“Find it hard?”

“Yes, I hate the foolish stuff.”

“Well, I never found it hard; but math has me floored.”

“That so?”

“Yes.”

Silence, during which the untruthful clock ticked loudly.

“How are you with math?”

“Fair, I guess; mathematics don’t bother me much.”

“Wish I could say that. Did you ever hear the yarn they tell on Billy Cameron?”