“That’s nothin’,” said William giving rein to his glorious imagination. “I once heard of a man with a false body an’ only legs an’ arms reel.”
His companions’ united yell of derision intimated to him that he had overstepped the bounds of credulity, and adjusting his horn-rimmed spectacles with a careless flourish he continued unperturbed, “Or I might have dreamed about him. I don’ quite remember which.”
“I bet you dreamed about him,” said Ginger indignantly. “I bet it isn’t possible. How’d his stomach work ’f he hadn’t gotter real one?”
“An’ I bet it is possible,” said William stoutly. “It’d work with machinery an’ wheels an’ springs an’ things same as a clock works an’ he’d hafter wind it up every mornin’.”
The other Outlaws were impressed by William’s tone of certainty.
“Well,” said Ginger guardedly, “I don’ say it isn’t possible. I only say it isn’t prob’le.”
The vast knowledge of the resources of the English language displayed by this remark vaguely depressed the others, and they dropped the subject hastily.
“I can walk like a man with a false leg,” said William, and he began to walk along, swinging one stiff leg with a flourish.
“Well, I can click my teeth ’s if they was false,” said Ginger, and proceeded to bite the air vigorously.
“I bet I can look ’s if I had a glass eye,” said Douglas, making valiant if unsuccessful efforts to keep one eye still and roll the other.