Junior did not hide his grin quickly enough.
“Aw-w-w-ah!” grated Mickey, suddenly tense
and alert.
He sprang to his feet. So did Junior.
“Say, look here——” cried
Mickey.
“All right, ‘look here,’”
retorted Junior. His face flamed Ted, then paled,
and his hands gripped, while his jaw protruded in an
ugly scowl. Then slowly and distinctly he quoted:
“Course I meant to put it to you stiff; I meant
to ’niciate you in the ancient and honourable
third degree of the Country all right, so’s
you’d have enough to last a lifetime; but I
only meant to put you up against what I’d had
myself in the fields and woods; I was just going to
test your ginger; I wasn’t counting on the quicksand,
and the live snake, finding its dead mate Jud
fixed for you.”
“So you were sneaking in the barn this morning,
when we thought you were gone?” demanded Mickey.
“Easy you!” cautioned Junior. “Going
after the bundle I promised Jud was not sneaking——”
“So ’twasn’t,” conceded Mickey,
instantly. “So ’twasn’t!”
He looked at Junior a second.
“You heard us, then?” he demanded.
“All of it?”
“I don’t know,” answered Junior.
“I heard what I just repeated, and what you
said about my being game, and exactly why I came back;
thank you for that, even if I lick you half
to death in a minute—and I heard that my
own mother first fixed it up with you, and then father
agreed. Oh I heard enough——!”
“And so you got a grouch?” commented Mickey.
“Yes I did,” admitted Junior. “But
I got over all of it, after I’d had time to
think, but that third degree business; that made me
so sore I told Jud about it, and he said he’d
help me pay you up; but we struck the same rock you
did, in giving you a bigger dose than we meant to.
Honest Mickey, Jud didn’t know there was a real
quicksand there, and of course we didn’t dream
a live snake would follow and find the one the boys
hunted, killed, and set for you this morning——”
“Awful innocent!” scoffed Mickey. “’Member
you didn’t know about the ram either?”
“Honest I didn’t, Mickey,”
persisted Junior. “I thought steering you
into the yellow jackets was to be the first degree!
Cross my heart, I did.”
Suddenly Mickey whooped. He tumbled on the grass
in the fence corner and twisted in wild laughter until
he was worn out. Then he struggled up, and held
out his hand to Junior.
“If you’re willing,” he said, “I’ll
give you the grip, and the password will be, ‘Brothers!’”
Malcolm and the Hermit Thrush
“Mr. Dovesky, I want a minute with you,”
said James Minturn.
“All right, Mr. Minturn, what is it?”
“You are well acquainted with Mrs. Minturn?”
“Very well indeed!” said Mr. Dovesky.
“I have had the honour of working with her in
many concerts.”
