“Well, well, well, now I’m glad to hear that,” and Farmer Shindle laid his hand affectionately on Josiah’s shoulder. “I feered you’d be wantin’ to stay all winter, an’ that would have pretty nigh broke me up. But here’s Tom and Bob,” and the good man turned to shake hands with the representatives of Baker’s Court as he looked at them critically, and added, “You’ve lost that healthy coat of tan you got out to Berry’s Corner last summer, boys. Next year I reckon we’ll have to make farmers of both you little rascals, an’ then you won’t be layin’ ’round this dreadful wicked city lookin’ as peaked as sick chickens. But say, Josiah, does all this crowd belong to you?”
On hearing himself thus referred to, Bill Foss stepped quickly forward, and Josiah introduced him by saying:—
“This is a friend of Tom’s and Bob’s, father. He’s been ’round with us a good deal, an’ come down so’s to make it kinder lively for you.”
“Yes, sir, an’ I brought them fellers with me,” Bill said as he pointed to the escort. “You see, we didn’t want you to land here without there was a reg’lar delegation to take care of you.”
“Bless my soul!” the farmer exclaimed, as he looked at the two lines of boys, who were standing stiff as statues now they were being inspected. “There wasn’t any need of makin’ a splurge for me, ’cause you see I’m only a plain old farmer, an’ wouldn’t know how to act if there was too much goin’ on.”
“But this thing had to be done,” Bill explained, scowling furiously at a boy in the escort who chanced to step out of the line for an instant in order to save himself from being run over by a dray. “We’re comin’ out to see you next summer, you know, an’ it seems like we oughter get ’quainted first.”
“Comin’ out to the farm, eh?”
“That’s what we ’low to do,” Bill replied decidedly.
“The whole crowd?”
“Yes sir’ee; we’ve ’greed to save up cash enough to buy tickets for all hands.”