CHAPTER X
A SCARE
The way to the woods where the little school outing was to be heldran close to the road on which the Bobbsey house stood. As Freddieand Flossie, with Nan and Bert, marched along with the others,Freddie cried out:
"Oh, I hope we see mamma, and then we can wave to her."
"Yes, and maybe she'll come with us," suggested Flossie. "Wouldn'tthat be nice?"
"Pooh!" exclaimed Bert "Mamma's too busy to come to a picnic to-day.She's expecting company."
"Yes," added Nan, "the minister and his wife are coming, and mamma'scooking a lot of things."
"Why, does a minister eat more than other folks?" asked Freddie."If they does, I'm going to be a minister when I grow up."
"I thought you were going to be a fireman," said Bert.
"Well, I can be a fireman week days and a minister on Sundays,"said the little fellow, thus solving the problem. "But do they eatso much, Nan?"
"No, of course not, only mamma wants to be polite to them, so shehas a lot of things cooked up, so that if they don't like one thingthey can have another. Folks always give their best to the minister."
"Then I'm surely going to be one, too," declared Flossie. "I likegood things to eat. I hope our minister isn't very hungry, 'causethen there'll be some left for us when we come home from thispicnic."
"Why, Flossie!" cried Nan. "We have a lovely lunch with us; plenty,I'm sure."
"Well, I'm awful hungry, Nan," said the little girl. "Besides,Sammie Jones, and his sister Julia, haven't any lunch at all. Isaw them, and they looked terrible hungry. Couldn't we give themsome of ours; if we have so much at home?"
"Of course we could, and it is very kind of you to think of them,"said Nan, as she patted her little sister on her head. "I'll lookafter Sammie and Julia when we get to the grove."
In spite of what Nan and Bert had said about Mrs. Bobbsey beingvery busy, Flossie and Freddie looked anxiously in the directionof their house as they walked along. But no sight of their mothergreeted them. They did see a friend, however, and this was noneother than Snap, their new dog, who, with many barks and wags ofhis fluffy tail, ran out to meet his little masters and mistresses.
"Here, Snap! Snap!" called Freddie. "Come on, old fellow!" andthe dog leaped all about him.
"Let's take him to the picnic with us," suggested Flossie. "We canhave lots of fun."
"And he can eat the scraps," said Nan. "Shall we, Bert?"
"I don't care. But maybe Mr. Tetlow wouldn't like it."
"You ask him, Bert," pleaded Flossie. "Tell him Snap will do tricksto amuse us."
Bert good-naturedly started ahead to speak to the principal,who was talking with some of the teachers, planning games for thelittle folk. Flossie and Freddie were patting their pet, when DannyRugg, and one of his friends came along.
"That dog can't come to our picnic!" said Danny, with a scowl. "Hemight bite some of us."
"Snap never bites!" cried Freddie.
"Of course not," said Flossie.
"Well, he can't come to this picnic!" spoke Danny, angrily. "Go onhome!" he cried, sharply, stooping to pick up a stone. Snap growledand showed his teeth.
"There!" cried Danny. "I told you he'd bite."
"He will not, Danny Rugg!" exclaimed Nan, who had gone up frontfor a minute to speak to some of the older girls. "He only growledbecause you acted mean to him. Now you leave him alone, or I'lltell Mr. Tetlow on you."
"Pooh! Think I care? I say no dog can come to our picnic. Go onhome!" and with raised hand Danny approached Snap. Again the doggrowled angrily. He was not used to being treated in this way.
"Look out, Danny Rugg," said Nan, severely, "or he may jump on you,and knock you down. He wouldn't bite you, though, mean as you are,unless I told him to do so."
"I'm not afraid of you!" cried Danny, more angry than before. "I'llget a stick and then we'll see what will happen," and he lookedabout for one.
"Don't let Danny beat Snap!" pleaded Flossie, tears coming intoher eyes.
"I won't," said Nan, looking about anxiously for Bert. She sawhim coming back, and felt better. By this time Danny had found aclub, and was coming back to where Flossie, Freddie and Nan, withsome of their friends, were walking along, Snap in their midst.
"I'll make that dog go home now!" cried Danny. "I'm not going toget bitten, and have hyperfobia, or whatever you call it. I'll tellMr. Tetlow if you don't make him go home."
"Oh, don't be so smart!" exclaimed Bert, stepping out from behinda group of girls. "I've told Mr. Tetlow myself that Snap isfollowing us, and he said to let him come along. So you needn'ttake the trouble, Danny Rugg. And if you try to hit our dog I'llhave something more to say," and Bert stepped boldly forth.
"Huh! I'm not afraid of you," sneered Danny, but he let the clubdrop, and walked off with his own particular chums.
"Did Mr. Tetlow say Snap could come?" asked Freddie, anxiously.
"Yes. He said he'd be good to drive away the cows if they botheredus," answered Bert, with a smile.
After this little trouble, the Bobbseys and their friends wenton toward the grove in the woods where the picnic was to be held.There was laughing and shouting, and much fun on the way, in whichSnap shared.
Boys and girls would run to one side or the other of the path togather late flowers. Some would pick up odd stones, or pine cones,and others would find curious little creeping or crawling thingswhich they called their friends to see.
Each teacher had charge of her special class, but she did not looktoo closely after them, for it was a day to be happy and free fromcare, with no thought of school or lessons.
"We'll make Snap do some tricks when we get to the grove," saidFlossie.
"Yes, we'll have a little circus," added her brother.
"Can he stand on his head?" one girl wanted to know.
"Well, he can turn a somersault, and he's on his head for a secondwhile he's doing that," explained Freddie, proudly.
"Can he roll over and over?" a boy wanted to know. "We had a dog,once, that could."
"Snap can, too," said Flossie. "Roll over, Snap!" she ordered, andthe dog, with a bark, did so. The children laughed and some clappedtheir hands. They thought Snap was about the best dog they had everseen.
No accidents happened on the way to the grove, except that onelittle boy tried to cross a brook on some stones, instead of theplank which the others used. He slipped in and got his feet wet,but as the day was warm no one worried much.
Finally the grove was reached. It was in a wooded valley, withhills on either side, and a cold, clear spring of water at one end,where everyone could get a drink. And that always seems to be whatis most wanted at a picnic--a drink of water.
Mr. Tetlow called all the children together, before letting them gooff to play, and told them at what time the start for home would bemade, so that they would not be late in coming back to the meetingplace.
"And now," he said, "have the best fun you can. Play anything youwish--school games if you like--but don't get too warm or excited.And don't go too far away. You may eat your luncheon when you like."
"Then let's eat ours now," suggested Flossie. "I'm awful hungry."
"So am I," said Freddie. So Nan and Bert decided that the littleones might at least have a sandwich and a piece of cake. Nor didthey forget the two little Jones children, who had no lunch. TheBobbseys were well provided and soon Sammie and Julia were smilingand happy as they sat beneath a tree, eating.
Then came all sorts of games, from tag and jumping rope, toblind-man's bluff and hide-and-seek. Snap was made to do a numberof tricks, much to the amusement of the teachers and children.Danny Rugg, and some of the older boys, got up a small baseballgame, and then Danny, with one or two chums, went off in a deeperpart of the woods. Bert heard one of the boys ask another if hehad any matches.
"I know what they're going to do," whispered Bert to Nan.
"What?" she asked.
"Smoke cigarettes. I saw Danny have a
pack."
Nan was much shocked, but she did not say anything. She was gladBert did not smoke.
Bert went off with some boys to see if they could catch any fishin the deeper part of the brook, about half a mile from the picnicgrove, and Nan, with one or two girls about her own age, tooka little walk with Flossie and Freddie to gather some late wildflowers that grew on the side of one of the hills.
They found a number of the blossoms, and were making pretty bouquetsof them, when Freddie, who had gone on a little ahead of the rest,came running back so fast that he nearly rolled to the bottom ofthe hill, so fat and chubby was he.
"What's the matter? What is it?" asked Nan, catching her brotherjust in time.
"Up there!" he gasped. "It's up there! A great big black one!"
"A big black what--bug?" asked Nan, ready to laugh.
"No, a big black snake! I almost stepped on it."
"A snake! Oh, dear!" screamed the girls.
"Call Mr. Tetlow!" said Flossie. "He's got a book about snakes,and he'll know what to do."
"Come on!" cried Nellie Parks. "I'm going to run!"
"So am I!" added Grace Lavine. "Oh, it may chase us!"
In fright the children turned, Freddie looking back at the spotwhere he thought he had seen the snake.
The Bobbsey Twins at School Page 10
