He did not think it wise to speak of his adventure at home, as he knew it would only make those at the old house uneasy and afraid to remain there while he and Larry were away. So he greeted his mother with his usual light-heartedness, though it was many days before he fully recovered from the thrilling experience of coasting “Flying Jump.”
On the morning of the Fourth of July, it being a holiday, he resolved to take his first “day off” since coming to Break o’ Day, and though he had no new suit to wear, as was the case with Larry, he brushed up his old clothes, put on a new pair of pants, which he had been obliged to buy, and started on foot.
It had been his wish that Joe should go with him, but she declared that she could not think of that, as she had positively “nothing fit to wear.” Besides, she was needed at home.
Thus we find Rob at Gainsboro, and no one was more surprised than he at the declaration of Job Westcott to his friend Larry.
At this juncture one of the committee came hurriedly to the spot, saying:
“Are you the young man who is to take the place of Mr. Snyder, who was to speak here to-day? If so, come right along, for the people are tired of waiting. It’s strange Snyder could not have notified us of this arrangement before.”
Larry was thus suddenly placed in a position he could not understand, and with the efforts of Job, he was taken to the speaker’s stand before he had fully recovered from his surprise. Then he looked around to find himself staring into the upturned faces of the crowd of amazed people.
“Reel it off, Larry, jess as you did to me down in the hayfield t’other day, and you’ll s’prise ’em all—especially Lucy!” whispered Job, as he turned to go away. A moment later a few heard him say in a low tone to himself:
“If this don’t make me even with Pluck Snyder, I’ll try ag’in!”
The chairman of the occasion by this time had arisen, and not knowing personally the expected speaker, had begun to introduce the “orator” in glowing terms as “the gifted son of the rich Orestes Snyder, and the talented young lawyer of the silver tongue, destined to make his mark in the world,” and much more in that line, until he ended, and a breathless silence fell on the scene.