52 the death-watch. at this the whole party laughed...
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![Page 1: 52 THE DEATH-WATCH. At this the whole party laughed merrily,ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/UF/00/01/85/95/00001/00062.pdf52 THE " DEATH- WATCH, Quite right, Cary, to ask that question, It](https://reader034.vdocuments.us/reader034/viewer/2022042117/5e95308d0a6fb024213f8fd3/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
52 THE "DEATH-WATCH."
"Quite right, Cary, to ask that question,"
said Mr. Fraser; "you shall hear. It is the
gentleman-beetle which makes the noise, and
it is a call to some female not far off. So you
see the ticking is really the beetle's mode of
making love."At this the whole party laughed merrily,
Lilly exclaiming with vehemence, " What silly
children we were, to be frightened by a poor
little beetle calling his wife ! Oh, I do hope it
will tick again."Fred now put in his query: "I wonder
if we could catch one; I should like to
see it.""Oh, yes-yes ! can we catch one, papa ?"
cried both Lilly and Cary in the same breath.
" That might, perhaps, be managed; if we
called in Sam Cox to cut open the old wainscot
of your bed-room to-morrow, we might find the
beetle in some dark corner; but then you'll
not hear the sound again."
The morning came; Lilly and Cary could
scarcely take breakfast-so great was their ex-
citement; and Fred was constantly wondering
"how the death-watch would feel when fairly