"I wish I had one now," sighed the younger boy.
"A rattlesnake?" Tom inquired innocently.
"No—-of course not! A cigarette."
"But you're going to forget those soul-destroying little coffin-nails,"
Reade suggested. "You're going to become a man and act like one.
You're going to learn how much more fun it is to have your lungs
filled with pure air instead of stifling cigarette smoke."
"Maybe I am!" muttered the boy.
"Oh, yes; I'm sure of it," said Reade cheerfully.
Cl-cl-cl-click!
"O-o-o-ow!" shrilled Alf, jumping at least two feet.
"Now, what's the matter with you?" inquired Tom in feigned astonishment.
"Don't tell me you didn't hear the rattler just now," cried young
Drew fiercely.