Tensas gazette., 1917-12-07

cred upon the stalk of lush bush i'm
the fence corner. The thing was 50
still, IL might have been a pixies CON
certina, painted dusty green and or
namented with brilliant pool balls
from a pixie pool table. To Penrod
and Sam 1t was known as tobacco
worm" and il was the largest and fat
test they had ever seen. The two
Boys stared in silence for a long time:
Anally PenrOd spoke in a hushed
voice.
81 wonder what he's thinkin' about"
"Thinkin' about how fat he is, may
BE-" Sam suggested.
81 bet you don't know which end
his head is" said Penrod.
II bet you don't, either"
"Well, whoever said | did?" Penrod
DetOrted GROSSLY.
swell, did l say 1 did?"
swell. whoever said you did say
pu didT
A movement on the part of the green
creature distracted the attention of
both boys momentarily.
"Look!" Penrod cried. "He's
Dovin'!"
"Climbin' up the bush." observed
Sam. THAT shows which end his head
Is; it's on top"
at doesn't have to be on top just
because he's climbin' up the bush."
PenrOd remarked scOrnfully. ~ guess
he could back up. just as well as climb
up, couldn't hep
"Well. ne wouldn't" Sam argued.
what would he want to back up for,
when he could just as easy climb up?
His heads on top of him, and that
proves It,"
Penrod laughed pityingly. Suppose
sumpthing was after him; he'd want
10 have his head on the o1om end
SOS he could keep watchin' Dat to see
IL 1t was comm after him up the stalk,
wouldn't he? That proves 1t,
guess"
So 1t did-so far as Sam Williams
was concerned. Sam was Overwhelm-
ed ne had nothing to say. He dug the
ground with the toe Of his shoe. de-
snce. 81 bet know sumpin' about
grasshoppers that you don't"
go ahead and prove It'll"
81 bet you don't know grasshoppers
chew tobacco"
At this Penrod yelled in consum-
ing scorn.
"You watt" Sam began to browse
IN the grass searching.
"Grasshoppers chew tobacco!" howl
ed Penrod. "Grasshoppers chew to-
bacco! Grasshop-0h, no, hot"
Here" said Sam, bringing a grass
hopper for his inspection. "You watch
now."
He gave the grasshopper command.
squeezed him slightly about the mid
die, and proved the case absolutely.
"Look there" he cried, fiourishing
Exhibit A upon his thumbnail. "Now.
say grasshoppers don't chew to-
bacco!"
Penrod was beside himself, but not
Gas would have been prOper) with con-
fusion; ecstasy was his emOtiOn-and
there followed bad-quarter of an
hour for the grasshoppers in that por-
ton of the yard.
"Pshawr said Sam. "Tve known
grasshoppers chewed tobacco ever
since i was five years old"
r Penrod paused to seek further
knowledge at its fountain-head.
'Sam, do you know anything else"
he inquired hopefully.
"Yes. I do" replied Mr.. Williams
with justified resentment. "Lemme see.
Oh, yesl / bet you don't know If you
put q black hair from horses tail in
a bottle and put water in II. and leave
1t there for three weeks, it'll turn into
q snake"
81 do, too" said Penrod. 81 knew
that ever since / was" Penrod
paused; sudden light In his eyes.
"Sam, did you ever try it,"
NO" said Sam. thoughtfully. 81
guess when heard ii we didn't have
any horse, and l was too little to get
enc from any other peoples horse-Or
sumpthing"
Penrod jumped up eagerly. "Well,
We aren't too little now." he shouted
"Yayw This jubiant outcry from
Sam demonstrated what reciprocal
fires of enthusiasm were kinded I'm his
bosom on the instant. "Where's a
horsef"
simultaneously their eyes fell upon
what they sought. In n side street
stood a grocer's wagon, and the gro
Ger had just gone into the kitchen. At
tached to the wagon was an elderly
bay horse. Attached tO the elderly
bay horse was black tail. The pros
pective snake manufacturers drew
near the raw material.
The elderly bay horse switched his
black tail mt fly, Il gesture unfortu-
nate for Penrod. upon whose eager
countenance it eliminated.
''OOfr He jumped back sputtering
and the horse looked around inquiring-
ly; then. seeing boys, assumed an ex-
preston of implacable fury.
Go on" Sam urged. Pull 'em out.
Two's enough"
Penro6 glanced uneasily at the
horses horizontal ears. You pull EN-.
Sam" he suggested, earing away. 'Tll
90 and be getting the bottles ready TO
,ut 'em in. /"
'No, sir - Sam insisted. You start
p6,i 'enl and you ought to do
didn't start To pull 'em, did II"