ay so!"

"Snorky, it's--"

"It's what?"

"It's mosquitoes!"

Accustomed as Snorky had become to the young inventor's cryptic methods,
his imagination refused to follow.

"You don't see?"

"How the deuce should I see?"

"Snorky, I'm going to put the mosquito out of business!"

"How in tarnation!"

"When I get through with him," said Skippy loftily, "when my plans are
perfected--he'll starve to death!"

"Oh, say! Skippy, is that all you're going to tell me?"

"That is all for to-night," said Skippy, who, seizing a slipper, flung
it across the room at the evening's candle after the methods introduced
by the lamented Hickey Hicks, and plunged the room into darkness.

CHAPTER XIV

THE PLOT AGAINST THE MOSQUITO

IF close association had brought to Snorky a canny knowledge of his
roommate's need of unbosoming himself of a great idea, it had also
acquainted Skippy with the profit to be derived from Snorky's
overwhelming curiosity, particularly when there were any symptoms of
ready cash.

The next afternoon, therefore, without being unduly surprised, he
accepted an invitation to accompany Mr. Snorky Green to the home of the
Conovers up the road, where the record for pancakes at one continuous
sitting stood at forty-nine to the honor (without challengers) of the
Hon. Hungry Smeed.

Somewhere between the fourteenth and fifteenth pancake, having
solicitously offered the maple syrup, Snorky said casually:

"That's a jim-dandy idea of yours, old horse, about mosquitoes."

"I'm looking at it from all sides."

This answer did not satisfy Snorky Green's thirst for information, so he
said encouragingly:

"It's a great idea. You must."

"Heard of Luther Burbank and what he does with plants?"

"Sure, that was in last week's lecture. Seedless fruit and all that sort
of thing."

"Snorky," said Skippy meditatively, "who knows but some day a scientist
will cross the mosquito with a butterfly?"

"What good'll that do?"

"It would take the sting out of the mosquito, wouldn't it?"

"Suppose it put it into the butterfly."

"If you're going to be facetious--" said Skippy, who, being sufficiently
fed, rose with dignity, glad of the opportunity to postpone the
discussion to another appetizing sitting.

For a week Snorky Green, greatly impressed by the concentrated moodiness
of his chum's attitude, artfully fed him with pancakes, eclairs, Turkish
paste, and late at night tempted him with deviled chicken a