The cold water continued to squirt on him, and he gave a wild yell.
Barney only wore a red flannel undershirt, and as the cold liquid flew about his limbs he jumped up in the air, his teeth chattering, his hair on end, and roar after roar pealing from his lips.
“Begorra! I’m a dead man!” he roared, as he rushed, danced, hopped and galloped around the room, followed by the cold stream and the laughter of the mischievous coon. “Howly beans! ther roofs leakin’! Ther poipes bushted! Ther house is afoire! Help! Help!”
“Yah! yah! yah!” howled the delighted darky. “Haw, haw, haw! Lord amassy, looker de jumpin’-jack!”
And s-s-s-s-sphf! Piff-piff-piff! went the water again.
By this time Barney got over his confusion and saw the coon.
He also observed the cause of his misery.
“Faith, it’s ther naygur!” he groaned, as he tried to dodge the stream.
“Whoop her up! Dat’s de step, honey! Oh, Lawd—looker dem legs fly!”
“Shtop it!” shouted the Celt, as he raced around to avoid the freezing water. “Bedad, I’m frozen! Pomp, ye spalpeen, wanst I get ther grip av me fingers in ther wool av yer head, I’ll scalp yez wid wan pull.”
“Hop, dar, yo’ chimpanzee; hop, I say! I’se gwine to gib yo’ a wash if yo’ neber hab one befo’, chile.”
There were several pairs of shoes, a boot jack, and sundry other objects lying upon the floor, which he eagerly grasped.
The next moment he bombarded the coon with them from behind the door, and as the fusillade whizzed through the air, Pomp made an effort to dodge them.
He was not quick enough, and the next moment a shoe caught him a thump on the nose, a valise banged him on the ear, and a whisk broom pounded him in the eye.
With a howl of pain, as a second volley struck him, he charged on the Irishman, who had come from behind the door.
The coon’s head was down to butt the Irishman in the stomach, but just at the right moment Barney nimbly sprang aside, and with a terrible crash Pomp’s head struck a panel of the door.
It went through, splintering the wood, and before he could withdraw his skull, Barney seized one of the bed-slats and belabored him so that every thump sounded like a pistol shot, and the howls of the captured coon awakened every one in the house.
In the midst of the furore Frank rushed in, and although he could hardly refrain from laughing at the drenched Irishman and the stuck darky, he assumed an angry look and cried, sternly: