“Oh, I agree on that, Major Ruddy. Both of those teachers have been far too dictatorial. But it was a mistake to throw potatoes and bread around the dining room, and it was vile to throw an inkwell at Crabtree,” added Frank Barringer.
During the afternoon Josiah Crabtree drove to Cedarville in Captain Putnam’s coach. When he returned he had with him three men, burly individuals who looked like dock hands—and such they were.
“What are those men going to do here?” asked Andy of his chums.
“I can’t imagine,” answered Pepper. “If they were going to do some work they wouldn’t come at this time of day.”
“Let us see if Peleg Snuggers knows anything about it,” suggested Dale, and he and the others walked down to the barn, where they found the general utility man putting up the team the teacher had used.
“Come to help me, young gents?” asked Snuggers, with a grin.
“Peleg, we want to know what those three men came for?” said Dale.
“Oh!” The general utility man shrugged his shoulders. “Better go an’ ask Mr. Crabtree—he brung ’em.”
“You mustn’t say ‘brung,’ Peleg,” said Pepper. “It’s bad geography. You ought to say bringed or brang.”
“Well, you see, I ain’t never had much schoolin’,” was the reply, as the man scratched his head. “Say,” he went on, with a grin, “you had high jinks this mornin’, didn’t you? I wanted to laff right out, but I didn’t dast.”