Penny Dreadfuls, 1916 · page 82 of 400
Tom Anderson, Dare-Devil: A Young Virginian in the Revolution — page 82: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a page of running prose from page 66 of a penny dreadful titled *Tom Anderson, Dare-Devil*. The text describes a violent fight between Tom and a man named Egger over a boy called "Fool Billy," whom Egger has been whipping. Tom defeats Egger, knocking out his front tooth, and threatens him with jail if he harms Billy again. Egger retaliates with his own threat before departing. The passage concludes with dialect-heavy comic banter among Black characters, one of whom makes a joke about Billy's appetite.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
66 Tom ANDERSON, DareE-DEVIL “He’s got one lickin’ ef he nuver gits ernother ’n,” and, winding a hand in the poor Black Thistle’s crown of wool, he raised the whip again. It was an unwary movement. Tom launched himself upon the man like a wildcat, locked his right leg around Egger’s in a vain effort to trip him, and then struck straight out from the shoulder. Egger went crashing into a picket fence and a honeysuckle. Tearing a picket from the fence, loom stood on the de- fensive. “Now get up— and we'll have it out — right here!’’ panted he. Egger pulled himself out of the vines, and spat out a mouthful of blood, swearing vilely. Tom wiped the dirt out of the Fool’s eyes, and the blood from his miserable little shanks, and turned upon the man. “Tf ever you lay hands on this boy again, you'll go to Charlottesville jail.” “T’ll be totin’ thur keys er Charlottesville jail ’fo’ long!”’ he swore. Little did Tom surmise what this threat meant. “You'll be totin’ some broken bones, if you beat Fool Billy. Mund that.” | Egger mopped his bloody mouth on his sleeve. “Tl peel thur black hide off’n him yzt.”’ The Fool’s screams had drawn a score of negroes to the spot. Egger turned upon them like a mad bull. “Whut ye runnin’ hyur fer? Go ter wuk.” ; And then ‘Tom saw the bleeding gap in Egger’s front teeth. Egger swaggered off. Tom bade Billy “shut up’; and one of the blacks rejoined, ‘‘En’ quit wallerin’ roun on de groun’ —lak a dog a-medjerin’ a live man’s grave!” ‘Never bruk up de nest-es-es, Marse Tom,” blubbered the Fool. ‘Mer haid mos’ too big ter hunt hen-aigs.” “ Boun’ yer belly ainh too little ter hol’ ’em!”’ — a sally nay called forth a gurgle of laughter from the dispersing ands. ECONMMICLOOOKS,(6©) m