After a few minutes of swinging and whittling, in which neither of them said anything, Kate got out of her grape-vine swing and picked up her hat from the ground, and Harry jumped up and whistled for Rob.
As they walked home together, Kate said:
"Harry, I think I'd better resign as Treasurer. Perhaps the officers ought all to be boys."
"Look here, Kate," said Harry; and he stopped as he spoke, "I'm not going to have anybody else as Treasurer. If you resign that office I'll smash the company!"
Of course, after that there was nothing more to be said, and Kate remained Treasurer of the Crooked Creek Telegraph Company.
Before very long, of course, she heard the particulars of George Purvis's resignation. She did not say much about it, but she was very glad that it was not Harry who had been whipped.
The next morning, quite early—the birds and the negroes had been up some time, but everybody in Mr. Loudon's house was still sleeping soundly—Harry, who had a small room at the front of the house, was awakened by the noise of a horse galloping wildly up to the front gate, and by hearing his name shouted out at the top of a boy's voice.
The boy was Tom Selden, and he shouted:
"Oh, Harry! Harry Loudon! Hello, there! The telegraph things have come!"
Harry gave one bound. He jerked on his clothes quicker than you could say the multiplication table, and he rushed down stairs and into the front yard.