Page:Top-Notch Magazine, May 1 1915 (IA tn 1915 05 01).pdf/114

 year old, and arrived at the conclusion that there wasn't anything that traveled on legs or wheels that you couldn't handle. Which goes to show that when a man thinks he knows all there is to know about anything a shrinkage has set in about half an inch beneath the roots of his hair. A wise fool is about as safe to have round as a stick of dynamite bakin' in the oven of a red-hot stove. If he don't damage nobody else, he's pretty likely to blow up and bust himself."

The governor and his secretary, followed by a few others, came hurrying to the spot. Seeing them approach, the judge got upon his feet, dripping tiny rivulets.

"Governor," he observed, "there's no great loss without some small gain. You'll save the price of a wash for that there automobile. Whatever damage or expense may accrue I ca'late I'll have to sustain. I guess we can find a way to get her out."

"I'm thankful," said Governor Bradley, "that you were not killed."

"I don't see why that should choke you with joy. In your place I'd prob'ly be so blazin' mad I'd start in to murder somebody."

His eyes streaming and his nose snuffling, Weeping Buzzell broke in: "Obadaiah Cobb has come along with his hoss and wagon. He's right there at the end of the bridge, and he'll take ye home, jedge. You better git outer them wet clothes if you don't want to ketch your everlarsting."

"I'm no wetter'n this young feller who yanked me outer the drink," said the judge. "He's got to come along to the house with me and get fixed up. And you, too, governor, and t'other gentleman—you come; I insist on it. You're going to stop with me, the whole caboodle of ye, to supper. Hosspitality deferred may be hosspitality soured, but I'll guarantee to do my best to sweeten it up on this occasion."

By this time it seemed that by far the greater portion of the inhabitants of the town were packed upon the bridge or jamming the roadway. And when Obadiah Cobb took the governor, the judge, and the other two men into his double seater and started back up the hill with them, the crowd laughed and cheered again.

"Governor," said Judge Wiggin, "I dunno whether that's meant for you or for the young man who hauled me out of the stream, but either way it's proper well deserved. If you hadn't been dead game, you'd have kicked like a steer over what's happened, and if he wasn't good grit to the bone he'd never have gone into the river arter me. Which is admittin' I made a mistake in sizing him up when I found my darter making a touse over him."

Among the few villagers who remained unaware of the recent lively events were Judge Wiggin's sister and his daughter. Of course they were thrown into a great flutter. Miss Sally said: "My stars!" What Miss Bessie said was whispered into the ear of the water-soaked but smiling young man, who gave her a look and a sly squeeze of the hand that brought a rosy flush to her cheeks.

Dry clothes were found; also "a little nip of something to parry off chills." Warming up, the participants in the adventure joked and laughed, even though the judge seemed to have something on his mind that was giving him some serious thought. What this was appeared later after they had partaken of a genuine old-fashioned New England supper, topped off with doughnuts and hot apple pie and steaming, fragrant coffee.

Turning his eyes to the governor, who sat at the right of Miss Sally, Nathan Wiggin said: "Governor, putting aside the question of damages I owe on account of what happened to your automobile, I ca'late it's up to me to ex-