“He knows me—Twinkie!”
“Luky!”
Both made a grab at Twinkie-Luky, but Twinkie-Luky escaped both and flew like a dart down the road in the direction of Mr. Gorton’s. Like all real gentlemen, Twinkie-Luky preferred death to a scene. William was no coward, but even a braver man than William would have fled. William’s fleeing figure was already half-way down the road in which his home lay.
At the cross-roads Miss Amelia Blake and Miss Cliff clung to each other hysterically and sent forth shrill, discordant cries after the fleeing Twinkie-Luky.
“Twinkie, Twinkie, Twinkie, Twinkie, Twink-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee!”
“Luky, Luky, Luky, Luky, Lukee-ee-ee-ee-ee!”
And William ran as if all the cats in the world were at his heels.
CHAPTER X
WILLIAM THE SHOWMAN
WILLIAM and his friends, known to themselves as the Outlaws, were in their usual state of insolvency. All entreaties had failed to melt the heart of Mr. Beezum, the keeper of the general stores in the village, who sold marbles, along with such goods as hams and shoes and vegetables.