“Jack, see here, there’s something wrong with our Toby,” Steve said in a cautious voice, although the object of his remark being some distance away there was not the slightest chance of his overhearing anything.
Jack knew what was coming, but he did not even smile.
“Why, what makes you say that, Steve?” he asked, solicitously.
“He’s acting so queer that I’m afraid the poor 119 fellow must be going looney,” Steve told him, with a ring of sincere regret in his voice.
“Queer in what way?” asked the other, continuing his work.
“Oh! in lots of ways,” sighed Steve. “For one thing he can’t keep still a minute, but jumps up, and walks around nervously. Then he’s always looking up at the sun, and shaking his head as if he couldn’t make things out. I’ve seen him looking at you as if he had a grudge he was nursing. Now something has happened to Toby since he left camp this morning, and I’d like to know what it is.”
“Why, nothing has happened to him except that he’s seen a lot of interesting things, the same as I have. We mean to speak of them after supper, while we lie around taking our ease, you know. Don’t worry about Toby; I give you my word the boy is all right. Little danger of him ever losing his head.”
“Why, I even asked him point-blank what ailed him, and if he felt any way sick, but do you know, he just smiled at me, and shrugged his shoulders in the silliest way ever. Yes, and would you believe me, Jack, he gave me a queer look and said: ‘I’m not a bit sick, I tell you; I’m only tired of waiting,’ and Jack, he wouldn’t even explain what he meant by that. Even if you don’t feel bothered I do, and there’s something knocking in Toby’s brain right now, I tell you. That boy has got something on his mind.”
120“Listen, Steve,” chuckled the amused Jack. “There may be a method in Toby’s seeming madness. Remember the old story of the doctor who, being called in to prescribe for an old gentleman addicted to much dram drinking, put him on a strict allowance of one drink a day, which was to be taken when he sent downstairs for his hot water for shaving. Some days afterwards, chancing to be in the neighborhood again, he stopped at the door to ask how the old party was getting on. To his surprise the butler held up his hands, and looked very solemn as he declared that he very much feared his master was going out of his mind.
“‘And why do you fear that, James?’ the doctor asked, alarmed.