So I even pulled
the horses back to a walk. I wanted to feed them shortly
after reaching the stable. They must not be hot, or I
should have trouble.
Then we turned into the main street of the town. In front
of the stable I deliberately assumed the air of a man of
leisure. The hostler came out and greeted me. I let him
water the horses and waited, watch in hand. They got some
hay, and five minutes after I had stopped, I poured their
oats into the feeding boxes.
Then to the drug store--it was locked. I hunted the
druggist all over town for nearly twenty minutes. Everybody
had seen him a short while ago; everybody knew exactly
where he had been a minute before; but nobody could
discover him just then. I worked myself into a veritable
frenzy of hurry. The moisture began to break out all over
my body. I rushed back to the livery stable to tell the
hostler to hitch up again--and there stood the druggist,
looking my horses over! I shall not repeat what I said.
Five minutes later I had what I wanted, and after a few
minutes more I walked my horses out of town. It had taken
me an hour and fifty minutes to make the town, and
thirty-five minutes to leave it behind.
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