“Who will do the drawing?” asks the judge. “We got to have this all according to law.”
“You can’t, Judge,” states Tellurium. “You got too many chances. Let’s get somebody what ain’t got no interest. Let Ike Harper do it.”
I didn’t want to be mixed up in the thing uh-tall, but uh feller can’t refuse uh simple request like that, so I moves into position.
“Let her go, Ike,” squeaks Scenery. “If you draws my number I’ll make you uh present of uh calf.”
“Just uh minute!” yells the judge. “That sounds to me like he was trying to bribe or coerce the drawee. Scenery, you keep your mouth shut. I’d be willing to make Mister Harper uh present of uh calf if he drawed my number, but I ain’t proclaiming it.”
I reaches up twice and tears up the two numbers that I draws.
“This one tells the tale,” says somebody, excited like, as I pulls it out and hands it to Chuck.
He unfolds it and squints hard at the number, turning it around and around.
“Number—uh—say, Ike, what number is that?”
“Looks like uh sixteen to me,” says I, and Scenery whoops: