Part 6 (1/2)
A covered wagon appeared on the first crossroad, e waited its approach A figure like Zene's sat resting his feet on the tongue behind the old gray and the old white
”It's our wagon,” said Robert Day Presently Zene's countenance, and even the cast in his eyes, beca indistinctness, and he sles with the carriage
”Where have you been?” inquired Grandett
”Over on t'other road,” replied Zene, indicating the direction with his whip, ”huntin' you folks I knowed you hadn't ett mentioned her experience with the Dutch landlord and the ford, both of which Zene had avoided by taking another cross-road that he had neglected to indicate to theon-track and foller, not bein' fur behind When he discovered they were not in his train, he was in a narrow road and could not turn; so he tied the horses and walked back a piece He got on a corn-field fence and shouted to thee anywhere in the landscape
”Such things won't do,” said Grandett with some severity
”No, ether,” said the head of the caravan
”Yes, marm,” responded Zene earnestly
”Well, now, you ht till it's dinner-tiood place to halt”
Bobaday said he believed he would get in with Zene and try the wagon awhile Springs and cushi+ons had becos down on a level with Zene's, and enjoyed the jolting in every piece of his backbone He had had a surfeit of woman-society Even the horsey sreeable And above all, he wanted to talk about J D
Matthews, and tell the terrors of a botto cellar
”But the ,” said Bobaday ”He just talked poetry all the time, and Grandma said he was daft I'd like to talk that way myself, but I can't make it jee”
Zene observed mysteriously, that there were some queer folks in this section
Yes, Bobaday admitted; the landlord was as Dutch as sour-krout
Zene observed that all the queer folks wasn't Dutch He shook his head and looked so steadily at a black stump that Robert knew his eyes were fixedly cast on the horizon The boy speculated on the possibility of people with crooked eyes seeing anything clearly But Zene's hints were a stiht?” inquired Robert, bracing hiht at first I'd put up in the wagon” replied Zene
”But you didn't?”
”No: not _intirely_”
”What _did_ you do?” pressed Robert Day
”Well, I thought I'd better git nigh soivin' ht you'd inquire at all the houses”
”Did you stop at one?”
[Illustration: ZENE EXCITES BOBADAY'S CURIOSITY]
”I took the teaone in to see what kind of folks they were first,” remarked Bobaday
”Yes, sir; that's what I'd orto done But I leads the o' runnin' water Then I doesn't know but the woive me a supper if I pays for it So I slips to the side door and knocks And a man opens the door”