l, it will be nipping to-night for some people."

"In that case, somebody will have to be stirring."

"That's right."

"Yaw," said Hans, with a lazy yawn, "I pet me your life some folks peen
plame fools enough to peen sdirring to-nighd. Dot makes me dired. Vy
in dunder don'd dey gid in dere peds und sday dere, ain'd id?"

"Oh, some people don't know enough for that," said Ned Gray. "And then
there are people who are afraid to go to bed at this season of the
year."

"Vot vos dot? Afrait uf vot?"

"Centipedes."

"Vot vos cendibedes?"

"They are a creature with a poisonous bite, and they are all sizes from
the bigness of a pea to one as large as your hand."

"Oh, phwat are yez givin' av us!" cried Barney Mulloy, derisively. "Is
it idiots or fools ye take us fer, Oi dunno?"

"Oh, I am telling you the sober truth," declared Ned, with the utmost
seriousness, while Sammy Smiles got behind the visitors and stuffed his
handkerchief into his mouth to keep from shrieking with laughter. "The
centipedes of tropical countries are smaller than our regular winter
centipedes, which are sometimes as large as a man's hand. Their bite
is deadly poison."

"Dunder und blitzens!" gasped Hans. "I don'd tole you dot!"

"Get away wid yer blarney!" exclaimed Barney, disbelievingly. "Pwhat
do yez take us fer, Oi warnt to know? It's nivver a bit do ye shtuff
sich a yarrun down aour throats, me b'y."

"You are not compelled to believe it."

"Cintipades in th' winter!" snorted the Irish lad. "Thot bates th'
band!"

"Well, you may think what you like, but you may see some of our winter
centipedes some time, and then it is possible you will feel that you
owe me an apology."

"Vot does cendibedes look like, ain't it?"

"They have long, leg-like claws, and are covered with hard shells."

"Und dey pite?"

"Well, I should say so."

"Put, vy vos some beoples afrait dose cendibedes uf to go to ped? You
tole me dot."

"Well, these winter centipedes are great creatures to seek warm
corners, and so they get into beds."

Sammy Smiles was ready to roll on the floor. He could not keep his
laughter bottled up, and it burst forth in a gurgle, which he quickly
changed to a most distressing cough.

"Wan thing is sure," said Barney; "nivver a cintipade is loikely to get
inther our beds, fer we make 'em up ache noight, so we'd see th'
craythers if they wur there."

"I believe one of them has never been seen in the academy,"