their arms, or anything you want to."

"Hoy!" exclaimed Verman, in a serious tone. His laughter ceased
instantly, and he began to utter a protest sufficiently intelligible.

"You needn't worry," Penrod said gloomily. "We haven't got any o' that
stuff; so we can't do it."

"Well, we got to do sumpthing," Sam said.

His comrade agreed, and there was a thoughtful silence; but presently
Penrod's countenance brightened.

"I know!" he exclaimed. "_I_ know what we'll do with him. Why, I thought
of it just as EASY! I can most always think of things like that, for the
main and simple reason--well, I thought of it just as soon--"

"Well, what is it?" Sam demanded crossly. Penrod's reiteration of his
new-found phrase, "for the main and simple reason", had been growing
more and more irksome to his friend all day, though Sam was not
definitely aware that the phrase was the cause of his annoyance. "WHAT
are we goin' to do with him, you know so much?"

Penrod rose and peered over the tops of the bushes, shading his eyes
with his hand, a gesture that was unnecessary but had a good appearance.
He looked all round about him in this manner, finally vouchsafing a
report to the impatient Sam.

"No enemies in sight--just for the main and simple reason I expect
they're all in the alley and in Georgie Bassett's backyard."

"I bet they're not!" Sam said scornfully, his irritation much increased.
"How do YOU know so much about it?"

"Just for the main and simple reason," Penrod replied, with dignified
finality.

And at that, Sam felt a powerful impulse to do violence upon the person
of his comrade-in-arms. The emotion that prompted this impulse was so
primitive and straightforward that it almost resulted in action; but Sam
had a vague sense that he must control it as long as he could.

"Bugs!" he said.

Penrod was sensitive, and this cold word hurt him. However, he was
under the domination of his strategic idea, and he subordinated private
grievance to the common weal. "Get up!" he commanded. "You get up, too,
Verman. You got to--it's the rule. Now here I'll SHOW you what we're
goin' to do. Stoop over, and both o' you do just exackly like _I_ do.
You watch ME, because this biz'nuss has got to be done RIGHT!"

Sam muttered something; he was becoming more insurgent every moment, but
he obeyed. Likewise, Verman rose to his feet, ducked his head between
his shoulders, and trotted out to the sidewalk at Sam's heels, both
following P