"Wot say?"
"Wheel off."
"Whare?"
"In the road."
One of the voices here indicated itself in the direction of the line of
dust, and said, "Comin'," and a man stepped out from the wheat into a
broad and dusty avenue.
With his presence three things became apparent.
First, that the puffs of dust indicated the existence of the invisible
avenue through the unlimited and unfenced field of grain; secondly, that
the stalks of wheat on either side of it were so tall as to actually
hide a passing vehicle; and thirdly, that a vehicle had just passed, had
lost a wheel, and been dragged partly into the grain by its frightened
horse, which a dusty man was trying to restrain and pacify.
The horse, given up to equine hysterics, and evidently convinced that
the ordinary buggy behind him had been changed into some dangerous and
appalling creation, still plunged and kicked violently to rid himself
of it. The man who had stepped out of the depths of the wheat quickly
crossed the road, unhitched the traces, drew back the vehicle, and,
glancing at the traveler's dusty and disordered clothes, said, with curt
sympathy:--
"Spilt, too; but not hurt, eh?"
"No, neither of us.
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