We did all that one day out in our barn, and, just when we had the Red Avengers all fixed up, in came Toady. He wanted the dime lib'ry back.
“Aw! come on, Toady!” Swatty said. “Let us keep it! You don't want it!”
“Yes, I want it,” said Toady.
“All right for you, then, Toady!” Swatty said. “I was going to tell you something, but if you're going to be that mean I won't.”
“What was it?” he asked.
“It's all right what it was!” said Swatty. “You'll never know! Think we'd tell you when you want your old dime lib'ry back? We won't ever tell him, will we, George? Will we, Bony?”
So we said no, we wouldn't.
So then Toady looked at us and his eyes popped out; but Swatty threw “The Red Avengers” book at him.
“Take it!” he said. “We don't want it anyway. We know everything that's in it and we don't need it. Only, if your house burns down you'll know why. Garsh! here we were all ready to make you one of the band, and give you the oath, and elect you—what were we going to elect him, George?” “Librarian,” I said.
“Yah!” said Swatty, as if Toady made him sick. “That's the kind of a fellow you are!”