“Hey!” cried Sammy. “What you doing? Those little girls are friends of mine. You want to let them ride in that open car—not in that box. What d’you think we are?”
“Get out the way, boy!” commanded Big Jim.
He seized Tess suddenly by the shoulders, swung her up bodily despite her screams and tossed her through the rear door of the Gypsy van. Dot followed so quickly that she could scarcely utter a frightened gasp.
“Hey! Stop that! Those are the Kenway girls. Why! Mr. Howbridge will come after them and he’ll—he’ll—”
Sammy’s excited threat was stopped in his throat. Big Jim’s huge hand caught the boy a heavy blow upon the side of his head. The next moment he was shot into the motor-van too and the door was shut.
He heard Tess and Dot sobbing somewhere among the women and children already crowded into the van. It was a stuffy place, for none of the windows were open. Although this nomadic people lived mostly out of doors, and never under a real roof if they could help it, they did not seem to mind the smothering atmosphere of the van which now, with a sudden lurch, started out of the place of encampment.
“Never you mind, Tess and Dot, they won’t dare carry you far. Maybe they are taking you home anyway,” said Sammy in a low voice. “The first time they stop and let us out we’ll run away. I will get you home all right.”
“You—you can’t get yourself home, Sammy,” sobbed Dot.
“Maybe you like it being a Gypsy, but we don’t,” added Tess.
“I’ll fix it for you all right—”