some gold coins. With a smile fresh as the skies of Italy, full of all sweetness, gentleness and suavity:
Billy gasped and grasped Jud around the neck where he clung, with his Dutch smile frozen on his lips. Jud, with collapsed under jaw, looked sheepishly around. Bonaparte tried to stand, but he, too, sat down in a heap.
"We will do it, suh," said Jud, who was the first to recover, and who knew he would get his part of it from Billy.
"Ve vill cover eet," said Billy, with ashen face.
"We will!" barked Bonaparte, recovering his equilibrium and snarling at the monkey.
There was a sob and a wail on the outskirts of the crowd.
"Oh, don't let him kill the monkey--oh, don't!"
Archie B. ran hastily around to him, made a cross mark in the road with his toe and spat in it.
"You're a fool as usual, Ozzie B.," he said, shaking his brother. "Can't you see that Italian knows what he's about? If he'd risk that twenty, much as he loves money, he'd risk his soul. _Venture pee-wee under the bridge--bam--bam--bam!_"
Ozzie B. grew quieter. Somehow, what Archie B. said always made things look differently. Then Archie B. came up and whispered in his ear: "I'm fur the monkey--the Lord is on his side."