Part 4 (1/2)
”First, you got some poison in a pottle.”
”Yes.”
”Den you go py der voots till you come py Mr. Raddlesnake.”
”All right, proceed.”
”Den you got dot Mr. Raddlesnake py der neck, oben his mouth und put der boison on der insides. In an hour, Mr. Raddlesnake vos so dead like nefer vos alretty.”
”Sold! That's the time Hans caught you, Tom!” exclaimed Sam, and set up a roar.
”Yah, I vos chust vaiting to cotch you, Tom,” and now the German youth joined in the hilarity.
”All right, that's one on me,” said Tom. ”My move next,” he added, but under his breath.
”There's a rattlesnake now!” yelled Fred a moment later, and all gave a jump, Hans as lively as the rest. But it was only a small reptile, and harmless, and quickly disappeared from view.
In a clearing, the boys built a fire, and sat around this, telling stories and talking over the events of the day.
From one thing and another the conversation gradually drifted around to ghosts, and Fred told a ghost story that was thrilling in the extreme.
”Don't you believe in ghosts, Hans?” questioned Sam.
”Not much, I ton't,” answered the German youth. ”Da vos all humbugs alretty.”
”Then you wouldn't run if you saw a ghost?” queried Songbird.
”Not von sthep,” said Hans positively.
This talk set Tom to thinking, and on the way back to the houseboat he called Sam to his side.
”I've got an idea.”
”What is it?” questioned his brother.
”You heard what Hans said about ghosts?”
”To be sure I did.”
”Well, I've got an idea for some fun.”
”Good for you, Tom.”
”We'll fix up a ghost.”
”Oh, that's old.”
”So it is; but this particular kind of ghost isn't old.”
”What is it to be?”