He was restless, and proposed a race to the village store. Away they went; little Plunkett first, at the start, for he was great on short distances; Tom Cromwell was next; then Ralph, saving himself for the final spurt; after him, two or three other boys, and, strangely enough, Plunkett's "cousin" was running lightly, the last of all.
Cromwell soon took the lead, but only to lose it to Ralph, and Ralph was just beginning to congratulate himself that he would be the winner when something rolled by him. Ralph drew up short.
It was Plunkett's "cousin"—turning handsprings!
That was too much. Ralph turned and fled home. He went to his room, sat down in a big arm-chair, and thought it all over. He did not go to church next day. He said he did not feel just right. He reappeared next day, and things thereafter went just about as usual—but with a difference. It was a very different Ralph McGregor who came to school on Monday—and a much better fellow the new McGregor was.
Now and then some of Ralph's old traits would show themselves for a moment, but when this happened there was likely to be a sudden interest in Plunkett's "cousin" among the boys, and solicitous inquiries about his health, and Ralph never failed to quiet down. Plunkett was reticent; but freely admitted that he did not expect another visit from Signor Alberto for some time to come.
A month or two passed, and Ralph went to the circus, which was at the county-seat near his native village. Among the performers he was surprised to recognize Plunkett's visitor! After seeing Alberto perform some wonderful feats of bareback riding, tumbling, jumping, and conjuring, Ralph said wisely to himself:
"Well, a fellow ought to follow his bent. It is n't long since he was here. It shows the youngster was cut out for the business or he never could have learned all that in so short a time!"
