The Marietta journal and courier. (Marietta, Ga.) 1909-1918, 1918-03-01

n
| the heavy blue steel.
| Thus does the long-dreamed real
misbehave-not only for Penrod!
More out of sense of duty to bing-
ism In general than for any other rea-
son, he pointed the revolver at the
lawn-mower, and gloomily murmured.
"Bing!"
simultaneously, low and cautious
voice sounded from the yard outside,
'sYay. Penrod - and Sam Williams
darkened the doorway, his EYE falling
Instantly upon the weapon in his
! friends hand. Sam seemed relieved to
see it,
"You didn't get caught with it, did
| your? he said hastily.
PenrOd shook his head, rising.
81 guess not! / guess l got some
brains around me- he added, inspired
by Sans presence to assume a slight
swagger. They'd have to get up pref
ty early to find any good ole revolaver,
once got my hands on It'll"
81 guess we can keep 1t, all right"
Sam said confidentially. Because this
morning papa was putting on his win
ter underclothes and he found it wasn't
there, and they looked all over and ev-
erywhere, and he was pretty mad, and
said he knew it was those cheap plumb
ers Stole it that mamma got instead or
the regular plumbers he always used TO
have. and he said there wasn't any
chance ever gettin' it back, because
YOU couldn't tell which one took 1T,
and they'd all swear it wasn't them.
So It looks like we could keep 1T for
our revolaver, Penrod, don't it? I'll
give you half of It,"
Penrod affected some enthusiasm.
"Sam' Wen keep it out here in the
stable"
"Yes, and Wen go huntin' with 1t.
Wen do lots of things with it" But
/ Sam made no effort to take it, and
neither boy seemed to feel yesterdays
necessity to show the other how ne
did. "Wait till next Fourth o. July +"
Sam continued. "Oh, oh! Look outV
This invited a genuine spark from
Penrod.
'sFourth o. July! guess she'll be a
little better than any lrecrackers Just
little Bingi Bing! Bling! she'll be
goin'. Bling! Bingl Bing!
The suggestion of noise stirred his
comrade. "I'Il bet she'll go of louder'n
that time the gas-works blew up!
wouldn't be afraid to shoot her on any
time"
~ bet YOU would" said Penrod. "You
aren't used to revolavers the way i
"You aren't, either" Sam exclaimed
promptly. ST wouldn't be any more
afraid to shoot her off than you would"
"You would, tool" :-,~.--'se,.
II would not ~
"Well, let's see you then; you talk
so much~ And Penrod handed the
weapon scornfulIy to Sam, who at once
became less self-assertive.
'Pd shoot her off in a minute" Sam
said. 'only it might break sumpthing II
it hit it."
"Hold her up in the air, then. 1t
can't hurt the roof, can it?'
Sam, with a desperate expression,
lifted the revolver at arms length.
Both boys turned away their heads,
and Penrod put his fingers in his ears
but nothing happened. whats the
matterY' he demanded. "Why don't
you go on if you're goin' tor
Sam lowered his arm. II guess
didn't have her cooked" he said apollo
getically, whereupon Penrod loudly
| jeered.
"Tryin' to shoot a revolaver and
didn't know enough to cock her! If l
didn't know any more about revolavers
than that, I'd"
"There!' Sam exclaimed, managing
to draw back the hammer until two
chilling clicks warranted his opinion
that the pistol was now ready to per-
form it's office. II guess she'll do all
right to suit you this timer
swell, why'n't you go ahead, then;
you know so much!" And as Sam
raised his arm, Penrod again turned
away his head and placed his forcing
ers in his ears. .n.,
A pause followed.
"Why'n't you go ahead?'
PenrOd, after waiting in keen Sus-
pense, turned to behold his friend
standing with his right arm above his
head, his left hand over his left ear,
and both eyes closed.
81 can't pull the trigger" said Sam
indistinctly, his face convulsed as in
sympathy with the great muscular eff
forts of other parts of his body. "She
won't pull"
"Sfre won't?" Penrod remarked with
scorn. "I'll bet / could pull her."
Sam promptly opened his eyes and
handed the weapon to Penrod.
"All right" he said, with surprising
and unusual mildness. "You try her,
| then"
Inwardly discounted to a disagree
able extent, Penrod attempted to talk
his own misgivings out of counten-
ance.
HpoOr 'iftIo hahU ~ he said cyvinOino