Page:Conflict (1927).pdf/49

 things growing in it. Sheilah always wondered why, because the earth was so dark and rich. The Chinaman was picking up little shining white things out of the black earth and putting them in a deep side pocket in his coat. From a distance the shining white things looked like sea-shells. It was so strange to be hunting for sea-shells in a garden that Sheilah approached the Chinaman, and asked him what it was he was putting in his pocket. He mumbled something she couldn't understand, and, stretching out the opening of his pocket towards her, he motioned her to put her hand down in it and find out for herself. Sheilah plunged her hand and arm, bare to the elbow, down into the deep pocket. Immediately a shudder ran through her. There were cold, wet things in the pocket. She drew her hand out as quickly as she could, but to her dismay some of the cold, wet things were sticking to her wrist! Big white worms—slugs, she called them when she was a little girl. She tried to shake them off, but she couldn't! They clung. That was what woke her. The horror of those clinging white slugs!