Page:Saxe Holm's Stories, Series Two.djvu/110

100 "Why, Luke," he exclaimed, "I 'd do most anything to oblige you, but I can't really turn hack-driver. I 'm sorry."

Luke's face fell.

"I don't suppose ye 'd let anybody else drive Tom and Jerry, would you? Father 'd always go himself if ye 'd let us have 'em," he said in desperation, for this was really Luke's last hope.

"You 'd better believe I would n't," said John Bassett, a little proudly. "I 'm real sorry for ye, Luke. Well, summer boarders are nothing but a pest anyhow." "Well, some on 'em is, an some on 'em is n't," replied the sententious Luke. "There 's folks in our house I 'd jest as lieves disappoint as not, and a little lieveser; but I do hate to disappoint Miss Fanny an her ma, the worst kind."

"Oh, it 's women folks, is it?" said dishonest John Bassett, with a bound at his guilty heart; "if it 's only women folks, I might take 'em, perhaps; but I 'll be hanged if I 'll drive any o' these city fellows round."

Luke jumped eagerly at this suggestion.

"No, indeed," he said; "there ain't no man in the party; jest the two old women and Miss Fanny, an they 're jest the nicest folks we 've ever had in our house, I tell you. Miss Fanny, she 's a smart one. The old aunt, she 's some stuck-up, but she 's no account, anyhow. It 's Miss Fanny's ma that pays all the bills. You jest come right up here