“Did anybody ever hear of such luck?” cried Lester, with a great show of disappointment and anger. “Boys, I can’t go.”
“What did I tell you?” exclaimed the proprietor of the livery stable, who thought he had been imposed upon again. “I knew you didn’t want that rig when you asked for it.”
“Oh, yes, we do, Mr. Watkins,” answered Wheeler, hastily. “The rest of us will go, and perhaps while we are driving through the village we can find some good fellow to take Lester’s place. We’re sorry for you, Brigham, and hope you haven’t been doing anything very bad. If you say so, we’ll take you up to the academy and wait for you at the gate. You may be able to explain matters so that you can get out again.”
“You had better go on and hunt up some other fellow,” said Enoch. “I don’t think you will see Brigham again to-day.”
Something that looked like a shade of anxiety settled on Lester’s face, and without saying another word he turned and hurried away, leaving his two friends to do the rest of the talking. Ross acted as though he didn’t know whether it was best to go or not. Enoch and Jones were surprised to see him in the wagon, and wondered if they hadn’t better give him a hint to get out; but after a little reflection, they wisely concluded that Ross would not have been there if Lester had not wanted to get rid of him for some reason of his own, and so they said nothing to him. They saw Wheeler drive out of the stable, and then walked slowly down the street in search of Lester, whom they found waiting for them around the nearest corner.
“How did you like my plan?” was Lester’s first question.
“It worked splendidly—your plans always do,” replied Enoch. “But did you want Ross to go too?”
“I did,” answered Lester, emphatically. “To tell you the honest truth, I didn’t want to trust him.”
“I am sorry to hear that,” observed Jones, “for he shelled out money with a lavish hand when we asked him for it. If it hadn’t been for him, some of us would have been obliged to stay behind, for we could not have purchased tickets.”
“Well, those who borrowed money from him can return it, can’t they?” demanded Lester.