“Come, Teddy, get the girls home, quick.”
He leaped from his seat and took Jenny in his arms and placed her in the wagon.
“There’s room for you, too, Becky. Jump in. God bless you, girl. It’s hard to lose all I have in the world, but it would have been harder to bear had there been a life lost.”
Becky climbed into the wagon followed by Teddy who took up the reins and drove away. As they moved off the excited crowd, who had witnessed Becky’s valor, shouted until Becky was out of sight, “Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah!” As they flew down the road Jenny poured into the ears of Teddy Sleeper the exciting narrative of the escape.
“That’s just like her, Jenny. Hi, lively, Spotty. She’s a bouncer, I tell you. And she’s my sister. Ain’t I proud of her? Oh, no—get up, Spotty,” cried Teddy, at the conclusion of the narrative. “And I lugged that plaguy old ingine up all for nothing. She does all the brave things, and I ain’t no account. Don’t care, she’s my sister. Hi, there, Spotty, what are ye about? She’s my sister.”
Spotty was the name of Small’s horse—an explanation rather necessary, in view of the manner in which Teddy mixed his sentences.
Having safely deposited his sister at home, Teddy drove on to Jenny’s house. Mrs. York was surprised at the appearance of Jenny in the middle of the day. The family had heard nothing about the fire, and were about sitting down to dinner when Teddy arrived with his charge.
“Bless the child, where did you come from? What’s the matter?” cried Mrs. York, appearing in the doorway, as Teddy carefully deposited Jenny on the step.
“Been a fire! Mill’s gone—clean gone!” said Teddy. “So I brought Jenny home.”