“I’ve got you interested, hey?”
“Will you go on and tell me?”
“Sure, but I can’t tell you the whole thing, because it’s a mystery.”
“Yes, go on.”
“All right,” said Artie, “one, two, three, go. Mr. Temple went out to Montana to see the pass; it was all like a deep ravine through the mountains. That’s the Continental Divide out there. From there if you don’t look out you go rolling down into the Pacific Ocean, kersplash.”
“Will you talk sense and go on?” Westy fairly pleaded.
Artie craned his neck under the swing seat and glanced inquiringly here and there. “Your father isn’t anywhere around, is he? Because there’s a peach of a place for breaking your neck out there. Well, Mr. Temple went out there⸺”
“You said that four times.”
Artie continued, “He went to a large city with a population of thirty-two people in it—and two dogs. I think there was a cat too⸺”
“Will you please⸺”