"The lath man's got it; where is he?" Que had recovered his breath a little by this time.
"I don't know anything about the lath man," growled the postmaster.
But when Que began to cry, which he did at once, the postmaster couldn't stand that, for he had no children of his own, and his feelings, consequently, weren't hardened; so he dragged the bag from a corner, and threw it on Que's back.
"There, take your bag, and go home, and don't be two hours late the first day, next time." He didn't stop to think that there cannot be two first days to the same thing. Que didn't stop to think of it, either, but started homewards as fast as his bow-legs would let him. I think he approximated more nearly to running, that day, than he ever had done in his life before.
Que's nine brothers treated him with great respect, when he got home. The family had been to tea, but each one had saved some part of his supper for Que; so, though he had an indigestible mixture, there was plenty of it,--while it lasted.
How all together the questions did come! But the confusion of them saved Que from the trouble of answering the nine boys, and as soon as there was a lull, his father said,--
"You were gone some time, sir; I hope you didn't stop to play on the road?"
"O, no, sir," said Que. "I haven't played at all;" which was very true, you know.
"Did there seem to be many letters?" asked his mother; and be it understood, that she asked quite as much because Que looked as if the bag had been heavy, as from feminine curiosity.
"Didn't notice, ma'am; the bag wasn't very heavy;" and it wasn't, except on his conscience, and he knew his mother didn't mean that, at all.
For several weeks after that everything went on smoothly enough. Que had a pretty good time, and found it some fun, and felt that he was getting something for it, and didn't get very tired, and kept it up, and never took any of his brothers with him, and liked the business, and saw a good many boys, and got a large number of "lifts" from hay-carts and wagons, and particularly from the lath man. So, in course of time, all the brothers' questions were satisfactorily answered.
It is a way that the world has, to let you trip once, and then run on smooth ground some time, before it puts another snag in your way; and it made no exception in Que's favor. His drab clothes kept clean a long time, in spite of the leather bag, and washed well when they were not clean. The Gingoo postmaster took a fancy to him, and the Point post master refrained from tormenting him. The mails were not unbearably heavy nor the month of July remarkably hot after the first. Que had a good appetite for his supper, and plenty of supper to show it on, and slept long and heavily every night and a part of every morning, and thought that the world was a pretty good kind of place, after all. But that was only because he hadn't come to the second snag yet.