"John D. Fitzgerald - The Great Brain At the AcademyUC - 4" - читать интересную книгу автора (Fitzgerald John D)

"Weil," Sweyn said, "did my little brother learn all
about choo-choo trains?"

Tom figured this was as good a time as any to put an
end to this big-brother act of Sweyn's. And he knew the
hardest blow of all would be in the pocketbook.

"I guess you know a lot more about trains than I do,"
he said.

"Why shouldn't I?" Sweyn asked in that superior
way of older brothers. "I have already made two trips to
Salt Lake City and back."

"You sure have," Tom said, "and I figure for every
mile I've ridden on a train you must have traveled at least
twenty. Right?"

"Right," Sweyn said.

"That means you know twenty times more about
trains than I do," Tom said. "Right?"

"Yeah," Sweyn answered.

"Then put your money where your mouth is," Tom
said. "I'll bet you a quarter that I can ask you two ques-
tions about trains that you can't answer. If you answer,
both of them you win. If you only answer one of them it
is a tie and the bet is off."

"Get your quarter ready." Sweyn said confidently,

12

"and go ahead and ask your two questions."

"Who is the big boss on a train, the conductor or the
engineer?" Tom asked.

"That is easy," Sweyn said. "The engineer is."

"One wrong," Tom said. "And you can ask Mr. Wal-
ters the conductor if you don't believe me. Now for the
second question. What were conductors on trains called
before they were called conductors?"

"What kind of a question is that?" Sweyn asked.

"It is about trains, isn't it?" Tom asked, smiling. "I