"The fit is on him again!"
He rose disgustedly and went out. They followed him in single file. The
rest of the town "caught on." Frank Graham heaved an apple at him, and
joined the procession. Rob went into the store to buy some tobacco. They
all followed, and perched like crows on the counters till he went out;
then they followed him, as before. They watched him check his trunk;
they witnessed the purchase of the ticket. The town had turned out by
this time.
"Waupac!" announced the one nearest the victim.
"Waupac!" said the next man, and the word was passed along the street up
town.
"Make a note of it," said Wilson; "Waupac--a county where a man's
proposal for marriage is honored upon presentation. Sight drafts."
Rivers struck up a song, while Rob stood around, patiently bearing the
jokes of the crowd:
"We're lookin' rather seedy now,
While holdin' down our claims,
And our vittles are not always of the best,
And the mice play slyly round us
As we lay down to sleep
In our little old tarred shanties on the claim.
"Yet we rather like the novelty
Of livin' in this way,
Though the bill of fare is often rather tame;
An' we're happy as a clam
On the land of Uncle Sam
In our little old tarred shanty on the claim."
The train drew up at length, to the immense relief of Rob, whose stoical
resignation was beginning to weaken.
"Don't y' wish y' had sand?" he yelled to the crowd, as he plunged into
the car, thinking he was rid of them at last.
He was mistaken. Their last stroke was to follow him into the car,
nodding, pointing to their heads, and whispering, managing in the
half-minute the train stood at the platform to set every person in the
car staring at the "crazy man." Rob groaned, and pulled his hat down
over his eyes--an action which confirmed his tormentors' words and made
several ladies click their tongues in sympathy--"Tlck! tlck! poor
fellow!"
"All abo-o-o-a-rd!' said the conductor, grinning his appreciation at the
crowd, and the train was off.
"Oh, won't we make him groan when he gets back!" said Barney, the young
lawyer, who sang the shouting tenor.
"We'll meet him with the timbrel and the harp. Anybody want to wager?
I've got two to one on a short brunette," said Wilson.