68 EYE SPY 



none o' yeu idjits hain't seen them har snakes 

 a-flyin' over the meddy ez I sed, then ye dont 

 know jiothin about 'em. I tell ye I've seen 'em 'n' 

 caught 'em !" 



" Say, Amos," slyly asked a jibing neighbor at 

 his elbow, " wut did ye hev in the hayin'-pail that 

 day ?" 



" Waal," drawled Amos, after the momentary 

 laughter had subsided, " wutever it wuz, it 'd do 

 yeu a power o' good ef yeu'd take one long pull 

 on't. It would be a eye-opener fer ye, p'r'aps, 'n' 

 yeu'd lam suthin'. You've ben fed with a spoon 

 all yer life, 'n' ye swaller wutever they give ye 

 without lookin'. Thet's wut ails yeu. Say," he 

 continued, trying to get in a word edgewise in 

 the prevalent hilarious din, " you idjits er havin' 

 a mighty sight o' fun over this 'ere ! I'll give 

 ye a chance to show which on ye is the big- 

 gest fool. Doos any one o' ye want to bet me 

 that ye ain't a pack o' dunces? Which on ye 

 '11 bet me a scythe that wut I say about these 

 ar flyin' snakes is all poppycut ? Come, naow, 

 I'm talkin' bizniss, and if ye ain't a lot o' cowards, 

 p'r'aps you'll prove thet ye ain't. I say them 

 snakes wuz a-flyin' around ez fast ez grasshoppers 

 all over the meddy, 'n' ar flyin' thar naow, like 

 all-possessed, 'n' I kin prove it. Naow who sez I 

 kaint, and will wager me a new scythe on't.'*" 



A momentary lull followed this challenge, but 



