Part 14 (2/2)

”'There was a small boy who lived in Jamaica, Who bought a lobster wrapped in a brown paper; The paper was thin And the lobster grabbed him---- What an awful condition that small boy was in!'”

This woke up Dorothy Lockwood, who would not be outdone by her twin.

She recited:

”'In Huron, a hewer, Hugh Hughes, Hued yew-trees of unusual hues.

Hugh Hughes used blue yews To build sheds for his ewes; So his ewes a blue-hued yew shed use.'”

”Great Scott, girl!” gasped Chet. ”That almost twisted your tongue out of kilter.”

”Any more?” queried Lance, who likewise had wonderingly listened to this display of talent. ”Ah-ha! I see Nellie just bursting with one.”

”Yes. I have a good one,” admitted the doctor's daughter. ”Hear it:

”'A right-handed writer named Wright In writing ”write” always wrote ”rite.”

Where he meant to write ”write,”

If he'd written ”write” right, Wright would not have wrought rot writing ”rite.'”

Now! let's hear you say _that_ fast?”

This certainly was a teaser and the boys admitted it. Finally somebody shouted for Mother Wit. ”Come on, Laura! where are you?” demanded Bobby. ”Are you going to let us mere 'amachoors' beat you? Give us a limerick.”

Mother Wit was expected to keep up with the other wits, that was sure.

So she obliged with:

”'A smart young fisher named Fischer, Fished for fish from the edge of a fissure.

A fish, with a grin, Pulled the fisherman in.

Now they're fis.h.i.+ng the fissure for Fischer.'

”And now, boys, while we have been entertaining you,” concluded Laura, ”you have gotten behind the _d.u.c.h.ess_ again.”

”That's right, Lance,” said Chet. ”Give her some more power.”

”Electricity is a wonderful thing,” said Jess, seriously. ”Just think how fast it travels.”

”How fast?” demanded Bobby.

”Something like 250,000 miles a second, I read somewhere.”

”And so,” remarked Bobby, grinning, ”if it hits anybody, it tells the judge it was going about ten miles an hour.”

They were out for a good time and could laugh at almost anything that was said, or was done. Freed from what Bobby called ”the scholastic yoke,” the whole world seemed a big joke to them.

”I know we're going to have the finest kind of a time at Acorn Island!” the cut-up exclaimed.

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