Читать книгу Frank Merriwell's Own Company; Or, Barnstorming in the Middle West онлайн

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"Land, Nancy, how be I goin' to sneeze when I don't want to? Seems zif I'd never want to sneeze ag'in."

"I am very sorry," said Merry; "but my time is limited, and I can't wait. If you——"

"Ker-chew!"

Down jingled two silver dollars into the hat.

"That was rather weak," smiled Frank. "Can't you make it a trifle more explosive? Those heavy ones count the——"

"Ker-chew!"

Two more dollars dropped into the hat.

"Come again," urged the youthful magician.

In vain Josiah tried to draw forth a genuine sneeze. Finding he could not do so, he resorted to deception and feigned a sneeze.

No money fell into the hat.

Frank uttered a cry of pretended despair.

"Oh, why did you do that?" he fluttered. "The charm is broken! I should have told you!"

"Whut is it?" asked the farmer, in great agitation. "Whut hev I done?"

"You faked that sneeze. It was not genuine."

"Whut of that?"

"You broke the charm, and now you might sneeze your head off without sneezing out so much as a plugged nickel. It's all over."

"Josiah Doodle," came from the little woman, "yeou don't know so much as I thought ye did, an' I never thought ye knew anything! Git your sheer of whut there is in the hat an' come down often that air platform before yeou do something to etarnally disgrace yourself."