"No, could yo' really now?" asked Eradicate drawlingly for he was not afraid of Andy.
"Yes, I could, and don't you give me any of your back-talk! Get that brush out of the way!" and Andy kicked the long handle.
The natural result followed. The other end of the brush, wet with whitewash, described a curve through the air, coming toward the mean bully. And as the blow of Andy's foot jarred the brush loose, the next moment it fell right on Andy's head, the white liquid trickling down on his clothes, for Eradicate was not a miser when it came to putting on whitewash.
For a moment Andy could not speak. Then he burst out with:
"Hi! You did that on purpose! I'll have you in jail for that! Look at my hat, it's ruined! Look at my clothes! They're ruined! Oh, I'll make you pay for this!"
"Deed, an' it shore was a accident," said Eradicate, trying not to laugh. "You done did it yo'se'f!"
"I did not! You did it on purpose! Tom Swift put you up to this! I'll—I'll"
But Andy had to stop and splutter, for some of the lime ran down off his hat into his mouth, and he yelled:
"I'll—I'll—Ouch! Phew! Woof! Oof! Oh!"
