Part 16 (1/2)

”h.e.l.lo yourself!” shouted Helen. ”Oh, do, _do_ come and drive away these awful goats.”

There was a hearty laugh at this reply, and then a man appeared. Ruth had guessed his ident.i.ty before ever he came in view. It was the portly Mr. Caslon.

”Well, well, my dears! how long have you been roosting up there?” he demanded, laughing frankly at them. ”Get out, you rascal!”

This he said to the big goat, who started for him with head lowered. Mr.

Caslon leaped nimbly to one side and whacked the goat savagely across the back with his k.n.o.bby stick. The goat kept right on down the hillside, evidently having had enough of _that_ play, and the nannies followed, bleating.

”You can come down now, young ladies,” said the farmer. ”But I wouldn't come over into this pasture to play much. The goats don't like strangers.”

”We had no business to come here at all, but we forgot,” explained Ruth, when both she and her chum had descended from the tree. ”We were warned not to come over on this side of the line.”

”Oh, indeed? you're from up on the hill-top?” he asked.

”We are visiting Madge Steele-yes,” said Helen, looking at him curiously.

”Ah! I saw all you young folk going by yesterday. You should have a fine time about here,” said the farmer, smiling broadly. ”And, aside from the temper of the goats, I don't mind you all coming over here on my land if you like.”

The girls thanked him warmly for rescuing them from their predicament, and then ran up the hill to put the stone wall between them and the goats before there was more trouble.

”I like him,” said Helen, referring to Mr. Caslon.

”So do I,” agreed Ruth. ”And it's too bad that Mr. Steele and he do not understand each other.”

Although their escapade with the goats was a good joke-and a joke worth telling to the crowd-Ruth decided that it would be just as well to say nothing about it, and she told Helen so.

”I expect you are right,” admitted her chum. ”It will only cause comment because we went out of bounds, and became acquainted with Mr. Caslon.

But I'm glad the old goat introduced us,” and she laughed and tossed her head.

So they joined their friends, who had gotten tired by this time of tobogganing in June, and they all trooped up the hill again to the house. It was growing warm, and the hammocks and lounging chairs in the shade of the verandas attracted them until noon.

After luncheon there was tennis and croquet on the lawns, and toward evening everybody went driving, although not in the yellow coach this time.

The plans for the following day included a long drive by coach to a lake beyond Darrowtown, where they had a picnic lunch, and boated and fished and had a glorious time in general.

Bobbins drove as before, but there were two men with the party to do the work and look after the horses, and Mrs. Steele herself was present to have an oversight of the young folk.

Bob Steele was very proud of his ability to drive the four-in-hand, and when they swung through Darrowtown on the return trip, with the whip cracking and Tom tooting the horn, many people stopped to observe the pa.s.sing of the turnout.

Every other team got out of their way-even the few automobiles they pa.s.sed. But when they got over the first ridge beyond the town and the four horses broke into a canter, Mrs. Steele, who sat up behind her son on this journey, suddenly put a hand upon his shoulder and called his attention to something ahead in the road.

”Do have a care, my son,” she said. ”There has been an accident there-yes? Don't drive too fast--”

”By jiminy!” e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Ralph Tingley. ”That's a breakdown, sure enough.”

”A farm wagon. There's a wheel off,” cried Ann Hicks, leaning out from the other end of the seat the better to see.

”And who are all those children in blue?” demanded Mercy Curtis, looking out from below. ”There's such a lot of them! One, two, three, four, five-- Goodness me! they jump about so like fleas that I can't count them!”

”Why, I bet I know what it is,” drawled Bobbins, at last. ”It's old Caslon and his load of fresh airs. He was going to town to meet them to-day, I believe. And he's broken down before he's half way home with them-and serves him good and right!”