Billy, who despite his frantic haste had been able to get up only to seventeen in the count, turned scarlet.
“That’s right,” he admitted reluctantly. “How did you guess it?”
“Oh, I heard that ages ago,” returned Pee Wee airily. “That joke was old when Noah went into the Ark. He used to tell it to Ham and Shem and Japhet when he wanted to put them to sleep.”
Billy was crestfallen, but he was game and brought out the dime, which Pee Wee promptly stowed away in his pocket.
“Gee,” murmured Shiner, “I don’t see why climbing a pole and coming down in a hurry makes a man change his nationality.”
At this a roar of laughter went up. Finally it was Pee Wee, elated with his victory, who explained.
“You silly,” he said, “the man went up a Pole—you know what a Pole is—and came down a capital R-u-s-s-i-a-n, Russian. Now do you see?”
“Oh,” answered Shiner, crestfallen.
“Got any more jokes, Billy?” Pee Wee asked politely. “If you have, bring them out and I’ll guess them at the same price.”
Billy tried to think of a suitable retort, but the financial calamity that had come upon him had paralyzed, for the moment, his gift of repartee.