"Kenneth Robeson - Doc Savage 109 - The Too-Wise Owl" - читать интересную книгу автора (Robeson Kenneth)

The kid said, "What do you want, knob nose?"



HE was a round apple of a youth who looked as if his name should be Fritzie Katzenjammer or
something like that. He was fat enough to be uncouth in a pair of skin-tight Fauntleroy pants, out of which
his stockinged legs stuck like black sausages. Twelve would catch his age. More or less. But not much
more or less.

"What did you call me?" Monk asked.

"Knob nose," the boy said. He examined Monk’s face. "I can think of other names."

"Kid," Monk said, "you better not—"

"Kid," said the youth, "is a varied word. The word kid means a small wooden tub, an indentured white
servant, a hoax, the young of such animals as the antelope, the goat, and the roe deer, if under one year
old. Originated from the Scandinavic—Germanic word kizzi."

Monk swallowed. "Yeah?" he said.

"If you don’t believe it, look it up in the dictionary, frightful face," said the shaver.

"What are you doing with that owl?" Monk asked.
The tike scowled at Monk. "None of your business, octopus countenance," he said.

Monk was an extremely homely fellow. One did not have to meet him in a very dark alley to have the
eerie feeling that an ape had gotten loose. Monk was not ordinarily sensitive about his extreme, but rather
pleasant, homeliness. But the fat boy was beginning to get Monk’s goat.

"Gimme that owl, you little punk!" Monk growled.

He reached for the owl. The boy jerked the owl back. This disturbed the owl, who decided Monk’s
hand was the most suitable object for his displeasure.

There was a brief interval of howling, commotion, after which all combatants separated to take stock of
themselves. Monk’s hand looked as if a cat had tried to dine. Two owl feathers were floating around in
the car. Ham was holding his sides with mirth. He thought it was very funny.

The boy was indignant. "What do you mean, treating Owasso that way?" he demanded.

Monk indicated the owl. "Is that Owasso?"

The boy nodded. "Owasso is a type Bubo virginianus, a cousin of Bubo ignavus which is common
over Europe and Asia north of the Himalayas. The species is sometimes called the eagle owl."

"He’ll he a hairless owl if he takes hold of me again," Monk said.

Something occurred to Ham and he inspected the boy thoughtfully.