The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1905-10-13

say, Bob, 90 you remember that willow
tree down by A.kcr's: III bet there
Will 81 forty kid; down there before
school this morning getting whistle
| sticks. The bark is just right now.
And, say, / II bet, too, that every kid Of
them has russct apple in his pocket
To eat ut recess. Nothing but russets
| left now
Cm," said Bob, I've forgotten what
an apple looks like. And about now
| we'd be teasing 10 Wear Il straw hat to
EchoOl-a cap gets so hot about noon
| and every time Ole Of the kids runs
into another they rattle like gravel
against Il window pane"
Marbles" said Wallace DO you
| remember the time that AIibsy Jones
| swallowed 'stoncy' and the teacher
| licked him 50 hard FOR communicating
| with yoa that Mibsy actually coughcd
| It up? Gee! l haven't thought of that
| for years. -4nl the grass in the pas
ture is getting velvety. and the little
fellows are wondering how many
weeks 1t will lie before 1t will pay to
| cut school and go swimming. Say, Bob,
do you remember
shut up, will your" growled Bob.
Haven't enough to remember with
out adding to tb" list? Say something
pleasant now before we have to get
up"
4 silence followed. After Il few sec.
| ends, without knowing why, Bob turn
cd and looked ut his friend. Then, with
a gasp OF horror, he lay still and stared.
Wallace was lying with every muscle
of his body rigid. His hands clutched
either side of his cot, and beads of
sweat stood Oil his forehead, while with
half raised head he stared down at his
chest. There, its ugly brown body out
lined against the flesh. was cent?
ped slowly moving about on the white
eXpanse, now forward, now back, now
stopping. as If to wonder at the throb-
bling which vaguely disturbed it. Mel
ther man stirred or uttered a sound The
natives had told them that when fright
ened the centiped digs In its claws for
support and that thus the victim is
poisoned. There was no sound save
the heavy breathing of Bob and the
song with which the cook announced
to the world:
THE flower, the flower.
The pretty pepper flower
Lived and loved in the SUM-"
The centiped had stopped in the
middle of WallaceS chest. Bob saw q
sudden CULVER run through Wallace's
white lips, and then slowly the tremor
d;
What can | do? OH, what can l
do?' he thought.
Then very deliberately the centiped
began to move. Carefully, as If each
of its myriad legs must be exactly
planted, it travelled, inch by inch,
across Wallace's body and then, like
lightning, dropped 10 the floor. Stimuli
tancously Bob was upon it with q
heavy boot, and its ugly length Of
loathS0mcneSS was gathered to its IA
| Tiers. Then, without word, Bob
handed Wallace Il clipper of water,
| which the man took with trembling
hand and chattering teeth. Breathing
| hard, he lay white and limp for few,
| moments. Then he rose, pulled on his
to the wall, began 10 take down the
garments hanging there and to throw
them into suit case.
'That will be about all for me-" he
said. Il made up my mind that if that
| thing ever got off me l was going
home, where bugs are less affectionate.
You can do as you please. l am going
| home to Alice" And he jammed rid
ing boot in on top Of heap of writing
paper
| Bob watched him with half grin.
ME, too, Pete" he said. He walked
| to the door and called to Pedro to har-
ness the bronchos.
a centiped is II bold, bad bug" he
continued, but ii wouldn't surprise
me If Alice acquired a weakness for
it." Then he, too, began to pack
| suit case. {.