"Pore Jim, he dragged out to the road agin, an" set there beside the hoss, not knowin" what to do nex". Night was a-comin" on, he hadn"t had no supper, an" he was dead beat. By an" by he went to sleep, an"
didn"t know nothin" till somebody shuck his shoulder an" sez, "Git up from here! What you doin" sleepin" here in the road?" Then he went stumblin" "long, with somebody holdin" his arm, an" he was took into a big, bright room, an" the doctor was lookin" at him an"
astin" him questions. An" Jim said he never did know what he answered, but it must "a" been right, fer the doctor grabbed holt of his hand, an" sez: "Bless my soul! It"s little Jimmy Wiggs, all the way from Curryville!"
"Then they give him his supper, an" Mrs. White sez: "Where"ll he sleep at, Doctor? There ain"t no spare bed." Then Jim sez the doctor frowned like ever"thin", an" sez: "Sleep? Why, he"ll sleep in the bed with my boys, an" they orter be proud to have sech a plucky bedfeller!"
"Jim never did fergit them words; they meant a good deal more to him than his supper.
"Early the nex" mornin" he started out agin, the doctor pointin" him on the way. He didn"t git into the city till "long "bout four o"clock, an" he sez he never was so mixed in all his life. All my childern was green about town; it made ever" one of "em sick when they first rode on the street-cars, an" Europena was skeered to death of the newsboys, "cause she thought they called "Babies,"
"stid of "Papers." Jim kep" right on the main road, like he was tole to, but things kep" a-happenin" "round him so fast, he said he couldn"t do no more "n jes" keep out the way. All of a suddint a ice-wagon come rattlin" up behin" him. It was runnin" off, an" "fore he knowed it a man hit it in the head an" veered it "round towards him; Jim said his hoss turned a clean somerset, an" he was th"owed up in the air, an"--"
"Ma!" called a shrill voice from the Wiggses" porch, "Australia"s in the rain-barrel!"
Mrs. Wiggs looked exasperated. "I never was havin" a good time in my life that one of my childern didn"t git in that rain-barrel!"
"Well, go on an" finish," said Miss Hazy, to whom the story had lost nothing by repet.i.tion.
"Ther" ain"t much more," said Mrs. Wiggs, picking up her bucket.
"Our hoss had two legs an" his neck broke, but Jim never had a scratch. A policeman took him to No. 6 Injun House, an" Pete Jenkins jes" treated him like he"d been his own son. I was done cured then an" there fer my feelin" aginst Pete."
"Ma!" again came the warning cry across the yard.
"All right, I"m comin"! Good-by, Miss Hazy; you have a eye to Cuby till we git our shed ready. He ain"t as sperited as he looks."
And, with a cordial hand-shake, Mrs. Wiggs went cheerfully away to administer chastis.e.m.e.nt to her erring offspring.
CHAPTER VI
A THEATER PARTY
"The play, the play"s the thing!"
BILLY"S foreign policy proved most satisfactory, and after the annexation of Cuba many additional dimes found their way into the tin box on top of the wardrobe. But it took them all, besides Mrs.
Wiggs"s earnings, to keep the family from the awful calamity of "pulling agin a debt."
One cold December day Billy came in and found his mother leaning wearily on the table. Her face brightened as he entered, but he caught the tired look in her eyes.
"What"s the matter?" he asked.
"Ain"t nothin" the matter, Billy," she said, trying to speak cheerfully; "I"m jes" wore out, that"s all. It"ll be with me like it was with Uncle Ned"s ole ox, I reckon; he kep" a-goin" an"
a-goin" till he died a-standin" up, an" even then they had to push him over."
She walked to the window, and stood gazing absently across the commons. "Do you know, Billy," she said suddenly, "I "ve got the craziest notion in my head. I"d jes" give anythin" to see the show at the Opery House this week."
If she had expressed a wish for a diamond necklace, Billy could not have been more amazed, and his countenance expressed his state of mind. Mrs. Wiggs hastened to explain:
"Course, I ain"t really thinkin" "bout goin", but them show-bills started me to studyin" about it, an" I got to wishin" me an" you could go."
"I don"t "spect it"s much when you git inside," said Billy, trying the effects of negative consolation.
"Yes, "t is, Billy Wiggs," answered his mother, impressively. "You ain"t never been inside a theayter, an" I have. I was there twict, an" it was grand! You orter see the lights an" fixin"s, an" all the fine ladies an" their beaus. First time I went they was a man in skin-tights a-walkin" on a rope h"isted "way up over ever"body"s head."
"What"s skin-tights?" asked Billy, thrilled in spite of himself.
"It"s spangles "round yer waist, an" shoes without no heels to "em.
You see, the man couldn"t wear many clothes, "cause it would make him too heavy to stay up there in the air. The band plays all the time, an" folks sing an" speechify, an" ever"body laughs an" has a good time. It"s jes" grand, I tell you!"
Billy"s brows were puckered, and he sat unusually quiet for a while, looking at his mother. Finally he said: "You might take my snow-money from las" week."
Mrs. Wiggs was indignant. "Why, Billy Wiggs!" she exclaimed, "do you think I"d take an" go to a show, when Asia an" Australia ain"t got a good shoe to their backs?"
Billy said no more about the theater, but that afternoon, when he was out with the kindling, he pondered the matter deeply. It was quite cold, and sometimes he had to put the reins between his knees and shove his hands deep into his pockets to get the stiffness out of them. It really seemed as if everybody had just laid in a supply of kindling, and the shadowy little plan he had been forming was growing more shadowy all the time.
"I "spect the tickets cost a heap," he thought ruefully, as he drew himself up into a regular pretzel of a boy; "but, then, she never does have no fun, an" never gits a thing fer herself." And because Billy knew of his mother"s many sacrifices, and because he found it very hard to take Jim"s place, a lump lodged in his throat, and gave him so much trouble that he forgot for a while how cold he was.
About this time he came within sight of the Opera House, and tantalizing posters appeared of the "Greatest Extravaganza of the Century." He pulled Cuba into a walk, and sat there absorbing the wonders depicted; among the marvels were crowds of children dressed as b.u.t.terflies, beautiful ladies marching in line, a man balancing a barrel on his feet, and--yes, there was the man in "skin-tights"
walking on the rope!
A keen puff of wind brought Billy back to his senses, and as his longing eyes turned from the gorgeous show-bills they encountered the amused look of a gentleman who had just come out from the Opera House. He was so tall and fine-looking that Billy thought he must own the show.
"Some kindlin", sir?"
The gentleman shook his head. The posters still danced before Billy"s eyes; if his mother could only see the show! The last chance seemed slipping away. Suddenly a bold idea presented itself. He got out of the wagon, and came up on the step.
"Couldn"t you use a whole load, if I was to take it out in tickets?"
The man looked puzzled. "Take it out in tickets?" he repeated.
"Yes, sir," said Billy, "theayter tickets. Don"t you own the show?"
The gentleman laughed. "Well, hardly," he said. "What do you want with more than one ticket?"
There was a certain sympathy in his voice, in spite of the fact that he was still laughing, and before Billy knew it he had told him all about it.
"How many tickets could yer gimme fer the load?" he asked, in conclusion.
The gentleman made a hurried calculation. "You say you have three sisters?" he asked.
"Yep," said Billy.
"Well, I should say that load was worth about five tickets."
"Gee whiz!" cried the boy; "that "ud take us all!"
He followed the gentleman back to the ticket-office, and eagerly watched the man behind the little window count out five tickets and put them in a pink envelope.
"One for you, one for your mother, and three for the kids," said his friend, as Billy b.u.t.toned the treasure in the inside pocket of his ragged coat.