Harris Dickson

“ Two months after she disappeared, Jim discovered the same cow in the lot of Parson Brutus. But old Brutus stuck to it, swearing that he had milked that cow for three years, and that she was the mother of his wooly bull calf, which figured conspicuously in the evidence.
“Will,” Madison persisted, “if we can prove that she is the mother of that calf, we'll get him off.”
“Sure; but nobody can swear to that—except the cow.”
White folks had funny notions, and 'Nias grinned at the idea of a cow swearing to anything; then he sat up and asked warily. ”

“ What “goff” was, or why anybody should play it, never pestered the kinks of Ananias. That was their business. He saw Lawyer Henry Madison step off the car, with Lawyer Will Avery—who had sent Luke the Looter over the road. Lawyers were mighty good white folks for little 'Nias to steer clear of; so he edged closer on the wall to Aunt Cannie and heard the old woman mutter:
“Dem's de lawyers fer Parson Brutus. His case is comin' up agin nex' week. Dat Babcock nigger's contrivin' to land old Brutus in de pen.” ”

“ To be let alone stood for a state of future joy.
However, his ambitions changed upon that illuminating day when he first followed Aunt Cannie through the back gate of Mrs. J. Garner Wyndham, and the charitable lady gave 'Nias this wagon. A new thrill tingled in every vein of the tiny black anarchist with the possession of property not liable to confiscation by its owner. This wagon was his; nobody could deprive him of it. Not only that, but a curious phenomenon occurred, quite beyond his comprehension except that it happened: One night a negro boy stole his wagon and sold it to a white man ”

“ When the prosecuting attorney sat down, a low applause uprose from the Babcock benches.
“Silence in court!” the sheriff ordered, and Professor Babcock himself settled back with a supercilious smile as Judge Brien inquired:
“Has the defense anything to offer?”
“We have, Your Honor,' Madison answered from his window. “But first I'd like for the jury to glance again at our cow.”
Immediately behind the jury-box two windows opened between Corinthian columns, and gave an unobstructed view. Jurymen on the rear row need scarcely leave their seats ”

“ To these traitorous but truthful accusations, the little boy never blinked or turned his head. Such allegations bored him; they were not new to 'Nias, nor the proof thereof. He trudged on serenely, with a balky whiteness at the corner of his eyes which bluffed the bigger boys from touching him. They prudently fell back to where Kewp caught the tail end of his wagon, the sacred property that was his. 'Nias tried to jerk loose, but couldn't budge. ”

“ THE still sullen Bud, who was Avery's caddie, skirmished ahead on the fairway, while 'Nias trailed his boss, and now stood observing preliminaries at the tee. White folks certainly did have funny ways; 'Nias tried to display no superiority as he eyed the big lawyer squatting down, pranking with a pinch of sand. It appeared like he just couldn't get that sand rigged up to suit him. He made a little hill, patted it down with his palm, brushed the hill away and built it up again, then set a ball on top. And him a grown man! The ball rolled off, and so Madison had to fix the sand all over again. ”

“ Then the facts leaked out: three boy burglars had been caught and confessed that Babcock was head of the gang. A search of the Professor's quarters had disclosed an astonishing amount of plunder.
“Huh!” 'Nias peered like a rat from beneath his table, and grunted. “Huh! White folks needn't think dey so smart. I knowed dat a mont' ago.”
Lawyers and audience alike had forgot the sidetracked Parson Brutus, until a smiling jury filed in with their verdict of “Not guilty,” and friends crowded up to congratulate him.
Draymen and washerwomen kept Henry Madison busy shaking hands ”

“ The longest-living author of this work died in 1946, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 77 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works. ”