FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34  
35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   >>  
chair against the wall and was sucking a cold pipe. And then, professional curiosity overmastering his shocked conscience, he added: "What'd she measure, Hop?" The Hopper grinned. "Flubbed! Nothin' but papers," he confessed ruefully. Mary and Humpy expressed their indignation and contempt in unequivocal terms, which they repeated after he told of the suspected "bull" whose presence on the local had so alarmed him. A frank description of his flight and of his seizure of the roadster only added to their bitterness. Humpy rose and paced the floor with the quick, short stride of men habituated to narrow spaces. The Hopper watched the telltale step so disagreeably reminiscent of evil times and shrugged his shoulders impatiently. "Set down, Hump; ye make me nervous. I got thinkin' to do." "Ye'd better be quick about doin' ut!" Humpy snorted with an oath. "Cut the cussin'!" The Hopper admonished sharply. Since his retirement to private life he had sought diligently to free his speech of profanity and thieves' slang, as not only unbecoming in a respectable chicken farmer, but likely to arouse suspicions as to his origin and previous condition of servitude. "Can't ye see Shaver ain't use to ut? Shaver's a little gent; he's a reg'ler little juke; that's wot Shaver is." "The more 'way up he is the worse fer us," whimpered Humpy. "It's kidnapin', that's wot ut is!" "That's wot it _ain't_," declared The Hopper, averting a calamity to his watch, which Shaver was swinging by its chain. "He was took by accident I tell ye! I'm goin' to take Shaver back to his ma--ain't I, Shaver?" "Take 'im back!" echoed Mary. Humpy crumpled up in his chair at this new evidence of The Hopper's insanity. "I'm goin' to make a Chris'mas present o' Shaver to his ma," reaffirmed The Hopper, pinching the nearer ruddy cheek of the merry, contented guest. Shaver kicked The Hopper in the stomach and emitted a chortle expressive of unshakable confidence in The Hopper's ability to restore him to his lawful owners. This confidence was not, however, manifested toward Mary, who had prepared with care the only cereal her pantry afforded, and now approached Shaver, bowl and spoon in hand. Shaver, taken by surprise, inspected his supper with disdain and spurned it with a vigor that sent the spoon rattling across the floor. "Me wants me's paw-widge bowl! Me wants me's _own_ paw-widge bowl!" he screamed. Mary expostulated; Humpy offered a
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34  
35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   >>  



Top keywords:

Shaver

 

Hopper

 
confidence
 
accident
 

echoed

 
crumpled
 

whimpered

 
swinging
 

calamity

 

averting


kidnapin
 

declared

 

afforded

 
approached
 
pantry
 

prepared

 
cereal
 

surprise

 

inspected

 
screamed

expostulated

 
offered
 
rattling
 

supper

 

disdain

 

spurned

 

manifested

 

pinching

 
reaffirmed
 

nearer


present

 

evidence

 

insanity

 

contented

 
restore
 

ability

 

lawful

 
owners
 

unshakable

 
expressive

kicked

 

stomach

 

emitted

 

chortle

 
profanity
 
presence
 

alarmed

 
repeated
 
suspected
 
description