“Greatest thing that you ever saw, or will see, if you live a thousand years,” he went on, in a way that made Frank smile, thinking that his chum might get an engagement as a “barker” for some side show to a circus. “Yes, sir, there will be the greatest crowd in and around Columbia that was ever known. You’ll be mighty sorry to miss it, I tell you. And the farmers who want to trade horses, they always just flock to these athletic meets. I reckon anybody could do more business in that line in two days, than a week at other times.”
Frank saw some of the gypsies look at each other and nod, as though they rather fancied the idea. Business with them was already the first consideration. They may have thought that they had about exhausted the horse trade around the immediate vicinity of Columbia; but if farmers for a radius of twenty miles and more would be in town with their vehicles on that wonderful occasion, well, that certainly put another face on the matter.
“It’s working, Lanky,” Frank managed to say in a low tone to his chum. “Keep it up, and you’ll get the whole lot to see things your way.”
“Huh! takes your Uncle Lanky to do the grand chinning act,” muttered the tall boy, proudly. “I can soft-soap to beat the band, when I want to. Got ’em started on the right track; and now I’ll just say a few more words to clinch things.”
Some of the gypsies, after talking between themselves, started to ask questions; and as these applied to the actual events that were scheduled to take place, Frank felt that he could take it upon himself to answer as well as his comrade.
He described some of the competitions that seemed to puzzle the nomads, as shot-putting, throwing the hammer, hurdle racing, sack racing, and such things so familiar to all schoolboys in these days.
The group grew around the two boys. Others of the campers began to be drawn to the spot, as the two lads continued to talk and explain things. Presently even a few of the women wandered that way; and the children were already clustered in knots, listening, nodding their black locks, and looking wise from time to time, as if what was Greek to their elders might not be so unfamiliar to them.
Lanky was very much in earnest. He did not feel that the success of the athletic meet depended at all upon whether the gypsies voted to remain over a few more days or not; but he did believe that the carrying out of the plans he and Frank had arranged would be affected by this decision.
By degrees the men seemed to be impressed with the brilliant chance that opened up before them for doing a land-office business in horse trading with the army of “hoosiers” who Lanky declared would flock to the meet, many of them remaining over in town several days to do their summer shopping, thus killing two birds with one stone.
“I’ve got ’em on the jump, Frank,” he whispered to his chum, as he saw the group of men excitedly discussing something that seemed to be of considerable importance. “They’re set on stayin’ over, you see. Looky, there goes a bunch back to camp; and I’m thinkin’ they’re going to see the queen, to put the thing up to her. Hope now she listens to ’em, and says stay.”