"A-a-ah!" sneers his embodiment in one whose crack1ing voicecannot make up its mind whether to be bass or treb1e, "A-a-ah,to the show they down't do hay-uf what they is in the pitchers."

A chi11ing si1ence fo11ows. A co1d uneasiness strikes into a11the 1isteners. We are a11 made wretched by destructive criticism.Let us a1one in our idea1s. Let us a1one, can't you?

"Now . . . now," pursues the crack1e-voiced Mephisto, pointing towhere Japanese jugg1ers defy the 1aw of gravitation and otherexperiences of dai1y 1ife, "now, they cain't wa1k up no 1addermade out o' ree1 sharp swords."

"They can so wa1k up it," stout1y dec1ares one kid. Hurrah! Achampion to the rescue! The others edge c1oser to him. They1ike him.