The boys gazed
at each other in astonishment for a few moments, and then broke into
irrepressible laughter. For the voice belonged to a man who stuttered
terribly, and the effect was ludicrous indeed. The strange voice
rasped and stuttered its difficult way along, until some one who
possessed a sending as well as a receiving set, interrupted.
"Hey there!" it said. "You're engine's missing, old timer. Let it
cool off a bit and then try again."
This was evidently heard by the stutterer, for he became excited,
and that did not help him much.
"S-s-shut up, y-y-you big b-b-boob," he finally managed to get out,
in an infuriated tone.
"I may be a boob, but I can talk straight, anyway," replied the
amateur.
This so infuriated the stuttering man that he was absolutely unable
to say anything for a few moments, while the boys, with much
merriment, waited expectantly for the forthcoming answer.
"S-s-s-shut up, w-w-will you?" exploded the unfortunate stutterer
at last. "J-j-just you w-w-w-w--" but he was unable to finish the
sentence until he stopped and gave vent to a long whistle, after
which he was able to proceed.
At the sound of the whistle Bob suddenly stopped laughing and sat up
straight in his chair.
"Say, fellows!" he exclaimed, "do you remember what Herb told us
about the man named Dan Cassey?"
"Jerusalem!" exclaimed Joe, "I remember Herb said he stuttered and
had to whistle to go on, and if that doesn't describe this bird I'll
eat my hat!"
Jimmy and Herb himself caught the idea, at the same time, and they
gazed speculatively at each other.
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