BOB BANGS AND HIS HORSE
Randy continued to wander around the country town, taking in such
sights as came to view.
In the meantime Bob Bangs went after the horse he had mentioned. The
rich youth had bothered his father for a horse for a long time and at
last Mr. Bangs had consented to give him a steed. The horse was to be
taken in exchange for a debt, and Bob had agreed to go to Leeville
after him and take the animal to the summer resort at which he and his
mother were stopping. It may be mentioned that the horse was worth only
a hundred and fifty dollars, but the falsehood he had told in regard to
the horse's value did not bother Bob Bangs in the least. He loved to
boast upon every possible occasion.
"Is he gentle?" asked the rich boy, as he approached the horse, that
was standing in the yard of the former owner.
"As gentle as a lamb," was the answer.
"He--he won't run away, will he?" went on Bob, timidly. To tell the
truth he knew very little about horses, although he pretended to know a
great deal.
"He never ran away in his life," declared the man who was disposing of
the horse.
"Then I guess it is all right," said the rich boy, and started to mount
into the saddle, for the steed was ready for use.
"Wait a minute."
"What's wanted now."
"I want you to sign a receipt first," said the man.
"Oh, all right."
The receipt was produced, stating that the horse was received in good
condition and that the debt was canceled thereby, and the rich youth
signed his father's name and his own under it. Then the man held the
horse while the boy mounted.
"All safe and sound?" asked the man.
"Yes," answered Bob Bangs. "Good-day," and off he rode.
"Good-day, and good luck to you," answered the man, and he smiled
rather grimly to himself as he entered his house.
"The horse seems to be a nice one," thought Bob Bangs, as he rode away.
"I wish I could meet Randy Thompson, it would make him feel sick to see
me on such a fine animal."
The rich youth's wish was gratified, for turning a corner he caught
sight of our hero just as the latter was crossing the street.
"Out of the way there, Randy Thompson!" he cried, and urged his horse
forward.
Randy had to jump back, or he might have been knocked down.
"Ain't this a fine horse?" Bob Bangs cried. "Don't you wish you had
him?"
And he cut the steed with the whip he carried, to make him increase his
speed.
The horse did not like the treatment received and up came his hind
hoofs viciously.
"Stop! None of that!" roared Bob Bangs, in fright. "Whoa there!"
He began to saw on the reins, and as a consequence the horse turned
first in one direction and then another. Then he started to back and
came up on the sidewalk, scaring several women and children.
"Whoa! Get up!" screamed Bob Bangs, more frightened than ever. "Whoa, I
say! What in the old Harry is in the beast, anyway!"
"Look out there!" shouted a man in the crowd. "You'll go through a
window next."
"Bob, let me lead him into the street," cried Randy, rushing up and
catching the horse by the bridle.
"You let my horse alone!" shouted the rich boy, unreasonably. "I can
manage him well enough."
"Very well," answered Randy, quietly, and dropped his hold. As he did
so the steed made a plunge along the sidewalk for several yards,
knocking over a barber's pole and a newsstand.
"Stop dot! Vot you mean py dot?" yelled the German barber, rushing from
his establishment in alarm.
"Get along there, you brute!" cried Bob Bangs, savagely, and struck the
horse once more. Again the steed swerved, and made a half turn and
began to back.
"Stop him!"
"He is going into the window!"
Crash! And then followed a jingle of glass, and into the window of a
grocery next to the barber shop backed the horse, until his hind hoofs
rested on a row of canned tomatoes and sardines. Bob Bangs gave a yell
of fear and terror and dropped to the sidewalk and then caught the
horse by the head. The groceryman came forth from his store in a hurry,
and a bitter argument ensued, while a big crowd began to collect. In
the end Bob Bangs had to promise to pay for all damage done, and led
his horse away by hand, too fearful of further trouble to mount once
more.
Randy did not wait to see the end of the dispute, for the train was now
due and he had just time enough to hurry to the depot and get aboard
the cars. He dropped into the first seat that came to hand and laughed
heartily.
"You seem to be enjoying yourself," said a man sitting near.
"I just saw something very funny," answered our hero, and told what it
was. The man laughed, too.
"It puts me in mind of the time I tried to ride the mule in the circus.
It was a trick animal and got me into seven kinds of trouble."
Randy had not had many opportunities to ride on the cars and he enjoyed
the trip to Tarrytown very much. Noon found him in the city named and
he crossed the river on the ferryboat. Then he hunted up a cheap but
neat restaurant, where he got dinner.
"No use of bothering Mr. Shalley just at noon hour," he thought, and so
did not go around to the steamboat man's office until one o'clock. A
clerk was present who said his employer would come in at two o'clock,
so our hero had another hour to wait.
"Is your name Randy Thompson?" questioned the clerk. When told that it
was, he continued: "Mr. Shalley is expecting you. I believe you are to
be one of the new deckhands."
"Yes."
"I hope you find the work agreeable."
"So do I."
"The other new hand didn't last long."
"How long?"
"Just one week."
"What was the matter?"
"I believe he said he couldn't get along with Polk, the purser."
"I hope I don't have any trouble with anybody," said Randy, anxiously.
"I am willing to work hard."
"You'll find Captain Hadley a fine man to deal with. I think he is one
of the nicest captains on the river."
"What do you do here?"
"Oh, I am general office clerk. My name is Bart Sandwood."
"I am glad to know you, Mr. Sandwood," answered our hero, and smiled.
"I hope business is good with the steamer."
"Travel has been very good and we are getting our share of freight. The
other lines bother us some, but not a great deal."
"Is the _Helen Shalley_ one of the big boats of the river?"
"Not one of the largest, but she is by no means a small boat. Then you
haven't seen her?"
"Not yet, but I hope to soon."
"She will be on her way down the river this afternoon. She runs from
New York to Albany one day and back the next. She doesn't run on
Sundays."
"I am glad of that. I don't care to work on Sunday."
"Well, you'll have to do a little. When there are no passengers on
board, that is the time to put things in order."
"True enough. I am afraid I will be green."
"Were you never a deckhand before?"
"Never."
At this the clerk gave a low whistle.
"I don't know if Captain Hadley will like that or not. He is a very
strict man, even though kind."
"I shall do my best to please him."
"Early in the spring we had two green hands, but they couldn't learn at
all, and the captain said they were more bother than they were worth."
"I am sure I can learn--anyway, I mean to try."
"You certainly look bright enough to learn. The other fellows were
illiterate foreigners and always tumbling over their own feet. One
dropped a trunk on a passenger's foot and the other broke open a box
with some fine dishes. That capped the climax, and the captain got rid
of them just as soon as he could find some other hands to take their
places," concluded Bart Sandwood.