"Oye, oye, sur," said Mike, and off he went.

"Are you all ready, boys?" I asked.

"In a minute," said Budge; "soon as I fix this. Now," he
continued, getting into his seat, and taking the reins and whip,
"go ahead."

"Wait a moment, Budge--put down that whip, and don't touch the
goat with it once on the way. I'm going to drive very slowly--
there's plenty of time, and all you need to do is to hold your
reins."

"All right," said Budge, "but I like to look like mans when I
drive."

"You may do that when somebody can run beside you. Now!"

The horses started at a gentle trot, and the goat followed very
closely. When within a minute of the depot, however, the train
swept in. I had intended to be on the platform to meet Tom and
Helen, but my watch was evidently slow. I gave the horses the
whip, looked behind and saw the boys were close upon me, and I was
so near the platform when I turned my head that nothing but the
sharpest of turns saved me from a severe accident. The noble
animals saw the danger as quickly as I did, however, and turned in
marvelously small space; as they did so, I heard two hard thumps
upon the wooden wall of the little depot, heard also two frightful
howls, saw both my nephews considerably mixed up on the platform,
while the driver of the Bloom-Park stage growled in my ear:--