“See here, Bill, what makes you do so?” Josiah asked almost piteously, not feeling exactly at liberty to put a decided veto upon the scheme.
“What makes me? Why, we’re countin’ on comin’ up to your farm next summer, an’ wanter make it lively now for your father, so’s he’ll be glad to see us when we get there.”
“I’m ’fraid mother hasn’t got beds enough for all hands.”
“That don’t make a mite of difference; we’re willin’ to sleep on the hay, or anywhere. Tom acted as if he thought we counted on follerin’ you ’round town; but of course we wouldn’t do a thing like that. We’ll jest start the old man in right, an’ then he an’ you can go wherever you wanter; but we’re bound to see him first.”
It surely seemed as if this settled the matter, so far as Master Shindle was concerned. If Bill was “bound” to carry out the programme he had arranged, then it would be but a waste of words to remonstrate with him, and Josiah remained silent.
“You’ll have to let ’em go,” Bob whispered, and the young gentleman from Berry’s Corner nodded his head with an air of resignation.
“I don’t think you’d better do any yellin’,” Tom said after a pause. “You see, Bill, some of them fellers at the station might kick up a fuss, an’ it wouldn’t look well if you should get ’rested the very minute Mr. Shindle struck the city, ’cause then there wouldn’t be any chance of gettin’ ’quainted with him.”
“I’ll risk their catchin’ me,” Master Foss replied boldly; but it was evident that the suggestion had aroused a certain train of thought which might result in the abandonment of at least a portion of the reception ceremonies.
By this time the escort had cast aside their martial bearing, and all were clustered around Josiah, urging him to leave the court as soon as possible.
“You see, there may be a block down on Broadway, an’ it’ll take us quite a while to get along, ’cause we’re goin’ to march reg’lar, same’s soldiers do,” one of the party suggested, and the visitor felt decidedly embarrassed at being made thus conspicuous.