"Say, look here!" cried Tom, a little out of patience, "you know me
better than that, Ned. Of course your more than ballast--I want you to
help me manage the craft since I made the changes on her. Now if you
don't want to come, why say so, and I'll get Eradicate. I don't believe
he'll be afraid, even if he--"

"Hold on dar now, Massa Tom!" exclaimed an aged colored man, who was an
all around helper at the Swift homestead, "was yo' referencin' t' me
when yo' spoke?"

"Yes, Rad, I was saying that if Ned wouldn't go up in the airship with
me you would."

"Well, now, Masa Tom, I shorely would laik t' 'blige yo', I shore would.
But de fack ob de mattah am dat I has a mos' particular job ob white
washin' t' do dish mornin', an' I 'spects I'd better be gittin' at it.
It's a mos' particular job, an', only fo' dat, I'd be mos' pleased t'
go up in de airship. But as it am, I mus' ax yo' t' 'scuse me, I really
mus'," and the colored man shuffled off at a faster gait than he was in
the habit of using.

"Well, of all things!" gasped Tom. "I believe you're all afraid of the
old airship, just because I wade some changes in her. I'll go up alone,
that's what I will."

"No, I'll go with you," interposed Ned Newton who was Tom's most
particular chum. "I only wanted to be sure it was all right, that was
all."