Peter. She jumped from her chair and stamped her foot angrily.
“Oh!” she cried, clinching her fists, while all her anger blazed in her
face. “Hain't you insulted me enough? Get out of my house! Don't you
ever come back!”
Peter put on his hat. He paused when his hand was on the door-knob, his
face deathly white.
“If you ever get sick, Jane,” he said, “you can leave word at George
Rapp's Livery stable. I'll come to you if you are sick,” and he went
out, closing the door softly.
Buddy was waiting where Peter had left him.
“I'm making a funny snake for you, Uncle Peter,” he said.
“Well, I should think you were!” said Peter, summoning all his
cheerfulness. “That's just the funniest old snake I ever did see, but
you better let Uncle Peter have your jack-knife now, Buddy. We'll get
along.”
He gathered the boy, who obediently yielded the knife, into his arms.
“I'm going to see Aunt Jane, now,” said the boy contentedly.
“No, I guess we won't go see your Aunt Jane to-day, Buddy,” said Peter,
holding the boy close. “Put your head close up against Uncle Peter's
shoulder and he can carry you better. You ain't so heavy that way.”
Buddy put his head on Peter's shoulder and crooned one of Booge's verses
contentedly. They walked a long way in this manner, toward the town.
From time to time Peter shifted the boy from one shoulder to the other,
and once or twice he allowed him to walk, but not far. He wanted to feel
Buddy in his arms.
“I shouldn't wonder,” said Peter as they entered the outskirts of the
town, “if I had to go on a trip right soon. I can't seem to think of any
way out of it.”
“I like to go on trips with you, Uncle Peter,” said Buddy.
“Well, you see, Buddy-boy,” said Peter, “this here trip I can't take you
on, so I've got to leave you with a man--a man that looks a good deal
like that kazoozer man, but you mustn't be afraid of him, because all
he is going to do is to take you for a ride in a horse and buggy out
to where you'll stay. It may be some time before I see you again, but I
want you should remember me. I guess you will, won't you?”
“Yes, Uncle Peter.”
“That's right! You just remember Uncle Peter every day, but don't you
worry for him, and some day maybe I'll come and get you. I've got a lot
of work to do first that you wouldn't understand, such as building up a
new man from the ground to the top of his head, but I'll get it done
some time, and I'll come for you the first thing after I do. You want I
should, don't you?”
“Yes” said Buddy.
For the rest of the way to town Peter held the boy very close _in_ his
arms, and did not think of his tired muscles at all. He was thinking of
his perfidy to the trusting child, for he was without money and without
it he could see nothing to do but deliver the boy to Briggles and the
Unknown.