The captain and Sylvester were leaning on the fence by the gate, looking
up the road and waiting for Dan and the "two-seater" to heave in sight
around the bend. The hired man had harnessed early and driven to the
station at least thirty minutes before train time. Captain Elisha
was responsible for the early start. Steve was coming on that train;
possibly someone else was coming. The captain did not mean they should
find no welcome or vehicle at the station.
The whistle had sounded ten minutes before. It was time for Dan to
appear at the bend.
"I hope to thunder Jim got that telegram," observed the captain for the
twentieth time, at least, since breakfast.
"So do I," replied his friend. "There's no reason why he shouldn't, is
there?"
"No, no sensible one; but I've scared up no less than a couple of
hundred of the other kind. If he shouldn't come--my, my! she'd be
disappointed."
"You wouldn't feel any disappointment yourself, of course," said the
lawyer, with sarcasm.
"Who? Me? Oh, I'd be sorer'n a scalded wharf rat in a barrel of pepper.
But I don't count. There's the real one up there."
He motioned with his head toward the window of Caroline's room.
Sylvester nodded. "Yes," he said, "I suppose so. Captain, I'm somewhat
surprised that you should be willing to trust that niece of yours
to another man.
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