“I oughtn’t to have done it, Rufus,” Lanky spoke up, with evident contrition in his voice and manner; “it was sure none of my business where you happened to be meanderin’ this Sunday afternoon. The road is free to everybody, gypsy as well as citizens of Columbia. Here’s your wheel; and outside of this bent handle-bar it doesn’t look like there was any damage done. I can straighten that in a jiffy.”
This he proceeded to do, after hauling the bicycle up on the road again.
“Frank,” he added, immediately afterward, “will you pick up that bundle, and tie it on again to the handle-bar after I get it a little straighter? It went flyin’ when the wheel slipped on the road, and took a flop.”
But Rufus sprang forward, and snatched the package out of Frank’s hands. There was almost a fierceness in his manner, that surprised the other very much.
“Don’t you dare meddle with my things, Frank Allen!” he cried. “Guess I can tie it up again myself, without any of your help. Next time you fellers better keep to one side, and let a wheel go past without blocking the road. It’s pretty small potatoes to have two big fellers pick on one little boy!”
“That’s right, Rufus; and I’m ashamed of myself for botherin’ you,” admitted Lanky; “there you are; and nobody’d ever know that handle-bar had been twisted. It’s weak, anyway, and I reckon this isn’t the first time she’s bent on you. Want me to give you a send-off, Rufus?”
“Naw!” snapped the boy, crossly; “just let me be; and as soon as I’ve got this package of clothin’ my maw’s sendin’ to a sick woman, tied up again, I’ll be all right. I’d thank you to keep away. I might ’a’ broke my neck takin’ that header.”
He quickly fastened the recovered package to the front of the wheel, and mounting from the rear, was off along the road. Lanky looked queerly at Frank.
“That was a silly thing for me to do,” he said. “I ought to be ashamed of myself to bother a smaller fellow. That curiosity is a terrible business, Frank. But looky here, what ails you?”
“I was thinking, that’s all, Lanky. An idea seemed to just jump into my mind. You noticed how he didn’t want me to tie up that bundle; didn’t you?”