Penrod and Sam | Page 5

Sam felt a powerful impulse to do violence upon the
person of his comrade-in-arms. The emotion that prompted this impulse
was so primitive and straightforward that it almost resulted in action;
but Sam had a vague sense that he must control it as long as he could.
"Bugs!" he said.
Penrod was sensitive, and this cold word hurt him. However, he was
under the domination of his strategic idea, and he subordinated private
grievance to the common weal. "Get up!" he commanded. "You get up,
too, Verman. You got to--it's the rule. Now here I'll SHOW you what
we're goin' to do. Stoop over, and both o' you do just exackly like I do.
You watch ME, because this biz'nuss has got to be done RIGHT!"
Sam muttered something; he was becoming more insurgent every
moment, but he obeyed. Likewise, Verman rose to his feet, ducked his
head between his shoulders, and trotted out to the sidewalk at Sam's
heels, both following Penrod and assuming a stooping position in
imitation of him. Verman was delighted with this phase of the game,
and, also, he was profoundly amused by Penrod's pomposity.
Something dim and deep within him perceived it to be cause for such
merriment that he had ado to master himself, and was forced to bottle
and cork his laughter with both hands. They proved insufficient;
sputterings burst forth between his fingers.
"You stop that!" Penrod said, looking back darkly upon the prisoner.

Verman endeavoured to oblige, though giggles continued to leak from
him at intervals, and the three boys stole along the fence in single file,
proceeding in this fashion until they reached Penrod's own front gate.
Here the leader ascertained, by a reconnaissance as far as the corner,
that the hostile forces were still looking for them in another direction.
He returned in a stealthy but important manner to his disgruntled
follower and the hilarious captive.
"Well," said Sam impatiently, "I guess I'm not goin' to stand around
here all day, I guess! You got anything you want to do, why'n't you go
on and DO it?"
Penrod's brow was already contorted to present the appearance of
detached and lofty concentration--a histrionic failure, since it did not
deceive the audience. He raised a hushing hand.
"SH!" he murmured. "I got to think."
"Bugs!" the impolite Mr. Williams said again.
Verman bent double, squealing and sputtering; indeed, he was
ultimately forced to sit upon the ground, so exhausting was the mirth to
which he now gave way. Penrod's composure was somewhat affected
and he showed annoyance.
"Oh, I guess you won't laugh quite so much about minute from now,
ole Mister Verman!" he said severely. "You get up from there and do
like I tell you."
"Well, why'n't you TELL him why he won't laugh so much, then?" Sam
demanded, as Verman rose. "Why'n't you do sumpthing and quit talkin'
so much about it?"
Penrod haughtily led the way into the yard.
"You follow me," he said, "and I guess you'll learn a little sense!"
Then, abandoning his hauteur for an air of mystery equally irritating to
Sam, he stole up the steps of the porch, and, after a moment's
manipulation of the knob of the big front door, contrived to operate the
fastenings, and pushed the door open.
"Come on," he whispered, beckoning. And the three boys mounted the
stairs to the floor above in silence--save for a belated giggle on the part
of Verman, which was restrained upon a terrible gesture from Penrod.
Verman buried his mouth as deeply as possible in a ragged sleeve, and
confined his demonstrations to a heaving of the stomach and
diaphragm.

Penrod led the way into the dainty room of his nineteen-year-old sister,
Margaret, and closed the door.
"There," he said, in a low and husky voice, "I expect you'll see what I'm
goin' to do now!"
"Well, what?" the skeptical Sam asked. "If we stay here very long your
mother'll come and send us downstairs. What's the good of--"
"WAIT, can't you?" Penrod wailed, in a whisper. "My goodness!" And
going to an inner door, he threw it open, disclosing a clothes-closet
hung with pretty garments of many kinds, while upon its floor were
two rows of shoes and slippers of great variety and charm.
A significant thing is to be remarked concerning the door of this
somewhat intimate treasury: there was no knob or latch upon the inner
side, so that, when the door was closed, it could be opened only from
the outside.
"There!" said Penrod. "You get in there, Verman, and I'll bet they won't
get to touch you back out o' bein' our pris'ner very soon, NOW! Oh, I
guess not!"
"Pshaw!" said Sam. "Is that all you were goin' to do? Why, your
mother'll come and make