Cowboys -- Fiction; Montana -- Fiction; Western stories
When the excitement had somewhat abated, and Miss Hayes was convinced
that her idol was really there, safe, and with his usual healthy
appetite, and when a messenger had been started out to recall the
searchers, Dorman was placed upon a chair before a select and attentive
audience, and invited to explain, which he did.
He had decided to borrow some little wheels from the bunkhouse, so he
could ride his big, high pony home. Mr. Cameron had little wheels on
his feet, and so did Uncle Dick, and all the mens. (The audience gravely
nodded assent.) Well, and the knob wasn't too high when he went in, but
when he tried to open the door to go out, it was away up there! (Dorman
measured with his arm.) And he fell down, and all his shiny pennies
rolled and rolled. And he looked and looked where they rolled, and when
he counted, one was gone. So he looked and looked for the one shiny
penny till he was tired to death. And so he climbed up high, into a
funny bed on a shelf, and rested. And when he was rested he couldn't
open the door, and he kicked and kicked, and then Be'trice came, and Mr.
Cam'ron.
“And you said you'd help me find my one penny,” he reminded Keith,
blinking solemnly at him from the chair. “And I want to shake hands wis
your big, high pony. I'm going to buy him wis my six pennies. Be'trice
said I could.”
Beatrice blushed, and Keith forgot where he was, for a minute, looking
at her.
“Come and find my one shiny penny,” Dorman commanded, climbing down.
“And I want Be'trice to come. Be'trice can always find things.”
“Beatrice cannot go,” said his grandmother, who didn't much like the
way Keith hovered near Beatrice, nor the look in his eyes. “Beatrice is
tired.”
“I want Be'trice!” Dorman set up his everyday howl, which started the
dogs barking outside. His guardian angel attempted to soothe him, but he
would have none of her; he only howled the louder, and kicked.
“There, there, honey, I'll go. Where's your hat?”
“Beatrice, you had better stay in the house; you have done quite enough
for one day.” The tone of the mother suggested things.
“It is imperative,” said Beatrice, “for the peace and the well-being of
this household, that Dorman find his penny without delay.” When
Beatrice adopted that lofty tone her mother was in the habit of saying
nothing--and biding her time. Beatrice was so apt, if mere loftiness did
not carry the day, to go a step further and flatly refuse to obey. Mrs.
Lansell preferred to yield, rather than be openly defied.
So the three went off to find the shiny penny--and in exactly
thirty-five minutes they found it. I will not say that they could not
have found it sooner, but, at any rate, they didn't, and they reached
the house about two minutes behind Dick and Sir Redmond, which did not
improve Sir Redmond's temper to speak of.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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