At that Jimmy Thurston burst into jeering laughter.
"He! he! he!" he cackled—"a nengine! He! He! Why, a nengine goes—a nengine goes a mile in a minnit!"
Willie Trigger had become very red; moreover he was choking, half with rage, half with confusion. He recognized the need of personal support. So he blurted:—
"I know he kin, 'cause I seen him—onct!"
"Aw, yeh didn't neether," Jimmy Thurston flatly contradicted.
Willie wriggled and dug his heel into the soft earth.
"I did——"
"Didn't neether!"
Willie Trigger sprang to his feet, his fists clenched. Tears were rising now.