Page 59 - Lulu and Bob in Verbo City
P. 59

“But  what  is  the  final  version  of  that  line?”  Bob  was  getting
        impatient.
          “I say it’s ‘Know things bestowed in eerie pantomime.’ Go on with
        line fifteen: we need to get out of here in less than ten minutes.”
          “Yes, ma’am.” He wanted a cookie, but more than that to triumph
        over Uncle Bunster. “Write this one down in ink: ‘elephants’: ‘L’ plus
        ‘F’ plus ants. And the one after that: a can of beans plus a rope tied in
        a knot: ‘cannot’.”  Am I going too fast for you?”
          “Not at all. Next is the outline of Texas. What does that signify?
        “Lone Star’? ‘Oil’? ‘Big hair’?”
          “Don’t be funny, Lulu: it must simply be ‘state’. Texas just happens
        to have one of the most recognizable outlines. After that is the word
        ‘they’. So that leaves one word in this line, and I’m leaving it to you.”
        He liberated a golden toad, regarded it critically, and popped most of
        it in his mouth.
          “Thanks  a  lot!  It’s  a  package  of  paper  plus  a  glowing  coal.  The
        package  contains  one  ream,  and  a  smoldering  lump  of  coal  is  an
        ember. Remember that!”

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