‘Shut up!’ snorted Lem disgustedly.
‘Did Peter Morgan send you over here?’ asked Nan.
‘He did not, ma’am. We heard about yuh; so me and Noah thought we’d kinda ride over and have a look at yuh.’
‘Go ahead and look,’ she said indifferently.
Noah turned his head and looked at Lem disgustedly.
‘Ma’am,’ he said to Nan solemnly, ‘you’ve heard of the hoof-and-mouth disease, haven’t yuh? Well, that’s what he’s got. Every time he opens his mouth he gets his foot in it.’
Lem grinned vacantly. ‘Nemmind him, ma’am,’ he said. ‘He has indigestion somethin’ awful. Nothin’ is funny to him. Eats sody by the pound. That’s why he rides around with his mouth open all the time. If he ever keeps his mouth shut for five minutes at a stretch, he’ll jist natcherally bust.’
‘I’d rather have indigestion than fatty degineration,’ declared Noah hotly.
Lem flopped his arms dismally. ‘I s’pose. Anyway, I don’t think this lady is a bit interested in our symptoms.’
‘Not a great deal,’ choked Nan. ‘Did you want to see my father?’