“I never did know what snakes were for,” sighed Amy. “Nature is wonderfully efficient, we know. But why snakes?”
“So that they can make snakeskin purses for you girls to carry. That’s easy,” declared Burd solemnly.
“That’s a good one,” laughed Darry, pulling a paper out of his pocket and unfolding it in the light of the binnacle lamp at the stern. “See here. I copied this list of startling explanations that Professor Totten has collected during the course of his long career teaching the youthful idea to shoot. That snake business of yours, Burd, ought to go down to posterity in their company. These are selected, the Profes. says, from many that he has picked out of freshman and sophomore papers. Listen:
“‘Joan of Arc was the wife of Noah.’
“‘Tobacco was introduced into England by Henry Clay.’
“‘Romulus and Remus were a couple of Siamese twins who made Rome howl.’
“‘Fratricide is a friend who murders a college student. Insecticide is a man who kills his aunt.’
“‘The Nihilists are the people of the Nile country.’
“‘Sodom and Gomorrah are the two Hebrew children who were burned in the fiery furnace.’
“‘A misanthrope is a man who marries his own wife.’