FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87  
88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   >>  
rt of animal must have been here," Max steadily affirmed. "It ate up the bait, and then must have either accidentally or on purpose poked that heavy stick into the loop, and sprang Toby's trap." "Sure it must have been an accident, Max," objected Steve; "because it would have to be a mighty smart animal, and a tricky one at that, to play such a sly game as using this stick to set the bent sapling free." "I know it looks that way," Max went on to say; "but don't forget that the animal that threw the ham at your head from the tree _was_ a tricky one. Some of those beasts belonging to the show are trained to do lots of queer things." "Oh! if we're up against an _educated_ animal," Steve admitted as though convinced against his will, "that might make a difference, because I've seen such do things I never would have believed any beast could be taught to perform. But he was keen enough to move all around here and never once get caught in the loop. Yes, chances are he knew what that was there for all the time; and having finished his supper, just to show us what he thought of such silly tricks he picks up this stick, gives it a hitch through the loop, jerks at the same, and there you are, with three half scared fellows crawling out of the tent expectin' to find a tiger held up by the hind quarters. This is what they call coming down from the sublime to the ridiculous, I think." "It's all Bandy-legs' fault anyway!" muttered the disappointed Toby, as he commenced taking the pole out of the loop, as though he meant to reset his trap, hoping for better luck the next time. "How do you make that out, I'd like to know!" asked Steve. "Mebbe if he'd only been half way d-d-decent, and l-l-let me try it out on him, this wouldn't have h-h-happened," Toby advanced, at which the other boys felt constrained to chuckle. "Hard luck, old chap," said Steve; "we'll help you fix things up again, and p'raps you'll strike it different the next time." That sort of talk helped Toby forget his keen disappointment, so that he actually brightened up somewhat. "All right, Steve; that's k-k-kind of you. I was g-g-going to ask if you'd care to test the thing for me; but we kind of k-k-know what she can do now. The way it gripped this stick shows how it would h-h-hang on like grim d-d-death." "I'm going to ask you as a special favor, boys, not to tramp around here any more than you can help," said Max. "Which I take it means you hope t
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87  
88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   >>  



Top keywords:

animal

 

things

 

forget

 
tricky
 
decent
 

wouldn

 
happened
 

ridiculous

 

sublime

 

coming


muttered
 

advanced

 

hoping

 

taking

 

disappointed

 
commenced
 

helped

 

disappointment

 

brightened

 
gripped

strike

 
constrained
 

chuckle

 

special

 

fellows

 

purpose

 

trained

 
belonging
 

beasts

 

accidentally


difference

 

convinced

 

educated

 

admitted

 

accident

 

mighty

 

objected

 

sapling

 

sprang

 

believed


steadily

 

tricks

 

scared

 

quarters

 

crawling

 

expectin

 
thought
 

taught

 

perform

 

caught