"Approximately ten million men smoked
cigarettes over in France for four years and more, and I submit
that they had what you might call a man's job on their hands."
"How many of them things do you smoke in a day?"
"It depends entirely on how early I get up in the morning,--and
how late I stay up at night. Good Lord, it's getting hotter every
minute. For two cents, I'd strip and jump in there for a game of
hide and seek with the fish. By the way, I don't suppose there are
any mermaids in these parts, are there?"
"You stay out of that water," commanded the old man. "You ain't
strong enough yet to be takin' any such chances. You're here to get
well, and you got to be mighty all-fired careful. The bed of that
river is full of cold springs,--and it's pretty deep along this
stretch. Weak as you are,--and as hot as you are,--you'd get cramps
in less'n a minute."
"I happen to be a good swimmer."
"So was Bart Edgecomb,--best swimmer I ever saw. He could swim
back an' forth across this river half a dozen times,--and do you
know what happened to him last September? He drowned in three foot
of water up above the bend, that's what he did. Come on. Let's be
movin'. It'll be hotter'n blazes by eleven o'clock, and you oughtn't
to be walkin' in the sun."
The young man settled himself a little more comfortably against
the tree.
"I think I'll stay here in the shade for a while longer.
Pages:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25