The Bobbsey Twins MEGAPACK ®. Laura Lee Hope
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The others tried to comfort the little ones too, and Uncle Daniel said he knew where he could buy another calf just like Frisky, so after a little while Freddie felt better and even laughed when Martha made the white cat Fluffy and Snoop play ball in the big long kitchen.
“I’m goin’ to pray Frisky will come back,” Nan told her little brother when she kissed him good-night, “and maybe the dear Lord will find her for you.”
“Oh, yes, Nannie, do ask Him,” pleaded Freddie, “and tell Him—tell Him if He’ll do it this time, I’ll be so good I won’t never need to bother Him any more.”
Freddie meant very well, but it sounded strange, and made Aunt Sarah say, “The Lord bless the little darling!” Then night came and an eventful day closed in on our dear little Bobbseys.
“Seems as if something else ought to happen tonight,” Bert remarked to Harry as they prepared to retire. “This was such a full day, wasn’t it?”
“It’s early yet,” Harry answered, “and it’s never late here until it’s time to get early again.”
“Sounds so strange to hear—those—those—”
“Crickets,” Harry told him, “and tree toads and katydids. Oh, there’s lots to listen to if you shouldn’t feel sleepy.”
The house was now all quiet, and even the boys had ceased whispering. Suddenly there was a noise in the driveway!
The next minute someone called out in the night!
“Hello there! All asleep! Wake up, somebody!”
Even Freddie did wake up and ran into his mother’s room.
“Come down here, Mr. Bobbsey,” the voice continued.
“Oh, is that you, Peter? I’ll be down directly,” called back Uncle Daniel, who very soon after appeared on the front porch.
“Well, I declare!” Uncle Daniel exclaimed, loud enough for all the listeners at the windows to hear. “So you’ve got her? Well, I’m very glad indeed. Especially on the boys’ account.”
“Yes,” spoke out Peter Burns, “I went in the barn a while ago with the lantern, and there wasn’t your calf asleep with mine as cozy as could be. I brought her over tonight for fear you might miss her and get to lookin’, otherwise I wouldn’t have disturbed you.”
By this time the man from the barn was up and out too, and he took Frisky back to her own bed; but not until the little calf had been taken far out on the front lawn so that Freddie could see her from the window “to make sure.”
“The Lord did bring her back,” Freddie told his mamma as she kissed him good-night again and put him in his bed, happier this time than before. “And I promised to be awful good to pay Him for His trouble,” the sleepy boy murmured.
Flossie had been asleep about two hours when she suddenly called to her mother.
“What is it, my dear?” asked Mrs. Bobbsey.
“Somebody is playing the piano,” answered the little girl. “Who is it?”
“Nobody is playing. You must be dreaming,” answered the mother, and smiled to herself.
“No, I am sure I heard the piano,” insisted Flossie.
Mother and daughter listened, but could hear nothing.
“You were surely dreaming,” said Mrs. Bobbsey. “Come, I will tuck you in again,” and she did so.
But was Flossie dreaming? Let us wait and see.
CHAPTER VII
A Country Picnic
When morning came everyone was astir early, for not only was a happy day promised, but there was Frisky, the runaway, to be looked over. Mr. Richard Bobbsey, Freddie’s father, left on an early train for Lakeport, and would not come back to Meadow Brook until Saturday afternoon.
“Let me go out and see Frisky,” Freddie insisted, even before his breakfast had been served. “I want to be sure it’s her.”
“Yes, that’s her,” Freddie admitted, “’cause there’s the rope that cut my hands when I was a real fireman!”
But Frisky didn’t seem to care a bit about ropes or firemen, but just chewed and chewed like all cows do, as if there was nothing in this world to do but eat.
“Come on, sonny,” called Dinah. “You can help me pick de radishes fo’ breakfast,” and presently our little boy, with the kind-hearted maid, was up in the garden looking for the best radishes of the early crop.
“See, Freddie,” said Dinah. “De red ones show above de ground. And we must only pull de ones wid de big leaves, ’cause dey’re ripe.”
Freddie bent down so close to find the radishes that a disturbed toad hopped right up at his nose.
“Oh!” he cried, frightened. “Dinah, was that—a—a—a snake?”
“Snake, chile; lan’ sakes alive! Dat was a poor little toady—more scare’ den you was,” and she pointed to the big dock leaf under which the hop-toad was now hiding.
“Let’s pick beans,” Freddie suggested, liking the garden work.
“Not beans fer breakfast,” laughed Dinah.
“That stuff there, then,” the boy persisted, pointing to the soft green leaves of early lettuce.
“Well, I dunno. Martha didn’t say so, but it sure does look pretty. Yes, I guess we kin pick some fo’ salad,” and so Dinah showed Freddie how to cut the lettuce heads off and leave the stalks to grow again.
“Out early,” laughed Uncle Daniel, seeing the youngest member of the family coming down the garden path with the small basket of vegetables.
“Is it?” Freddie asked, meaning early of course, in his funny way of saying things without words.
“See! see!” called Nan and Flossie, running down the cross path back of the cornfield.
“Such big ones!” Nan exclaimed, referring to the luscious red strawberries in the white dish she held.
“Look at mine,” insisted Flossie. “Aren’t they bigger?”
“Fine!” ejaculated Dinah.
“But my redishes are-are—redder,” argued Freddie, who was not to be outdone by his sisters.
“Ours are sweeter,” laughed Nan, trying to tease her little brother.
“Ours are—ours are—”
“Hotter,” put in Dinah,