“I mean harmless. Here you are.”
Small accepted the box and viewed the contents. Then he smelled of it and made a face. “Gee, but they smell awful, don’t they?” he asked.
Kid nodded. “Sure. That’s the drugs in them. That’s what does the business. Better take one now, Small.”
Small selected one of the little tablets, viewed it distastefully and finally put it into his mouth. Kid watched interestedly. For a moment Small gazed blankly across the rink. Then, with a gurgle of disgust he spat the tablet into the snow.
“What are you doing?” cried Kid. “Don’t waste them like that!”
“Gee, they’re awful, Kid! I can’t eat those things! I—I’d rather have the cough!”
“What did you think?” demanded Kid indignantly. “You don’t expect medicine to taste like candy, do you?”
“No, but I don’t expect it to taste like that, either. Why, they’re the worst things I ever put in my mouth. I’d rather go on coughing.” He thrust the box back at Kid. Kid refused to see it.
“Yes, go on coughing and get pneumonia or something like that and die,” he said disgustedly. “Don’t be a silly chump, Small. Why, those things aren’t anything to what you may have to taste if you don’t cure that cough! I wish you could taste the stuff they gave me when I had scarlet fever last year! These things are fine compared with that, Small!”
“I’d rather take those licorice pastilles that——”