About the middle of the afternoon Zene halted and waited for the
carriage to come up. He left his seat and came to the rear of Old
Hickory, the off carriage horse, slapping a fly flat on Old Hickory's
flank as he paused.
"What's the matter, Zene?" inquired Grandma Padgett. "Has anything
happened?"
"No, marm," replied Zene. He was a quiet, singular fellow, halting
in his walk on account of the unevenness of his legs; but faithful to
the family as either Boswell or Johnson. Grandma Padgett having
brought him up from a lone and forsaken child, relied upon all the
good qualities she discovered from time to time, and she saw nothing
ludicrous in Zene. But aunt Corinne and Bobaday never ceased to
titter at Zene's "marm."
"I've been inquirin' along, and we can turn off of the 'pike up here
at the first by-road, and then take the first cross-road west, and
save thirty mile o' toll gates. The road goes the same direction.
It's a good dirt road."
Grandma Padgett puckered the brows above her glasses. She did not
want to pay unnecessary bounty to the toll-gate keepers.
"Well, that's a good plan, Zene, if you're sure we won't lose the
way, or fall into any dif-fick-ulty.
Pages:
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39