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Tarkington, Booth, 1869-1946

"Penrod and Sam"

"
"Men can't always see." She shook her head impatiently. "I
haven't been a bit sure he was well lately. I don't think he's
been really well for two or three months. How has he seemed
to-day?"
"In fair health," Mr. Schofield replied thoughtfully. "Della
called me up at the office to tell me that one of the
telephone-men had come into the house to say that if that durn
boy didn't quit climbing their poles they'd have him arrested.
They said he--"
"That's it!" Mrs. Schofield interrupted quickly. "He's nervous.
It's some nervous trouble makes him act like that. He's not like
himself at all."
"Sometimes," Mr. Schofield said, "I wish he weren't."
"When he's himself," Mrs. Schofield went on anxiously, "he's very
quiet and good; he doesn't go climbing telegraph-poles and
reckless things like that. And I noticed before I went away that
he was growing twitchy, and seemed to be getting the habit of
making unpleasant little noises in his throat."
"Don't fret about that," her husband said. "He was trying to
learn Sam Williams's imitation of a bullfrog's croak. I used to
do that myself when I was a boy.


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