By this time it seemed that by far the greater portion of the inhabitants of the town were packed upon the bridge or jamming the roadway. And when Obadiah Cobb took the governor, the judge, and the other two men into his double seater and started back up the hill with them, the crowd laughed and cheered again.
“Governor,� said Judge Wiggin, “I dunno whether that’s meant for you or for the young man who hauled me out of the stream, but either way it’s proper well deserved. If you hadn’t been dead game, you’d have kicked like a steer over what’s happened, and if he wasn’t good grit to the bone he’d never have gone into the river arter me. Which is admittin’ I made a mistake in sizing him up when I found my darter making a touse over him.�
Among the few villagers who remained unaware of the recent lively events were Judge Wiggin’s sister and his daughter. Of course they were thrown into a great flutter. Miss Sally said: “My stars!� What Miss Bessie said was whispered into the ear of the water-soaked but smiling young man, who gave her a look and a sly squeeze of the hand that brought a rosy flush to her cheeks.
Dry clothes were found; also “a little nip of something to parry off chills.� Warming up, the participants in the adventure joked and laughed, even though the judge seemed to have something on his mind that was giving him some serious thought. What this was appeared later after they had partaken of a genuine old-fashioned New England supper, topped off with doughnuts and hot apple pie and steaming, fragrant coffee.
Turning his eyes to the governor, who sat at the right of Miss Sally, Nathan Wiggin said: “Governor, putting aside the question of damages I owe on account of what happened to your automobile, ca’late it’s up to me to express my appreciation of whut you done to induce Ephraim Glover to take back and give me a clear field. With a clear start, I reckon I can carry this deestrict, and help you to carry the county. Anyhow, I’m going to lay myself out to do it.�
“That sounds good to me,� laughed the governor.
“Furthermore,� pursued the host, “I’ve decided to abolish the trapping of automobile drivers in this here town. Mebbe,� he admitted, “this may appear a leetle dite selfish on my part as, havin’ got my dander up by the pranks played on me by that there gas go-cart of yourn, governor, I’m contemplating buying one myself and running the consarned cantraption until I git it tamed. If there was traps hereabouts, mebbe I’d git took up and have to fine myself for busting the speed limit. Therefore, henceforth there ain’t going to be no speed limit in Greenbush.�
Beneath the edge of the table, old Shep, attempting to lick Bessie’s hand with his tongue, licked also the hand of the young man who sat beside her. And before sitting down, the young people had found an opportunity, quite unobserved, to exchange a few words in private. Somehow neither of them had evinced any great desire for food, but while George was still unnaturally pale, the roses continued to bloom in Bessie’s cheeks.
Now George spoke up boldly: “As long as you have abolished the speed limit, Judge Wiggin, I am going to improve the occasion to ask you for your daughter’s hand in marriage. Doubtless it will seem rather hasty to you, but everything has moved with a rush this afternoon. I have put the question to Bessie, and won her consent.�
The governor stared. Miss Nancy nearly fainted. Bessie Wiggin trembled visibly. Nathan P. Wiggin gazed hard at the young man for about thirty seconds, and then scratched his chin, a queer pucker screwing up his face.