“All right,” I gave in. “If you’re willing to take a chance, count me in, too.”
I got out then to jiggle the crank. And what do you know if I didn’t actually fall over old Goliath’s big feet. He had been standing in the dark taking in every word we said! And right then, let me tell you, is one of the times in my young life when my heart, as the saying is, did a neat little loop-the-loop in the roof of my mouth. For see how big he was! Good night!
But the giant didn’t grab me and start twisting me into fancy bowknots, as I had feared that he would. Instead, as I stumbled, he steadied me as gently as you please.
“Sh-h-h-h!” says he in a sort of drawling whisper, to keep me from yelling, I guess. “You boys got here jest in time to help me.”
My voice was gone. I had swallowed it. But Poppy still had his.
“Help you?” says he. “What do you mean?”
“I’m runnin’ away. I hain’t a-goin’ to live here no longer, like a prisoner, an’ have a woman boss me ’round. No, I hain’t! I jest set my foot down. An’ now that you boys is here, I won’t have to walk.” He started to get into the car. “Shove over, Sonny, an’ I’ll show you tricks with the steerin’ wheel that I picked up when you young sprouts was jest learnin’ how to wear pants as wasn’t hitched onto you with safety pins.”
CHAPTER XII
DR. MADDEN COMES HOME
Poppy and I were doing a sort of double-decker stunt now. We had to in riding with old Goliath, for he took up two-thirds of the seat. But we didn’t kick, however crampy it was for us. As a matter of fact, we were only too glad it wasn’t any worse. Think what might have happened to us if old heavy-weight had been tending to business, as official toll collector, instead of scheming to his own escape. Br-r-r-r!
I guess, if the truth were known, we acted kind of simple. You know how it is with a fellow when he gets caught with his fingers in the company jam jar. We didn’t know what to say. And every minute we expected old blunderbuss to get his memory to working on our trickery, as he had overheard it, and start bawling us out.