round this tree. Annie was playing that Rodolphus was her horse, and she had reins to drive him by. She also had a little whip to whip him with when he did not go fast enough.
Presently Ellen came to the door. She had a small hammer in one hand, and a box containing some small nails and tags of leather in the other. She was going to train up a climbing rose, which had been planted by the side of the door.
Ellen told Rodolphus that she thought it was time for him to get ready to go to school.
"Oh, no," said Rodolphus, "it is not time yet;" so he went prancing and galloping on around the great tree.
A moment afterward his mother came to the door.
"Rodolphus," said she, "it is time for you to go to school."
"Oh no, mother, not yet," said Rodolphus.
"Yes," said his mother, "it is quite time. Come in directly."
"Well, mother," said Rodolphus, "I will."
Mrs. Linn stopped a moment to look at Ellen's rose-tree, and to say "How pretty it looks climbing up here by the door;" and then she went in. Rodolphus continued to run round the yard. Presently he came prancing up to the door, and stopped to see what Ellen was doing.
"Rodolphus," said Ellen, "you ought to obey mother. She said that you must go to school."
"Oh, pretty soon," said Rodolphus. "She is not in any hurry."
"Yes, Rodolphus," said Annie, in a very positive manner. "You ought to obey my mother. You must go to school."
So saying, Annie began to move as if she were going to get out of the cart, but Rodolphus perceiving this, immediately began to draw the cart along, and thus prevented her. She could not get out while the cart was going.
Rodolphus continued to run about for some time longer. Annie begged of him to stop and let her get out, but he would not. At length his mother came to the door again, and renewed her commands. She said that unless he stopped playing with the cart, and went to school immediately, she should certainly punish him.
"Why, mother," said Rodolphus, "it is not late. Besides, I am going to draw Annie to school in the cart, and so we shall go very quick."
"No," said his mother, "you must not take the cart to school. If you do, it will come to some damage."
"Oh, no," said Rodolphus. "Go and get me Annie's books, and I will start off directly."
His mother went into the house and brought out a spelling-book, and put it down on the step of the door. She called out at the same time to Rodolphus, who was at that time near the great tree, telling him that there was the book, and that he must leave the cart, and take Annie and the book, and go directly.
The reason why Mrs. Linn was so solicitous for the safety of the cart, was because it was Ellen's cart, and she knew that Ellen prized it very highly. The way that Ellen came to have such a cart was this:
One day she was walking alone near the back fence of the garden, at a place where the fence was very high and close, when she heard the voices of some children on the other side, in a little green lane, where children often used to play. Ellen thought she heard Rodolphus's voice among the others, and there appeared to be some difficulty, as in fact there usually was, where Rodolphus's voice could be heard. So Ellen climbed upon a sort of trellis, which had been made there against the fence, in order that she might look over and see what was the matter.
She found that there were two girls there with a small cart, and that Rodolphus had got into the cart, and was insisting that the girls should draw him along. The girls looked troubled and distressed, and were not trying to draw.
"Pull," said Rodolphus. "Pull away, hearty."
"No," said the girls – "we can't pull. It is too heavy – besides, you will break down our cart."
"Rodolphus!" said Ellen.
Rodolphus turned his head, and saw his sister looking down upon him from the top of the fence.
"Ellen," said he, "is that you?"
"Yes," said Ellen, "I would not trouble those poor girls. Let them have their cart."
"Why, they could pull me just as well as not," said Rodolphus, "if they would only try. Come, girls," he added, "give one good pull, and then I will get out."
The girls hesitated a moment, being obviously afraid that the cart would be broken. They looked up to Ellen, as if they hoped that in some way or other she could help them, but Ellen knew not what to do. So they concluded to submit to Rodolphus's terms. They made a desperate effort to draw the cart along a few steps, but the result which they had feared was realized. The cart went on, staggering, as it were, under its heavy burden, for a short space, and then a crack was heard, and one side of it sank suddenly down to the ground. The axletree had broken, close to the wheel.
The children seemed greatly distressed at this accident. Rodolphus got out of the cart, and looked at the fracture – appearing perplexed in his turn, and not knowing what to say. The oldest girl took up the wheel, and began to examine the fracture with a very sorrowful countenance, while the youngest looked on, the picture of grief and despair.
"Now, Mary," said the youngest child, in a very desponding tone, "I don't believe we can sell our cart at all."
"Do you wish to sell it?" asked Ellen.
"Yes," said Mary. "Father said that we might sell it, if we could find any body that would buy it; but now it is broken, I don't suppose that any body will."
"How much do you ask for it?" said Ellen.
"A quarter of a dollar," said Mary.
"Well," replied Ellen, "perhaps I will buy it. If you will bring it round to our house this evening after tea, I will get Antonio to look at it and see if it is worth a quarter of a dollar; or, rather, if it was worth a quarter of a dollar before it was broken – for that will make no difference; and if he says it was, perhaps I may buy it."
"Well," said Mary, "we will."
"Is Beechnut coming to our house this evening?" asked Rodolphus.
"Yes," said Ellen.
The girls seemed much relieved of their distress at hearing this. Mary took up the broken wheel and put it into the cart, saying at the same time,
"Come, Ally, let us carry it home."
Mary stooped down to take hold of one side of the cart, while her sister took hold of the other, and so they lifted it up.
"Rodolphus," said Ellen, "I think you had better help them carry the cart home."
"Yes," said Rodolphus, "I will."
So Rodolphus took the wheel out of the cart and gave it to Mary to carry, and then lifting up the cart bodily, he put it upside down upon his head, as if it were a cap, and then began to run after the girls with it. They fled, filling the air with shouts of laughter, and thus the three went off together, all in high glee.
The end of it was, that Ellen bought the cart, and Antonio made a new axletree for it, and put it, in all respects, in complete repair. He also painted it beautifully inside and out, making it look better than when it was new. Ellen's motive in getting the cart was chiefly
