“It is so good of you,” said Jasper heartily.
“Ye can see the train come in around the curve,” said Mr. Bunce straightening up, with conscious pride in every feature of his face. “And the conductor’s goin’ to stop it right at this pint. Glad you like it all, Mr. King,” he said; “th’ s’lectmen’ll be pleased.”
“Indeed, how could we help it!” cried Jasper with feeling. “We shall never forget all that you have done this day, Mr. Bunce.”
“When’ll the train come!” begged Barby, pulling the first selectman by the arm; “say, when will it? I want it very much, I do.”
“Oh, you’ll see her a-comin’ around that curve pretty soon,” said Mr. Bunce, taking her soft little palm in his stubby one. “Look sharp, now!”
So Barby stood on tiptoe, and Elyot and the other boys did the same.
“I’ll get you a chair to stand on,” said Mr. Bunce, hurrying into the station to bring one out; then he put Barby on it. “And now I’ll get Rev. Mr. Pepper and Mr. David, for you want to be all together;” and he shambled off, Elyot and King and Johnny swarming upon the chair to look over Barby’s fat little shoulders.
“I don’t believe it will ever come,” began Barby, as Joel rushed up and swung her to his broad shoulder with Elyot on the other, and David hoisted King. Johnny stuck to the chair, when—“Here it comes! Here it comes!” and all the white handkerchiefs came fluttering out, as the country folk hurried up; the children with the flower-baskets, drawn up in two lines, gathered their hands full of pretty blossoms; the old stage, decked with garlands and festoons, with Mr. Tisbett resplendent in his Sunday clothes on the box, drove up around a waiting corner with a flourish, to the platform front. And there was Phronsie and Roslyn! and old Mr. King, his handsome white head bared to the sun, was bowing to right and to left, while Mamsie and little Doctor Fisher, with Ben and Charlotte Chatterton brought up the rear.
And then arose a mighty cheer from the throats of the village people! And the flowers were strewn, and the little nosegays were thrown, and the whole bunch of Peppers, big and little, passed up through the blossom-covered path. And Phronsie was helped into the old flower-decked stage right gallantly by Grandpapa, who turned, and bowed low to the Badgertown people. “I thank you, my dear friends,” he said, “for this tribute to the one whom we all love.” And then Jasper said something to him in a low voice. “And thank you, Mr. Tisbett,” said old Mr. King, his hat still in his hand, and he put up his other palm to grasp that of the stage-driver’s, “for asking me to drive up too.”
Mr. Tisbett thought he should fall off from the driver’s box with pride and delight after that.