"I'll only add this, sir: If you don't like the terms, you can have
whatever satisfaction you want. But I remember"--he produced a large
spring-back dirk-knife, sprung it open and began curling off long
parings from the pine stick--"that in college, when any one of us vexed
you, you took your spite out on us, and generally on me, in words.
That's all right. We were boys and couldn't hold malice." A shaving fell
upon Mr. Pettigrew's shoulder and stayed there. "But once or twice your
venomous contempt came near including my father's name. Still that's
past, let it go. But now, if you do take your spite out in words be
careful to let them be entirely foreign to the real subject, and be dead
sure not to involve any name but mine. Or else don't begin till you've
packed your trunk and bought your railroad ticket; and you'd better have
a transatlantic steamer ticket, too."
Mr. Pettigrew had drawn near the door. With his hand on it he hissed,
"You'll find this is not the last of this, sir."
"I reckon it is," drawled John, with his eyes on his whittling. As the
door opened and shut he put away his knife, and was taking his hat when
his eye fell upon Cornelius's letter. He opened and read it.
The writing was Leggett's, but between the lines could be caught a
whisper that was plainly not the mulatto's.
He was ready, he wrote, "to interjuce an' suppote that bill to create
the Three Counties Colonization Company, Limited--which I has fo shawten
its name an takened out the tucks. The sed company will buy yo whole
Immense Track, paying for the same one third 1/3 its own stock--another
one third 1/3 to be subscribened by private parties--an the res to be
takened by the three counties and paid for in Cash to the sed Company
Limited--which the sed cash to be raised by a special tax to be voted by
the People. This money shell be used by the sed Company Limited to
construc damns an sich eloquent an discomojus impertinences which then
they kin sell the sed lans an impertinences to immigraters factorians an
minors an in that means pay divies on the Stock an so evvybody get mo or
less molasses on his finger an his vote Skewered. Thattle fetch white
immigration an thattle ketch the white-liner's vote. But where some
dever an as soon as any six miles square shell contain twenty white
children of school Age the sed Company Limited shell be boun to bill an
equip for them a free school house. An faw evvy school house so billden
sed Company Limited shell be likewise boun to bill another sommers in
the three Counties where a equal or greater number of collared children
are without one. Thattle skewer the white squatter and Nigger vote."
The next clause--there was only a line or two besides--brought an
audible exclamation from the reader: "Lassly faw evvy sich school house
so bilt the sed Co. Limited shell pay a sum not less than its cost to
some white male college in the three counties older then the sed Company
Limited."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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