"You were the one who spoke
about her--"
"Gee, you don't need to rub it in, do you"' growled the fat boy as he
squeezed himself through the door and stepped gingerly onto the dusty
road. "Better let me go in alone. She might get scared if she saw the
whole bunch of us, and maybe she wouldn't come at all."
In his heart Bob thought that that might not be such a terrible thing,
but he kept quiet. A fellow ought to be thankful for small blessings.
Think how much worse it would be if he, and not Jimmy, were forced to
break the news to Aunty Bixby.
The big car came to a stop beside the Ford, and all the boys watched
with interest as Jimmy ascended the steps of the porch, rang the bell,
and a moment later, disappeared into the house.
But as the time passed and he still failed to emerge they began to get
a little uneasy about him. Finally Bob let himself out of the car and
went to consult with Joe and Herb.
They had just about decided to make a raid upon the house and rescue
poor Jimmy when the subject of discussion himself appeared, looking
very red and flustered and out of sorts.
The boys were about to make a concerted rush upon him, but he waved
them back violently.
"She's coming," he said in a hoarse tone somewhere between a whisper
and a shout. "Get back there, you fellows."
They got back just in time to see Aunty Bixby herself emerge.
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