“Stop that, Danny Rugg!” cried a voice from the other end of the common, and Nan appeared. She had just heard about the happening to Snoop and was hurrying to the spot to see if she could be of assistance.
“Oh, go on with your old cat!” sneered Danny, and shuffled off past Mr. Roscoe’s house.
The old man had come out to see what Bert was going to do with the ladder, and now he came face to face with Danny Rugg.
“Well, is it possible!” murmured the old man to himself. “That boy must belong around here after all!”
When Bert reached the barn he found a dozen boys collected, and several volunteered to assist him in raising the long ladder. It was hard work, and once the ladder slipped, but in the end it rested against the barn roof and then Bert went up in a hurry.
“Come, Snoop!” he called, and the kitten came and perched himself on Bert’s shoulder.
When Bert came down the ladder those standing around set up a cheer, and Freddie and Flossie clapped their hands in delight.
“Oh, I’m so glad you got him back!” said Freddie and hugged the kitten almost to death.
“What boy was that who threw the stone?” asked Mr. Roscoe of Nan, while Bert was returning the ladder to the cow-shed.
“That was Danny Rugg,” answered Nan. “He is a bad boy.”
“I know he is a bad boy,” said Mr. Roscoe. “A very bad boy indeed.” And then the old man hurried off without another word. What he said meant a good deal, as we shall soon see.
CHAPTER XXII
The Last of the Ghost—Good-Night
The rescue of the kitten was the main subject of conversation that evening in the Bobbsey household.
“I never dreamed he would go up with the kite,” said Flossie. “After this we’ll have to keep him in the house when Bert and Freddie do their kite-flying.”
Bert had seen Danny Rugg throw the stone at the kitten and was very angry over it. He had also seen Danny talk to Nan.
“I think he’s an awful boy,” declared Nan. “And Mr. Roscoe thinks he is bad, too.”
“He had better stop throwing things or he’ll get himself into trouble before long,” said Bert.
“It’s odd Mr. Ringley never heard about the window,” whispered his twin sister.
“So it is. But it may come out yet,” replied the brother.
That evening the Bobbseys had their first strawberry shortcake of the season. It was a beautiful cake—one of Dinah’s best—and the strawberries were large and luscious.
“Want another piece,” said Freddie, smacking his lips. “It’s so good, mamma!”
“Freddie, I think you have had enough,” said Mrs. Bobbsey.
“Oh, mamma, just a little piece more!” pleaded Freddie, and received the piece, much to his satisfaction.
“Strawberries is beautiful,” he declared. “I’m going to raise a whole lot on the farm this summer.”
“Oh, mamma, are we going to Uncle Dan’s farm this summer?” burst out Nan eagerly.
“Perhaps, Nan,” was the reply. “I expect a letter very shortly.”
“Meadow Brook is a dandy place,” said Bert. “Such a fine swimming hole in the brook!”
“Oh, I love the flowers, and the chickens and cows!” said Flossie.
“I like the rides on the loads of hay,” said Nan.
The children talked the subject over until it was time to go to bed. Their Uncle Dan and Aunt Sarah lived at Meadow Brook, and so did their cousin Harry, a boy a little older than Bert, and one who was full of fun and very good-natured in the bargain.
Bert went to bed with his head full of plans for the summer. What glorious times they could have after school closed if they went to their uncle’s farm!
It was a full hour before Bert got to sleep. The room was quite bright, for the moon was shining in the corner window. The moon made him think of the ghost he had once seen and he gave a little shudder. He never wanted to see that ghost again.
Bert had been asleep less than an hour when he awoke with a start. He felt sure somebody had touched him on the foot. He opened his eyes at once and looked toward the end of his bed.
The ghost was standing there!
At first Bert could scarcely believe that he saw aright. But it was true and he promptly dove under the covers.
Then he thought of Danny Rugg’s cry, “Afraid of a ghost!” and he felt that he ought to have more courage.
“I’m going to see what that is,” he said to himself, and shoved back the covers once more.
The figure in white had moved toward the corner of the room. It made no noise and Bert wondered how it would turn next.
“Wonder what will happen if I grab it, or yell?” he asked himself.
With equal silence Bert crawled out of bed. Close at hand stood his base-ball bat, which he had used a few days before. It made a formidable club, and he took hold of it with a good deal of satisfaction.
“Want another piece of strawberry shortcake,” came to his ears. “Please give me another piece of strawberry shortcake.”
Bert could hardly believe his ears. It was the ghost that was speaking! It wanted strawberry shortcake!
“Freddie!” he almost shouted. “Freddie, is it you?”
The ghost did not answer, but turned towards the door leading into the hallway. Bert ran after the figure in white and caught it by the arm.
The ghost was really Freddie, and he was walking in his sleep, with his eyes tightly closed.
“Well, I declare!” murmured Bert. “Why didn’t we think of this before?”
“Please let me have another piece of strawberry shortcake, mamma,” pleaded the sleep-walker. “Just a tiny little piece.”
Bert had heard that it was a bad thing to awaken a sleep-walker too suddenly, so he took Freddie’s arm very gently and walked the little fellow back to his bedroom and placed him on his bed. Then he shook him very gently.
“Oh!” cried Freddie. “Oh! Wha—what do you want? Let me sleep! It isn’t time to get up yet.”
“Freddie, I want you to wake up,” said Bert.
“Who is talking?” came from across the hallway, in Mr. Bobbsey’s voice.
“I’m talking, papa,” answered Bert. He ran to the doorway of his parents’ bedchamber. “I’ve just found out who the ghost is,” he continued.
“The ghost?” Mr. Bobbsey leaped up. “Where is it?”
“In bed now. It was Freddie, walking in his sleep. He was asking for another piece of strawberry shortcake.”
By this time the whole household was wide awake.
“Oh, Freddie, was it really you?” cried Nan, going to the little fellow.
“Wasn’t walking in my sleep,” said Freddie. “Was dreaming ’bout shortcake, that’s all. Want to go to sleep again,” and he turned over on his pillow.
“Let him sleep,” said Mrs. Bobbsey. “We’ll have to consult the doctor about this. He will have to have something for his digestion and eat less before going to bed in the future.” And the next day the doctor was called in and gave Freddie something which broke up the sleep-walking to a very large extent.
“I am glad you caught Freddie,” said Nan, to her twin brother. “If you hadn’t, I should always have believed that we had seen a ghost.”
“Glad I don’t walk in my sleep,” said Flossie. “I might tumble downstairs and break my nose.”
“I shall watch Freddie in the future,” said Mrs. Bobbsey, and she did.
When Bert went to school the next day he met Danny Rugg and the tall boy glared at him very angrily.
“Think you are smart, don’t you?” said Danny. “I’m not going to stand it, Bert Bobbsey.”
“Oh, Bert, come along and don’t speak to him,” whispered Nan, who was with her twin brother.
“Went and saw Ringley, didn’t you?” went on Danny, edging closer.
“Keep away, Danny Rugg,” answered Bert. “I want nothing to do with you, and I haven’t been to see Mr. Ringley.”
“Yes, you
did go and see him,” insisted Danny. “Wasn’t he to see my father last night?”
“Did Mr. Ringley come to see your father?” asked Bert curiously.
“Yes, he did. And my father—but never mind that now,” broke off the tall boy. He had been on the point of saying that his father had given him a severe thrashing. “I’m going to fix you, Bert Bobbsey.”
“Don’t you dare to strike my brother, Danny Rugg!” put in Nan, stepping in between them.
How much further the quarrel might have gone, it is impossible to say, for just then Mr. Tetlow put in an appearance, and Danny sneaked off in great haste.
When the children came from school they learned that Mrs. Bobbsey had been downtown, buying some shoes for herself and Flossie.
“Mr. Ringley was telling me about his broken window,” said she to her husband. “He found out that Danny Rugg broke it. Old Mr. Roscoe saw Danny do it. He didn’t know Danny at the time, but he has found out since who Danny was.”
“That Rugg boy is a bad one,” answered Mr. Bobbsey. “I suppose Mr. Ringley made the Ruggs pay for the window.”
“Oh, yes, and Mr. Rugg said he was going to correct Danny, too.”
The children heard this talk, but said nothing at the time. But later Nan called Bert out into the garden.
“I see it all,” she whispered to her twin brother. “That’s why Mr. Roscoe asked me who Danny was, and that’s why he said Danny was such a bad boy.”
“I’m glad in one way that Danny has been found out,” answered Bert, “for that clears me.” And he was right, for he never heard of the broken window again.
The children were still waiting anxiously for a letter from their Uncle Dan or their Aunt Sarah. At last a letter came and they listened to it with great delight.
“Oh, what do you think?” cried Nan, dancing up to Bert. “We are to go to Meadow Brook as soon as vacation begins!”
“Good!” shouted Bert, throwing his cap into the air. “Won’t we have the best times ever was!” And this proved to be a fact. What happened to the Bobbsey twins at Meadow Brook will be told in another book, which I shall call, “The Bobbsey Twins in the Country.” The country is a lovely place, especially in the summer time, and all of my young readers can rest assured that the twins enjoyed themselves at Meadow Brook to the utmost.
“I’ll be so glad to see Cousin Harry again,” said Bert.
“And I’ll be glad to see Aunt Sarah,” piped in Freddie. “She makes such beautiful pies!”
“Think of the lovely big barn,” put in Flossie. “It’s just like a—a palace to play in on wet days!”
“Oh, Flossie, to compare a barn to a palace!” exclaimed Nan. “But it is a nice place after all,” she added, after a moment’s thought.
That evening, to celebrate the good news, the twins gave a little party to half a dozen of their most intimate friends. There were music and singing, and all sorts of games, and a magic-lantern exhibition by one of the boys. All enjoyed it greatly and voted the little party a great success.
“Good-night! Good-night!” said the young folks to each other, when the party broke up. And here let us say good-night, too, for my little story has reached its end.
THE BOBBSEY TWINS IN THE COUNTRY
CHAPTER X
The Invitation
“There goes the bell! It’s the letter carrier! Let me answer!” Freddie exclaimed.
“Oh, let me! It’s my turn this week!” cried Flossie.
“But I see a blue envelope. That’s from Aunt Sarah!” the brother cried.
Meanwhile both children, Freddie and Flossie, were making all possible efforts to reach the front door, which Freddie finally did by jumping over the little divan that stood in the way, it being sweeping day.
“I beat you,” laughed the boy, while his sister stood back, acknowledging defeat.
“Well, Dinah had everything in the way and anyhow, maybe it was your turn. Mother is in the sewing room, I guess!” Flossie concluded, and so the two started in search of the mother, with the welcome letter from Aunt Sarah tight in Freddie’s chubby fist.
Freddie and Flossie were the younger of the two pairs of twins that belonged to the Bobbsey family. The little ones were four years old, both with light curls framing pretty dimpled faces, and both being just fat enough to be good-natured. The other twins, Nan and Bert, were eight years old, dark and handsome, and as like as “two peas” the neighbors used to say. Some people thought it strange there should be two pairs of twins in one house, but Nan said it was just like four-leaf clovers, that always grow in little patches by themselves.
This morning the letter from Aunt Sarah, always a welcome happening, was especially joyous.
“Do read it out loud,” pleaded Flossie, when the blue envelope had been opened in the sewing room by Mrs. Bobbsey.
“When can we go?” broke in Freddie, at a single hint that the missive contained an invitation to visit Meadow Brook, the home of Aunt Sarah in the country.
“Now be patient, children,” the mother told them. “I’ll read the invitation in just a minute,” and she kept her eyes fastened on the blue paper in a way that even to Freddie and Flossie meant something very interesting.
“Aunt Sarah wants to know first how we all are.”
“Oh, we’re all well,” Freddie interrupted, showing some impatience.
“Do listen, Freddie, or we won’t hear,” Flossie begged him, tugging at his elbow.
“Then she says,” continued the mother, “that this is a beautiful summer at Meadow Brook.”
“Course it is. We know that!” broke in Freddie again.
“Freddie!” pleaded Flossie.
“And she asks how we would like to visit them this summer.”
“Fine, like it—lovely!” the little boy almost shouted, losing track of words in his delight.
“Tell her we’ll come, mamma,” went on Freddie. “Do send a letter quick won’t you, mamma?”
“Freddie Bobbsey!” spoke up Flossie, in a little girl’s way of showing indignation. “If you would only keep quiet we could hear about going, but—you always stop mamma. Please, mamma, read the rest,” and the golden head was pressed against the mother’s shoulder from the arm of the big rocking chair.
“Well, I was only just saying—” pouted Freddie.
“Now listen, dear.” The mother went on once more reading from the letter: “Aunt Sarah says Cousin Harry can hardly wait until vacation time to see Bert, and she also says, ‘For myself I cannot wait to see the babies. I want to hear Freddie laugh, and I want to hear Flossie “say her piece,” as she did last Christmas, then I just want to hug them both to death, and so does their Uncle Daniel.’”
“Good!—goody!” broke in the irrepressible Freddie again. “I’ll just hug Aunt Sarah this way,” and he fell on his mother’s neck and squeezed until she cried for him to stop.
“I guess she’ll like that,” Freddie wound up, in real satisfaction at his hugging ability.
“Not if you spoil her hair,” Flossie insisted, while the overcome mother tried to adjust herself generally.
“Is that all?” Flossie asked.
“No, there is a message for Bert and Nan too, but I must keep that for lunch time. Nobody likes stale news,” the mother replied.
“But can’t we hear it when Bert and Nan come from school?” coaxed Flossie.
“Of course,” the mother assured her. “But you must run out in the air now. We have taken such a long time to read the letter.”
“Oh, aren’t you glad!” exclaimed Flossie to her brother, as they ran along the stone wall that edged the pretty terrace in front of their home.
“Glad! I’m just—so glad—so glad—I could almost fly up in the air!” the boy managed to say in chunks, for he had never had much experience with words, a very few answering for all his needs.
The morning passed quickly to the little ones, for they had so much to think about now, and when the school children appeared around the corner Flossie a
nd Freddie hurried to meet Nan and Bert, to tell them the news.
“We’re going! we’re going!” was about all Freddie could say.
“Oh, the letter came—from Aunt Sarah!” was Flossie’s way of telling the news. But it was at the lunch table that Mrs. Bobbsey finished the letter.
“‘Tell Nan,’” she read, “‘that Aunt Sarah has a lot of new patches and tidies to show her, and tell her I have found a new kind of jumble chocolate that I am going to teach her to make.’ There, daughter, you see,” commented Mrs. Bobbsey, “Aunt Sarah has not forgotten what a good little baker you are.”
“Chocolate jumble,” remarked Bert, and smacked his lips. “Say, Nan, be sure to learn that. It sounds good,” the brother declared.
Just then Dinah, the maid, brought in the chocolate, and the children tried to tell her about going to the country, but so many were talking at once that the good-natured colored girl interrupted the confusion with a hearty laugh.
“Ha! ha! ha! And all you-uns be goin’ to de country!”
“Yes, Dinah,” Mrs. Bobbsey told her, “and just listen to what Aunt Sarah says about you,” and once more the blue letter came out, while Mrs. Bobbsey read:
“‘And be sure to bring dear old Dinah! We have plenty of room, and she will so enjoy seeing the farming.’”
“Farming! Ha ha! Dat I do like. Used to farm all time home in Virginie!” the maid declared. “And I likes it fust-rate! Yes, Dinah’ll go and hoe de corn and” (aside to Bert) “steal de watermelons!”
The prospects were indeed bright for a happy time in the country, and the Bobbseys never disappointed themselves when fun was within their reach.
CHAPTER II
The Start
With so much to think about, the few weeks that were left between vacation and the country passed quickly for the Bobbseys. As told in any first book, “The Bobbsey Twins,” this little family had a splendid home in Lakeport, where Mr. Bobbsey was a lumber merchant. The mother and father were both young themselves, and always took part in their children’s joys and sorrows, for there were sorrows sometimes. Think of poor little Freddie getting shut up all alone in a big store with only a little black kitten, “Snoop,” to keep him from being scared to death; that was told of in the first book, for Freddie went shopping one day with his mamma, and wandered off a little bit. Presently he found himself in the basement of the store; there he had so much trouble in getting out he fell asleep in the meantime. Then, when he awoke and it was all dark, and the great big janitor came to rescue him—oh!—Freddie thought the man might even be a giant when he first heard the janitor’s voice in the dark store.
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