Charming Billy never could tell afterward how long or how many he swung 'way, '_way_ up; he knew that he pushed and pushed until his arms ached and the hair on his forehead became unpleasantly damp under his hat.
"That'll just about have to do yuh, kids," he rebelled suddenly and left them, anxiously patting his hair and generally resettling himself as he went.

Once more in a dispirited fashion he threaded the crowd, which had grown somewhat larger, side-stepped a group which called after him, and went on down to the creek.
"I'm about the limit, I guess," he told himself irritably.

"Why the dickens didn't I have the sense and nerve to ride over and ask her straight out if she was coming?
I coulda drove her over, maybe--if she'd come with me.

I coulda took the bay team and top-buggy, and done the thing right.

I coulda--hell, there's a _heap_ uh things I coulda done that would uh been a lot more wise than what I did do! Maybe she ain't coming at all, and--" On the heels of that he saw a spring-wagon, come rattling down the trail across the creek.