“I’ll show him to you,” Lemmy offered, hustling down the ladder to return with his pet toad upon a wet leaf for exhibition.
The Cap’n was a gratifying sort. He saw at once Nippy’s good points—the beautiful brightness of his eyes, the fine spots upon his back, the superiority of his intellect. Nippy in turn winked his approval at the Cap’n as if they had many a joke in common.
“As fine a toad as ever sat a rock or sailed the sea,” avowed the Cap’n enthusiastically. “By the bye, young man, how’d you like to take Nippy on a cruise with me?”
Lemmy clutched the wall and gazed for one electrical second into the Cap’n’s eyes. It wasn’t a joke!
“Can we start now?” Lemmy asked breathlessly.
The Cap’n bestirred himself instantly.
“It’s high time to be off. Swing yourself down and I’ll catch you.”
Lemmy ensconced Nippy quickly in the little perforated box which he always kept in his pocket for him; then he swung himself from the wall straight into the Cap’n’s arms. It seemed so natural and safe to be walking along Outside, ahold of a Majishun’s hand.
Lemmy’s legs took on a fine stride.
Down the hill they went with never a look behind at those gray walls, for their eyes were fixed upon the great lake, Superior, pulsing now under the wonder touch of the southwest wind, shimmering all the colors of the opal. There lay the boats poking up their brightly painted smokestacks for folks to see. Down, down, and down, such a short way, and yet, the wonderful farness of it!