“Po'tuhs make the bes' l'vin',” Herman interrupted. “My uncle spen' mo' money 'n any white man n'is town.” “Well, I rather be a general,” said Penrod, “or a senator, or sumpthing like that.” “Senators live in Warshington,” Maurice Levy contributed the information. “I been there. Warshington ain't so much; Niag'ra Falls is a hundred times as good as Warshington. So's 'Tlantic City, I was there, too. I been everywhere there is. I----” “Well, anyway,” said Sam Williams, raising his voice in order to obtain the floor, “anyway, I'm goin' to lay in a hammock all day, and have ice-water sprinkled on top o' me, and I'm goin' to lay there all night, too, and the next day. I'm goin' to lay there a couple o' years, maybe.” “I bet you don't!” exclaimed Maurice. “What'd you do in winter?” “What?” “What you goin' to do when it's winter, out in a hammock with water sprinkled on top o' you all day? I bet you----” “I'd stay right there,” Sam declared, with strong conviction, blinking as he looked out through the open doors at the dazzling lawn and trees, trembling in the heat. “They couldn't sprinkle too much for ME!” “It'd make icicles all over you, and----” “I wish it would,” said Sam. “I'd eat 'em up.” “And it'd snow on you----” “Yay! I'd swaller it as fast as it'd come down. I wish I had a BARREL o' snow right now. I wish this whole barn was full of it. I wish they wasn't anything in the whole world except just good ole snow.” Penrod and Herman rose and went out to the hydrant, where they drank long and ardently. Sam was still talking about snow when they returned. “No, I wouldn't just roll in it. I'd stick it all round inside my clo'es, and fill my hat. No, I'd freeze a big pile of it all hard, and I'd roll her out flat and then I'd carry her down to some ole tailor's and have him make me a SUIT out of her, and----” “Can't you keep still about your ole snow?” demanded Penrod petulantly. “Makes me so thirsty I can't keep still, and I've drunk so much now I bet I bust. That ole hydrant water's mighty near hot anyway.” “I'm goin' to have a big store, when I grow up,” volunteered Maurice. “Candy store?” asked Penrod. “NO, sir! I'll have candy in it, but not to eat, so much. It's goin' to be a deportment store: ladies' clothes, gentlemen's clothes, neckties, china goods, leather goods, nice lines in woollings and lace goods----” “Yay! I wouldn't give a five-for-a-cent marble for your whole store,” said Sam. “Would you, Penrod?” “Not for ten of 'em; not for a million of 'em! _I_'m goin' to have----” “Wait!” clamoured Maurice. “You'd be foolish, because they'd be a toy deportment in my store where they'd be a hunderd marbles! So, how much would you think your five-for-a-cent marble counts for? And when I'm keepin' my store I'm goin' to get married.” “Yay!” shrieked Sam derisively. “MARRIED! Listen!” Penrod and Herman joined in the howl of contempt.