Recovering, he looked about him in amazement.
"Is this Orchard Grove?" he asked incredulously. "Or where are we anyway?"
Joe pointed to a sign on the crab-apple tree.
"No, sir," he said, "but don't worry. Orchard Grove's only a couple of miles away. We are going to take you there. Wouldn't you be more comfortable resting on the piles of papers in back?"
The man yawned and stretched. "You're right. I might be," he answered. He lifted an oilcloth curtain that hung there to keep draughts from the back of his neck when he was driving and crawled into the covered part of the wagon. He fell asleep on a pile of newspapers before Joe, Jane, and Rufus even had time to say "Giddyap" to the horse.
Suddenly their road was blocked by a sign:
ROAD CLOSED—DETOUR
"Detour!" said Joe. "Which road, I wonder. Wouldn't you think they'd tell you which one goes to Orchard Grove?"
There were two possible roads to take, with little to distinguish between them.
"I vote on the lower road," said Jane. "It looks as though it's going in about the same direction as the one we're on."
"Yes," agreed Rufus. "That other road looks like it's nothing but an old cow path."
"All right. We'll take the lower one then," agreed Joe. "If it's wrong, we can turn around and come back."
"Hup-hup," said Joe to the horse.
The horse started with a lurch. He swung onto the side road too rapidly. As the wagon turned, the back wheels skidded into the ditch on the side of the road.
"Hey!" cried Jane as she was jolted from her seat to the floor of the wagon.
Joe braced his feet against the floor and called words of encouragement to the horse, "All right, Billy. Hup-hup, Billy," he said.
The horse pulled and strained but the wagon wheels just churned around in the dirt.
"Come on, Billy, come on," the children encouraged.
The horse gave a mighty pull and with a creak and a groan the wagon lurched out of the ditch.
"Phew!" said Joe, mopping his brow. "Narrow escape!"
Jane readjusted herself on the seat next to Joe. "Ouch," she said, rubbing her knees that she had bruised in falling.
Rufus clapped his hands. "Giddyap," he said. The horse burst into a fine gallop jouncing the wagon over ruts in carefree fashion.
Joe, Jane, and Rufus didn't look back. None of them looked back once on the scene of their near disaster. If they had, they might have seen the Captain sprawled on the ground along with piles of newspapers. That last lurch out of the ditch had sent him flying out of the wagon into the ditch. Yes, there he was, leaning on his elbows and cupping his mouth with his hands as he called, "Come back. Come back!"
He was wide awake now all right and he called with all his might. "Come back, I say!"
He might as well be shouting to himself, though. How could the Moffats hear him above the clatter of the horse's hooves and the wagon wheels? They couldn't, of course, and the next minute they had disappeared altogether around the bend in the road.
The children didn't notice that the Captain was gone and they didn't notice the dark clouds that were gathering overhead. Or the way the wind had begun to whistle in the trees and how the leaves were turning their backs to the wind, as though preparing to fend off a blow. They were too engrossed with the exciting business of driving a real horse and wagon to notice these signs.
But the horse knew a storm was coming. He twitched his ears. He lowered and raised his head uneasily. Finally he let out a deep neigh that echoed through the woods.
"What's the matter?" asked Rufus.
As if to answer him, an earsplitting clap of thunder rent the air. The horse reared up on his hind legs a moment and then down the road he tore.
Joe clung tightly to the reins. Janey and Rufus crouched on the floor.
"Orchard Grove ought to be around the next corner. Don't be scared," Joe shouted above the storm.
Orchard Grove wasn't around the next corner. But a welcome sight did meet their eyes. And what a surprise, considering
"Is this Orchard Grove?" he asked incredulously. "Or where are we anyway?"
Joe pointed to a sign on the crab-apple tree.
"No, sir," he said, "but don't worry. Orchard Grove's only a couple of miles away. We are going to take you there. Wouldn't you be more comfortable resting on the piles of papers in back?"
The man yawned and stretched. "You're right. I might be," he answered. He lifted an oilcloth curtain that hung there to keep draughts from the back of his neck when he was driving and crawled into the covered part of the wagon. He fell asleep on a pile of newspapers before Joe, Jane, and Rufus even had time to say "Giddyap" to the horse.
Suddenly their road was blocked by a sign:
ROAD CLOSED—DETOUR
"Detour!" said Joe. "Which road, I wonder. Wouldn't you think they'd tell you which one goes to Orchard Grove?"
There were two possible roads to take, with little to distinguish between them.
"I vote on the lower road," said Jane. "It looks as though it's going in about the same direction as the one we're on."
"Yes," agreed Rufus. "That other road looks like it's nothing but an old cow path."
"All right. We'll take the lower one then," agreed Joe. "If it's wrong, we can turn around and come back."
"Hup-hup," said Joe to the horse.
The horse started with a lurch. He swung onto the side road too rapidly. As the wagon turned, the back wheels skidded into the ditch on the side of the road.
"Hey!" cried Jane as she was jolted from her seat to the floor of the wagon.
Joe braced his feet against the floor and called words of encouragement to the horse, "All right, Billy. Hup-hup, Billy," he said.
The horse pulled and strained but the wagon wheels just churned around in the dirt.
"Come on, Billy, come on," the children encouraged.
The horse gave a mighty pull and with a creak and a groan the wagon lurched out of the ditch.
"Phew!" said Joe, mopping his brow. "Narrow escape!"
Jane readjusted herself on the seat next to Joe. "Ouch," she said, rubbing her knees that she had bruised in falling.
Rufus clapped his hands. "Giddyap," he said. The horse burst into a fine gallop jouncing the wagon over ruts in carefree fashion.
Joe, Jane, and Rufus didn't look back. None of them looked back once on the scene of their near disaster. If they had, they might have seen the Captain sprawled on the ground along with piles of newspapers. That last lurch out of the ditch had sent him flying out of the wagon into the ditch. Yes, there he was, leaning on his elbows and cupping his mouth with his hands as he called, "Come back. Come back!"
He was wide awake now all right and he called with all his might. "Come back, I say!"
He might as well be shouting to himself, though. How could the Moffats hear him above the clatter of the horse's hooves and the wagon wheels? They couldn't, of course, and the next minute they had disappeared altogether around the bend in the road.
The children didn't notice that the Captain was gone and they didn't notice the dark clouds that were gathering overhead. Or the way the wind had begun to whistle in the trees and how the leaves were turning their backs to the wind, as though preparing to fend off a blow. They were too engrossed with the exciting business of driving a real horse and wagon to notice these signs.
But the horse knew a storm was coming. He twitched his ears. He lowered and raised his head uneasily. Finally he let out a deep neigh that echoed through the woods.
"What's the matter?" asked Rufus.
As if to answer him, an earsplitting clap of thunder rent the air. The horse reared up on his hind legs a moment and then down the road he tore.
Joe clung tightly to the reins. Janey and Rufus crouched on the floor.
"Orchard Grove ought to be around the next corner. Don't be scared," Joe shouted above the storm.
Orchard Grove wasn't around the next corner. But a welcome sight did meet their eyes. And what a surprise, considering
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