While we were tugging away at him somebody outside began smashin’ the door, and pretty soon three or four men crawled in and began helping folks out. One of them came over to us and looked down at Mark.
“Hum,” says he. “Didn’t know there was a side-show aboard.”
That made Mark kind of mad.
“Mister,” says he, “this is the f-f-f-first wreck I was ever in, and I want to en-enjoy it. So I’d rather b-be pulled out by a f-f-feller that’s more polite.”
The man laughed. “Didn’t mean to offend you,” he said. “Beg your pardon. Naturally I’m one of the politest men in Michigan, but, you see, I was shaken up considerable by the wreck.”
Mark grinned. “All right,” says he. “Go ahead. I’ve got about all the f-fun there is out of bein’ tangled up here.”
The four of us hoisted him up and set him on his feet. He shook himself like you’ve seen a dog do when it comes out of the water, blinked around him to see what there was to see—and then took another banana out of his pocket and began to skin it absent-mindedly.
The man threw back his head and laughed fit to kill. “You sure are a cool one,” he says.
“Don’t do any good to g-g-get excited,” says Mark. “There’s always enough o-other folks to do that. Anybody hurt?”
“Haven’t found anybody yet. It’s a regular miracle.”