"Don't like them at all,don't you know,"he said,to Joe,during a boat ride."Can't understand them at all.""Oh,I think a good horse is very nice,"answered our hero.
"But they are so--so balkish--so full of kicking,"insisted Felix Gussing.
"Well,I admit some of them are,"answered Joe.
There were two young ladies stopping at the hotel and the young man had become quite well acquainted with both of them.One he thought was very beautiful and was half tempted to propose to her.
On the day after the boat ride with Joe,Felix Gussing took the ladies to have some ice cream,and during the conversation all spoke of a certain landmark of interest located about three miles from Riverside.
"I have seen it and it is--aw--very interesting,"drawled Felix.
"Then we must see it,Belle,"said one of the young ladies,to her companion.
"Oh,I'm not going to walk that far,"answered Belle,with a bewitching look at the young man.
"You might drive over,"suggested Felix,without stopping to think twice.
"Oh,yes,I love driving!"cried one of the girls.
"And so do I!"answered the other.
"I will find out what can be done about a conveyance,"answered Felix.
Being a good deal of a dude,and dressing very fastidiously,he did not much relish visiting the livery stable attached to the hotel.But,early on the following morning,he walked down to the place,and ordered a horse and carriage,to be ready at ten o'clock.
Now it must be known that Felix did not intend to drive the carriage.He thought the young ladies would drive for themselves,since both had said that they loved driving.
Unfortunate man!he knew not the snare he had laid for himself!
Punctual to the minute the carriage drove up to the door.
Felix was on hand,standing on the steps,with politeness in his air,though with trembling in his heart because so near the horses.He assisted the ladies in.Then he handed the reins to Miss Belle.
"Do you wish me to hold the horses while you get in?"she asked sweetly.
"Till I get in!"ejaculated Felix,taken aback.
"Certainly!You don't think we are going to drive ourselves,do you?Of course you are going with us."Poor Felix!He was "in for it"now,decidedly.It required a good deal of moral courage,a quality in which he was deficient,to resist a lady's demand.His knees trembled with fear as he scrambled in.Joe,who was standing not far away,looked on with a quiet smile on his face.He realized what was passing in the dude's mind.
"He'd give ten dollars to get out of it,"our hero told himself.
The boy who had brought the turnout around looked at Felix Gussing earnestly.
"Take care of that horse,mister,"said he,warningly."He's young and a little bit wild.""Wild?"gasped the dude."I--I don't want to drive a wild horse.""Oh,he'll be all right if you keep an eye on him,"went on the stable boy.
"Young and a little bit wild!"thought Felix to himself."Oh,dear,what in the world shall I do?I never drove a horse before.If I get back with less than a broken neck I'll be lucky!
I'd give a thousand to be out of this pickle.""Hadn't we better start,Mr.Gussing?"asked one of the young ladies,after a pause.
"Oh,yes--certainly!"he stammered."But --er--you can drive if you wish.""Thank you,but I would prefer that you drive.""Won't you drive?"he asked of the other young lady.
"Oh,no,not to-day.But I'll use the whip if you say so,"she answered.
"Not for the world!"cried the unhappy Felix."He is a bit wild already and there is no telling what he'd do if he felt the whip."At last the carriage drove off.Joe gazed after it thoughtfully.
"Unless I miss my guess,there is going to be trouble before that drive is over,"he thought.And there was trouble,as we shall soon learn.
