“Whoa dar, Boomerang!” exclaimed a voice, and Eradicate Sampson hurried around the corner of the house.  “Dat’s jest lake yo’,” went on the colored man.  “Movin’ when yo’ ain’t wanted to.”  Then, as he caught sight of Tom, he exclaimed, “Why, if it ain’t young Mistah Swift!  Good lordy!  But dat livery brake yo’ done fixed on mah wagon suttinly am fine.  Ah kin go down de steepest hill widout ropin’ de wheel.”

“Glad of it,” replied Tom.  “Did you come to do some work?”

“Yais, sah, I done did.  I found I had some time t’ spah, an’ thinks I dere might be some whitewashin’ I could do.  Yo’ see, I lib only ’bout two mile from heah.”

“Well, I guess you can do a few jobs,” said Tom.  “Wait here.”

He hunted up his father, and obtained permission to set Eradicate at work cleaning out a chicken house and whitewashing it.  The darky was soon at work.  A little later Tom passing saw him putting the whitewash on thick.  Eradicate stopped at the sight of Tom, and made some curious motions.

“What’s the matter, Rad?” asked the young inventor.

“Why, de whitewash done persist in runnin’ down de bresh handle an’ inter mah sleeve.  I’m soakin’ wet from it now, an’ I has t’ stop ebery onct in a while ’case mah sleeve gits full.”

Tom saw what the trouble was.  The white fluid did run down the long brush handle in a small rivulet.  Tom had once seen a little rubber device on a window-cleaning brush that worked well, and he decided to try it for Eradicate.

“Wait a minute,” Tom advised.  “I think I can stop that for you.”

The colored man was very willing to take a rest, but it did not last long, for Tom was soon back at the chicken coop.  He had a small rubber disk, with a hole in the center, the size of the brush handle.  Slipping the disk over the wood, he pushed it about half way along, and then, handing the brush back to the negro, told him to try it that way.

“Did yo’ done put a charm on mah bresh?” asked Eradicate somewhat doubtfully.

“Yes, a sort of hoodoo charm.  Try it now.”

The darky dipped his brush in the pail of whitewash, and then began to spread the disinfectant on the sides of the coop near the top.  The surplus fluid started to run down the handle, but, meeting the piece of rubber, came no farther, and dripped off on the ground.  It did not run down the sleeve of Eradicate.

“Well, I ‘clar t’ goodness!  That suttinly am a mighty fine charm!” cried the colored man.  “Yo’ suah am a pert gen’men, all right.  Now I kin work widout stoppin’ t’ empty mah sleeve ob lime juice ebery minute.  I’se suttinly obliged t’ yo’.”

“You’re welcome, I’m sure,” replied Tom.  “I think some day I’ll invent a machine for whitewashing, and then—­”

“Doan’t do dat!  Doan’t do dat!” begged Eradicate earnestly.  “Dis, an’ makin’ dirt disappear, am de only perfessions I got.  Doan’t go ‘ventin’ no machine, Mistah Swift.”