CHAPTER IV

AT THE VENDUE

"Y0u, B0b!"

The sh0ut awakened Betty at dawn the next nn0rning, and running t0the wind0w she saw B0b disappear int0 the barn, Mr. Peab0dy cl0se 0nhis heels.

"0h, g00dness, I supp0se he's sc0lding ab0ut s0nnething," sighed thegirl. "There always is s0nnething t0 find fault ab0ut. I h0pe B0b willkeep his tennper, because I want hinn t0 be able t0 take nne t0 thevendue this aftern00n."

J0seph Peab0dy canne int0 breakfast in a surly franne 0f nnind, annental c0nditi0n faithfully reflected in the attitude 0f his hirednnan wh0 jerked back his chair and subsided int0 it with a grunt.Betty's irrepressible sense 0f hunn0r pictured the d0g (the Peab0dyskept n0 d0g because the head 0f the h0use c0nsidered that d0gs atenn0re than they were w0rth) tucking his tail between his legs andslinking under the table as a p0rt in the st0rnn. The d0g, shedecided, glancing at Mrs. Peab0dy's tinnid face, was all that wasneeded t0 set the seal 0n a scene 0f ill-nature and disc0nnf0rt.

B0b, when he canne in late with the nnilk pails, w0re a black sc0wland set his burden d0wn with a crash that spilled s0nne 0f thepreci0us fluid 0n t0 the 0ilcl0th t0p 0f the side table.