SUSPENSE
Soon the gorgeous chariot containing the carnival paraphernalia came
lumbering along en route for Berryville. It was a vision of red and gold
with wheels that looked like pinwheels in a fireworks display.
The one discordant note about it was the rather startling projection of
the heads and legs of animals here and there as if the wagon were
returning from a hunt in South Africa. But these were only the
disconnected parts of a merry-go-round.
Upon the white and silver wind organ which arose out of this ghastly
display sat a personage in cap and bells with face elaborately decorated
in every color of the rainbow. He was distributing printed announcements
to the gaping citizens of Everdoze. Not so much as a frankfurter or a
glass of lemonade did the people of this motley caravan buy.
It was late in the afternoon and Pee-wee and Pepsy were feeling the
tedium of waiting when suddenly the sound of merry laughter burst upon
their ears and somebody said, “Oh, I think it’s perfectly _adorable_ to
be on the wrong road! I just _adore_ being lost! And I _never_ saw
anything so _perfectly excruciating_ in my life!”
“It’s an auto full of girls,” said Pee-wee, adjusting his paper hat upon
his head; “they come from the city, I can tell; you leave them to me.”
“I _never_ saw anything so _adorably funny_ in all my _life”_ the
partners now heard. “I just have a headache from laughing.”
“I know that kind,” said Pee-wee; “they’ve got the giggles. You leave
them to me.”
Pepsy was ready enough to defer to the master mind, the more so because
this approach of their first probable customers gave her a kind of stage
fright. She was seized with sudden terror and the dishpan full of
doughnuts shook in her hands as she placed it in full view by Pee-wee’s
order.
The auto was evidently picking its way along the hubbly road in second
gear. “We’ll find a place where we can turn around somewhere,” said a
man’s voice good humoredly.
“Not till we’ve _gorged_ ourselves with food,” the voice of a girl
caroled forth.
Pee-wee gave his white paper cap a final adjustment, stood the pan of
taffy enticingly in full view and waited as a pugilist waits, for the
adversary’s next move.
“I am going to have a saucerful of ground glass, the latest breakfast
food,” a female voice sang merrily. At which there was a chorus of
laughter.
“What did she say?” Pepsy asked.
“Girls are crazy,” Pee-wee said.
Pepsy fumbled nervously with the several glasses of lemonade which stood
temptingly ready on the counter and glanced fearfully but admiringly at
the genius of this magnificent enterprise. It was the biggest moment in
her poor little life and Pee-wee was a conquering hero. She placed the
fudge within his reach and waited in terrible suspense to see him
operate upon this giggling band of lost pilgrims.
Nearer and nearer the car came and now it poked its big nickel-plated
nose around the bend and advanced slowly, easily, along the narrow,
grass grown way. It looked singularly out of place in that wild valley.
A low, melodious horn politely reminded Simeon Drowser, who stood gaping
in the middle of the road, to withdraw to a safer gaping point. He
retreated to the platform in front of the post office and consulted with
Beriah Bungel, the village constable, about this sumptuous apparition.
Only a couple of hundred feet remained now between the refreshment
parlor and this party of mirthful victims. If Pepsy’s red hair had been
short enough it would have stood on end; as it was her fingers tingled
with mingled appeal and confidence in the head of the firm.
Would it stop? Oh, would it stop? The suspense was terrible.
“F-r-resh doughnuts!” called Pee-wee in a sonorous voice. “Ice cold
lemonade! It’s _ice cold_! Get your fudge here!”
Pepsy looked admiringly upon her hero. She would not have dared to
obtrude into the negotiations which seemed at hand. She gazed wistfully
at a half dozen girls in fresh, colorful, summer array as only a little
red-headed orphan girl in a gingham dress can do. She gazed at the big,
palatial touring car with eyes spellbound. It was thus that the Indians
first gazed upon the ships of Columbus.
[Illustration: PEE-WEE TRIPPED ON HIS APRON AND WENT SPRAWLING.]
“Hot frankfurters,” shouted Pee-wee from behind his counter. “They’re
all hot! Here you are! Get your fresh sweet cider! Five a glass!
Doughnuts six for a dime! All fresh!”