Part 2 (1/2)
”I'll go over and do some cultivating until you get back,” went on the boys' father. ”Land sakes! But I wish it would rain!” and, with the worried look still on his face, the farmer climbed the fence and walked through the rows of corn.
Meanwhile the two brothers started on an easy run down the highway. They knew they might have a long chase after the runaway, and they wanted to save their energies.
”Suppose he runs into a carriage, or something, and gets all cut and bruised and lame, so he can't work,” spoke Will.
”What's the use of supposing any such thing as that?” asked Jed.
”Probably he'll run until he gets tired, and we'll find him along the road, waiting for us.”
”I'm afraid something will happen,” went on Will, rather gloomily.
”Maybe, as dad said, the gypsies will steal him.”
”Nonsense!” retorted Jed, taking a more hopeful view. ”What's the use of worrying until you have to?”
”But if we lose that horse it will be a serious blow to dad. He's only got these two, and there's no money left to hire or buy another.”
”How do you know?”
”I heard him and mother talking about it the other night. She asked him why he didn't hire Joe Wright's horse, to help with the cultivating, and he said he couldn't afford it.”
”Well, of course it would be serious if we only had one horse left to do the farm work with,” admitted Jed. ”But Pete isn't lost yet.”
”It will be my fault if he is,” said his brother. ”I suppose I shouldn't have unharnessed him from the cultivator. He couldn't have run very far, dragging that.”
”I guess not. But we'll find him, all right.”
”I can't see any more of him.”
”No, he's gone around the bend in the road. We'll make some inquiries when we get there.”
The two lads went on at a dog-trot. In spite of the calm way in which he took it, Jed was not a little worried over the running away of the horse. A number of things might happen to the animal, and even the loss of its services meant a serious handicap at the farm in those hard times. Both boys felt that they simply must recover the animal, before it had run too far.
As they reached the turn of the road, around which the horse had disappeared, they looked ahead, hoping to get a sight of the runaway.
But the road twisted and turned so that it was impossible to see very far.
”h.e.l.lo, Mr. Johnson!” called Jed to a man who was hoeing some cabbages in a field near the highway. ”Did you see our brown horse pa.s.s here a while ago?”
”Was that your hoss?” asked the man, straightening up, and wiping his head with a big, red handkerchief.
”Yep.”
”Waal, I couldn't tell whether it was a hoss or a cow, it were goin' so fast, and th' dust was so thick. I never see it so dry, not since seventy-three. I guess----”
”Then the horse went on toward Fentonville?” asked Jed, interrupting the farmer, who was one of the greatest talkers in that locality.
”Yep, he did that. But, as I was sayin', I ain't seen it so dry since seventy-three. That was th' year I----”
”Come on, Will,” spoke Jed, in a low voice. ”I've heard that story a dozen times. Much obliged,” he called to Mr. Johnson. ”We want to catch him before the gypsies nab him,” and with that the two boys ran on.
”Humph!” exclaimed Mr. Johnson, as he looked after the disappearing lads. ”They're in a turrible hurry. I ain't never seen it so dry since seventy-three, and that year I----” Then he seemed to realize that he had no audience, and he began to hoe the cabbages again.