CHAPTER XII
TOMMY IS REWARDED
Freddie Bobbsey was a wise little chap, even if he was only about fiveyears old, and when he found that he was shut up in the queerplay-house, and could not get out, he did not cry. He stopped callingfor help, when he found no one answered him, and sat down to think whatwas best to do.
"It would be nice in here, if Flossie could be with me to play," he saidto himself. "But she couldn't get in unless some way was opened, orunless one of the cracks was made bigger. There ought to be a door andsome windows to this place. Then we could go in and out, and have fun.And we ought to have something to eat, too," Freddie went on.
But there was nothing to eat under the pile of lumber, and Freddie hadnot thought to put a piece of cake or an apple in his pocket as hesometimes did when he went to visit his father.
That morning he had thought of nothing much but about making a ship togo sailing with Tommy Todd to look for Tommy's father. And all Freddiehad put in his pockets were the nails and bits of string. He could noteat them, and, anyhow, they were back by the pile of shingles where hehad been talking to James.
"Maybe James will come and find me after a bit," Freddie thought. "I'lljust stay here and wait."
He called as loudly as he could once or twice more, but no one answeredhim. Freddie made himself as easy as he could in the queer little lumberplay-house, and, as it was warm with the sun shining down, pretty soonhe felt sleepy. How long he slept Freddie did not know, but, all of asudden he was awakened by hearing a scratching sound near his ear. Someone was scratching away at the lumber.
"Who is there?" Freddie cried, sitting up.
No one answered but Freddie again heard the scratching.
"Oh--oh!" he exclaimed, shrinking back in one corner. "I wonder if thatis a big rat? Rats scratch and gnaw."
Once more came the funny sound, and then Freddie heard:
Mew! Mew!
"Oh! Now I know that isn't a rat!" cried the little boy. "Rats canscratch, but rats can't mew. Only cats can do that! Here, pussy!" hecalled. "Come in and see me!"
Once more there was a scratching and a mewing and up through one of thelarger cracks same a big gray cat, that lived in the lumber yard.Freddie knew her quite well, for he had often seen her in his father'soffice.
"Oh Sawdust!" he called joyfully. Sawdust was the cat's name; a verygood name for a lumber yard cat, I think. "I'm so glad it's you,Sawdust!" cried Freddie.
The big cat came up to Freddie, and rubbed against his legs. The littleboy rubbed her back and the cat's tail stood up stiff and straight, likethe flag pole in front of Mr. Bobbsey's office.
"I thought you were a rat, Sawdust," went on Freddie. "But I'm glad youweren't. I like you!"
The cat purred again. She seemed to like Freddie, too. Soon she curledup beside him, and Freddie put his arm around her. And, before he knewit he was asleep again, and so was Sawdust. She had found her way intothe queer play-house while wandering about the lumber yard as she oftendid, taking walks, I suppose, to make sure there were no mice or ratsabout.
It was not long after this that Mr. Bobbsey left the office to go overto one part of his lumber yard to see about some boards a man wanted tobuy. On the way Freddie's father passed the place where James, thewatchman, was sitting by the shingles.
"Well, did Freddie bother you much?" asked Mr. Bobbsey. "I'll look afterhim now, as I'm not so busy."
"Why no, he didn't bother me, Mr. Bobbsey," said the watchman. "Hewanted to build a toy boat, and he brought some nails and string. I hadto go over to help Jason load his wagon, and when I came back, havingleft Freddie to hunt for some boards, he wasn't here. Didn't he go backto the office?"
"Why no, he didn't!" exclaimed Mr. Bobbsey, in some alarm. "I haven'tseen him. I wonder where he can have gone?"
They looked up and down the rows between the piles of lumber, but noFreddie could be seen.
"Perhaps he went home," said James. "You could find out by calling Mrs.Bobbsey on the telephone."
"So I could, yes. But if I asked if Freddie were home she would want toknow why I asked, and why he wasn't here with me--that is, if he wasn'tat home. Then she would worry for fear something had happened to him.No, I'll have to find out in some other way."
"I could take a walk down past the house," the watchman said. "I couldlook in and see if Freddie was there. If he wasn't, we'd know he wassomewhere around the yard yet."
"Well, you might do that," Mr. Bobbsey said. He himself was a littleworried now. "But don't let Mrs. Bobbsey see you," he went on to James."If she did she'd want to know what you were doing away from the yard.Just walk past the house. If Freddie is at home he'll be out in the yardplaying. If you don't see him let me know. Meanwhile, I'll be searchingaround here for him, and I'll get some of the men to look with me."
"All right," agreed James, hurrying off. While he was gone Mr. Bobbseylooked around the many lumber piles near the bundles of shingles whereFreddie had last been seen. But no little boy was in sight, being, as weknow, fast asleep, with the big yard cat, under the pile of boards whichhad fallen in the shape of a little play-house.
"This is queer," thought Mr. Bobbsey. "Freddie never goes home byhimself after he has come to see me without telling me that he is going.I wonder where he is."
Mr. Bobbsey looked and called Freddie's name, but the little fellow,being sound asleep, did not hear.
Then Mr. Bobbsey told several of his men about the little lost boy, andthey began searching for him. No one thought of looking under the pileof boards, for there were many such in the yard. And so Freddie remainedhidden.
When he was not to be found Mr. Bobbsey grew more and more anxious, andhe hoped that James would come back to say that Freddie was safe athome.
But when the watchman came back he said:
"Your other children are playing in the yard of your house, Mr. Bobbsey.Bert, Nan and Flossie are there. But Freddie isn't with them."
"Maybe he is in the house, getting something to eat," said Mr. Bobbsey.
"No, I hardly think so," answered James, "for when I was going past thehouse, on the other side of the street so they wouldn't see me, a littleboy, who plays with Freddie, came running along. He called to Nan, thisother little boy did, to know where Freddie was."
"And what did Nan say?"
"She said Freddie was down at the lumber yard."
"Then he can't have gone home, or Nan would know it. He must be aroundhere somewhere. I--I hope he didn't go near the lake. And yet he might,with his idea of boats."
"Oh, I don't believe he would do _that_, Mr. Bobbsey," said James."We'll find him."
Mr. Bobbsey and the men scattered through the lumber yard, looking onall sides of the many piles. But still no one thought of looking underthe boards that had slid off the stack upon which Freddie had climbed.For it did not seem as though any one could be beneath them.
"Well, I don't know what to do," said Mr. Bobbsey, after a bit. "I guessI'll blow the big fire whistle, and get all the men from the shops andevery place to help us look. This is too bad!"
Besides the lumber yard Mr. Bobbsey owned a mill, or shop, where boardswere made into doors, windows and other parts of houses. Many men workedin this shop.
All this while Freddie was peacefully sleeping under the lumber, withSawdust curled up near him, purring happily.
Finally, Freddie awakened again, and as he sat up and rubbed his eyes hecould not, for a moment, remember where he was: Then he looked down andsaw Sawdust, and he said:
"Oh, I'm in my little lumber play-house yet. I must get out. Where didyou get in, Sawdust? Maybe I can get out the way you came in. Show mewhere it was."
Sawdust mewed. Perhaps she knew that Freddie was in trouble, though shedid not quite understand all that he said. At any rate the big catwalked over toward a large crack, and squeezed her way through it to theoutside.
"That's too small for me," said Freddie, for he could not get even onefoot through the opening. "I'll have to find a bigger pl
ace."
He looked all over but there was none. Then he called out as loudly ashe could:
"Papa! Mamma! Help me! I'm under the lumber!"
Freddie paused to listen. He heard some one walking past the pile oflumber. The little boy called as hard as he could:
"Get me out! Get me out!"
Then, suddenly, a voice asked:
"Who are you and where are you?"
"I'm Freddie Bobbsey," was the answer. "I'm down under the lumber and Ican't get out. Please help me. Who are you?"
"Of course I'll help you, Freddie," was the answer. "I'm Tommy Todd. Ijust happened to pass through the lumber yard. I'm going to ask yourfather if he has any errands for me to do, as it's Saturday and there isno school. But I'll get you out first, Freddie."
"Oh Tommy! I'm so glad you came. Please get me out!"
But to get Freddie out from under the lumber was too hard for littleTommy Todd.
"I'll run and tell your father, Freddie," Tommy said. "Don't be afraid.He'll soon get you out."
"I'm not afraid," Freddie said.
Tommy ran up to Mr. Bobbsey, who was just getting ready to blow the bigmill whistle and call out all the men, more than a hundred of them, tohelp search for the missing boy.
"Oh Mr. Bobbsey!" cried Tommy. "Freddie can't get out and I can't gethim out."
"Where is he? Tell me quickly!"
"He's under a pile of lumber. I'll show you!"
Tommy quickly led the way, Mr. Bobbsey, James and some other menfollowing. When they reached the pile of lumber that had slid overFreddie's head the men carefully but quickly lifted away the boards, andthe little boy could come out.
"Oh Freddie!" cried his father. "I was so worried about you! Whathappened?"
Then Freddie told of having climbed up on the lumber pile, and of itshaving toppled over with him, but not hurting him in the least.
"It was just like a play-house," he said. "And I heard a scratching andthought it was a rat. But it was Sawdust."
"I saw the cat come out from under the lumber," said Tommy. "But I didnot know Freddie was there until I heard him calling. I was coming toyou to ask if you had any work for me this Saturday, as there isn't anyschool. I need to work to earn money for my grandmother."
"Work? Of course I can give you work," said Mr. Bobbsey, who had Freddiein his arms. "You deserve a good reward for finding Freddie for us, andyou shall have it. I'm glad I didn't have to call out all the men, forif I had blown the big whistle Mrs. Bobbsey would have heard it, andshe would have thought there was a fire."
So Tommy Todd was rewarded for having found where the lost Freddie was.The fresh air boy was given some easy work to do, for which he was wellpaid, and besides this, Mr. Bobbsey gave the grandmother five dollars tobuy the food and the clothing which she needed very much.
"I'm glad I happened to come past the lumber pile where you were," saidTommy a little later, when he was taking Freddie home, for Mr. Bobbseysent Tommy along to see that the little chap did not get lost again.
"I'm glad, too," said Freddie. "I'm not going to climb up on lumberpiles any more. But we've got to make that boat, Tommy, and sail off tofind your father."
"Yes, I wish we could find him, but I'm afraid we can't. Anyhow it willbe Winter soon and it isn't any fun going to sea in the Winter, so mygrandmother says. Maybe we'd better wait until it's Summer again beforewe think of the ship."
"Well, maybe we had, Tommy."
The Bobbsey Twins at Home Page 12
