42 How Sammy Went to Coral-Land 
just the right size for my needs, and, 
there being no other way out of the diffi¬ 
culty, I was compelled to eat him up in 
order to get possession of his home. It 
was a wrong act, the impulse of a mo¬ 
ment, and I assure you that I have al¬ 
ways deeply regretted the cruel deed/’ 
and the Hermit paused to sigh deeply. 
Now Sammy had very small faith in 
the repentance of the Hermit. In fact 
he had a suspicion that he was a blood¬ 
thirsty old hypocrite, and that those un¬ 
wary strangers who had come to look for 
apartments in the past, had never re¬ 
turned alive. This was an uncomfortable 
thought, so he kept a sharp eye on the 
Hermit, while he listened to the long de¬ 
scription the other gave him of the habits 
and customs of his family. 
Our hero was soon to learn that brag¬ 
ging about one’s ancestors and conneo- 
