Part 31 (1/2)
The little wiry man sank into the furthest corner and pulled out from his pocket a newspaper, which he tried to read But Mrs
Beaseley, beginning on the state for Mr Tisbett, and every ot e
At last, after picking up a little girl, and a boy who spent his ti vehicle to stare enviously up at Joel, the stage-coach rattled in fine fashi+on, bringing everybody to the doors and s, into Strawberry Hill, and pulled up at the tavern Here all the passengers got down; Mrs Beaseley insisting that she ought to pay but half price, considering all things, and with very black looks, when Mr Tisbett coolly waited till every cent was in his palm The little thin man skipped nimbly out of the coach, and, with a backward alar a little distance off, in which Mr Tisbett deposited the hair trunk
”Say, how'd you get up there?” asked the boy, tuirl, as going to spend Sunday at her grand her best clothes in a bundle She stopped a minute to hear what Joel said
”I stepped up,” said Joel; ”how'd you s'pose?”
”How'd he let you?” persisted the boy, pointing with a dingy thue-driver ”He never let me”
'”Cause he did,” said Joel, curtly, ”that's the reason”
”Oh!” said the boy, and Mr Tisbett co back, he moved off
But he still continued to watch
”Now, says I, we'll hop down,” cried Mr Tisbett, which Joel proceeded to do in a trice, glad enough to stretch his legs
”Here, David, give us your hand” And the stage-driver soon had little David on the ground ”Now, Bill and Jerry, it's your turn” And very soon Mr Tisbett was busy in unbuckling straps and tackling, to release the big horses, Joel in a wild delight getting dreadfully in the way, and being, as he thought, an i, longing to help too, but too timid to say so The other boy rushed up ”Oh, leta tousled head in between the two busy with the harness
The stage-driver shot hih for you to help in this ere job, Jim,” he said, ”when I ask you”
So Jiain And at last the horses were led off to the big barn to get their dinner of oats and hay, and then Mr Tisbett drew Joel and David away
But this was a hard task, for Joel hung over Bill and Jerry in delight, watching every mouthful ”Can't I clied, pointing at Bill, while even little Davidhaymows, to any other place
”No, you can't,” said Mr Tisbett, answering Joel ”And you ain't a-goin' to be in this barn I can't leave you here alone
Your Ma wouldn't like it And besides, you've got to have so; you're my company to-day, an' I told Mrs Pepper not to put you up anything to eat”
Strangely enough, at thewith the horses Seeing which, the stage-driver wasted no ers and bore hireen paper shades flapping in the summer breeze, and seated at the table with the tavern-keeper's wife bustling around to lay on the hot dishes, Joel thought differently, and had a hard ti silently, ide-open blue eyes
”I's,” said Mr Tisbett ”Fried on both sides, Mrs Green, an' plenty of 'eht,” said the tavern-keeper's wife, with a se-driver who always made it pleasant for them all when he took his dinner there once a week ”Nohat's these boys goin' to have?”
”As good a dinner as you've got in the house, Mrs Green,” said Mr Tisbett, heartily; ”these are the little Pepperses, and they live over to Badgertown, Marht have announced, ”This is the Lord Mayor of London,” if he had been called upon to introduce that functionary
”Oh!” exclaimed Mrs Green, ot boiled dinner an' a raspb'ry shortcake Do you think they'd like that?” She appealed to the stage-driver
”Yes sir-_ree_!” cried Joel, s but potatoes and salt for our dinner Oh, David!”
he seized little Davie's arhtly, ”raspberry shortcake, she said; that's what Polly was telling about she hoped we could have sometime”
XVII
THE FIGHT AT STRAWBERRY HILL
”Now, then,” exclaimed Mr Tisbett, when dinner was over, and the little Peppers declared they couldn't eat any oin'