Читать книгу The Brother of a Hero онлайн

9 страница из 45

“Very glad to charge ’em,” said the clerk. “What flavors?”

“Hold on,” protested Rodney. “I’m not one of you fellows yet. I won’t be until I reach school. I guess that lets me out. Still, I don’t want to seem stingy, so I’ll tell you what I’ll do.”

“What?” asked Watson, frowning darkly.

“I’ll buy ice-cream sodas for the crowd if you’ll all take the same flavor. You—” nodding at Watson—“choose it. You’ve only got one guess, though.”

“How do you mean, one guess?”

“Why, if you call for a flavor he hasn’t got, you lose. That lets me out. Savvy?”

“Oh, that’s it? Don’t you worry, cutie. We know what we want, don’t we, fellows?”

“I want—” began a younger boy.

“Cut it! You get what I order. Didn’t you hear him say so? Doolie, you may prepare four of your finest chocolate ice-cream sodas.”

Had Watson observed the clerk’s expression during the arrangement of terms he might have hesitated about agreeing to them, but he had not. It was only when young Mr. Doolittle began to stammer vaguely that Watson scented trouble.