Produced by Charles Aldarondo, Charles Franks and theOnline Distributed Proofreading Team.
FLOSSIE AND FREDDIE RAISED THE HOOP JUST IN TIME.]
The Bobbsey Twins at School
By LAURA LEE HOPE
CONTENTS
CHAPTER
I. A CIRCUS TRAIN II. SNOOP Is GONE III. A QUEER DOG IV. HOME IN AN AUTO V. SNAP DOES TRICKS VI. DANNY RUGG IS MEAN VII. AT SCHOOL VIII. BERT SEES SOMETHING IX. OFF TO THE WOODS X. A SCARE XI. DANNY'S TRICK XII. THE CHILDREN'S PARTY XIII. AN UNPLEASANT SURPRISE XIV. A COAT BUTTON XV. THANKSGIVING XVI. MR TETLOW ASKS QUESTIONS XVII. THE FIRST SNOW XVIII. A NIGHT ALARM XIX. WHO WAS SMOKING? XX. A CONFESSION XXI. THE FAT LADY'S LETTER XXII. SNAP AND SNOOP
THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT SCHOOL
CHAPTER I
A CIRCUS TRAIN
"Mamma, how much longer have we got to ride?" asked Nan Bobbsey,turning in her seat in the railroad car, to look at her parents,who sat behind her.
"Are you getting tired?" asked Nan's brother Bert. "If you are I'llsit next to the window, and watch the telegraph poles and treesgo by. Maybe that's what tires you, Nan," he added, and his fathersmiled, for he saw that Bert had two thoughts for himself, and onefor his sister.
"No, I'm not tired of the scenery," answered the brown-haired andbrown-eyed girl, "but you may sit next the window, Bert, if youlike."
"Thanks!" he exclaimed as he scrambled over to the place his sistergave up.
"Are you tired, dearie?" asked Mrs. Bobbsey, leaning forward andsmoothing out her daughter's hair with her hand. "If you would liketo sit with me and put your head in my lap, papa can go to anotherseat and--"
"Oh, no, mamma, I'm not as tired as that," and Nan laughed. "I wasjust wondering how soon we'd be home."
"I'd rather be back at the seashore," said Bert, not turning hisgaze from the window, for the train was passing along some fieldsjust then, and in one a boy was driving home some cows to bemilked, as evening was coming on Bert was wondering if one of thecows might not chase the boy. Bert didn't really want to see theboy hurt by a cow, of course, but he thought that if the cow wasgoing to take after the boy, anyhow, he might just as well see it.But the cows were very well-behaved, and went along slowly.
"Yes, the seashore was nice," murmured Nan, as she leaned her headback on the cushioned seat, "but I'm glad to be going home again.I want to see some of the girls, and--"
"Yes, and I'll be looking for some of the boys, too," put in Bert."But school will soon begin, and that's no fun!"
Mr. and Mrs. Bobbsey smiled at each other, and Mr. Bobbsey, takingout a time-table, looked to see how much longer they would be onthe train.
"It's about an hour yet," he said to Nan, and she sighed. Reallyshe was more tired than she cared to let her mother know.
Just ahead of the two Bobbsey children were another set of them.I say "set" for the Bobbsey children came "in sets."
There were two pairs of twins, Bert and Nan, nearly nine years ofage, and Flossie and Freddie, almost five. And, whereas the twoolder children were rather tall and slim, with dark brown hair andeyes, the littler twins were short and fat, and had light hair andblue eyes. The two pairs of twins were quite a contrast, and manypersons stopped to look at them as they passed along the streettogether.
"No, sir," went on Bert musingly, "school's no fun, and it startsabout a week after we get home. No chance to have a good time!"
"We've had fun all summer," replied his sister. "I rather likeschool."
"Mamma, are we going to school this year?" asked Flossie, as shelooked back with a quick turning of her head that set her yellowcurls to dancing.
"If we are, I'm going to sit with Flossie--can't I?" asked Freddie,kneeling in the seat so that he could face back to his father andmother.
Indeed his request was not strange, since the two younger twinswere always together, even more so than their brother and sister.
"Yes, I think you and Freddie will start school regularly thisterm," said Mrs. Bobbsey, "and, if it can be arranged, you may sittogether. We'll see about that. Be careful Freddie, don't put yourhead out of the window," she cautioned quickly, for the littlechap had turned in his seat again, and was leaning forward to seea horse galloping about a field, kicking up its heels at the soundof the puffing engine.
"It's my turn to sit by the window, anyhow," said Flossie.
"It is not! We haven't passed a station yet," disputed Freddie.
"Oh, we have so!" cried his little sister. "Freddie Bobbsey!" andshe pointed her finger at him.
"Children--children," said Mrs. Bobbsey reprovingly.
"Are you two taking turns?" asked Bert, smiling with an olderbrother's superior wisdom.
"Yes," answered Flossie, "he was to have the seat next to the windowuntil we came to a station, and then it's to be my turn until wepass another station, and we have passed one, but he won't changeover."
"Well, it was only a little station, anyhow," asserted Freddie,"and it come awful quick after the last one. It isn't fair!"
"There's a seat up ahead for you, Bert," suggested Mr. Bobbsey, asa gentleman got up, when the train approached a station. "You cansit there, and let Flossie or Freddie take your place."
"All right," answered Bert good-naturedly, as he got up.
The train rolled on, the two younger twins each having a windownow, and Nan occupying the seat with her little brother. For atime there was quietness, until Mrs. Bobbsey said to her husband:
"Hadn't you better get some of the satchels together, Richard, andtell Dinah what she is to carry?"
"I think I will," he answered, as he went up the car aisle alittle way to where a very fat colored woman sat. She was Dinah,the Bobbsey cook, and they took her with them always when going awayfor the summer. Now they were on their way to their city house,and of course Dinah came back, too.
"Mamma, I'm thirsty," said Flossie, after a bit. "Please may I geta drink?"
"I want one, too," said Freddie quickly, "Come on, Flossie, we'llboth go down to the end of the car where the water cooler is."
"There's no cup," Nan said. "I went a little while ago, but a ladylet me take her glass."
"And if there was a cup, I would rather they didn't use it," saidMrs. Bobbsey. "One never knows who has last handled a public cup."
"But I want a drink," insisted Flossie, a bit fretfully, for shewas tired from the long journey.
"I know it, dear," said her mamma gently, "and I'm getting out thesilver cup for you. Only you must be very careful of it, and notdrop it, for it is solid silver and will dent, or mar, easily." Shewas searching in her bags and presently took out a very valuabledrinking cup, gold lined and with much engraving on it. The cuphad been presented to Flossie and Freddie on their first birthday,and bore each of their names. They were very proud of it.
"Now be careful," warned Mrs. Bobbsey, as she held out the cup."Hold on to the seats as you walk along."
"I'll carry the cup," said Freddie. "I'm the biggest."
"You are not!" declared his sister quickly. "I'm just as big."
"Well, anyhow, I'm a boy," went on Freddie, and Flossie could notdeny this. "And boys always carries things," her brother went on."I'll carry the cup."
"Very well, but be careful of it," said his mother with a smile,as she handed it to him. The two children went down the aisle ofthe car. They stopped for a moment at the seat where Dinah was.
"Is Snoop all right?" asked Freddie, peering into a box that wasmade of slats, with spaces between them for air.
"'Deed an' he am, honey," said Dinah with a smile, laughing so thatshe shook all over her big, fleshy body.
"I '
spect he's lonesome; aren't you, Snoop?" asked Flossie, pokingher finger in one of the cracks, to caress, as well as she could,a fat, black cat. The cat, like Dinah the cook, went with theBobbseys on all their summer outings.
"Well, maybe he am lonesome," admitted Dinah, with another laugh,"but he's been real good. He hain't yowled once--not once!"
"He'll soon be out of his cage; won't you, snoop?" said Freddie,and then he and his sister went on to the water cooler Near by theysaw something else to look at This was the sight of a very, veryfat lady who occupied nearly all of one seat in the end of the car.She was so large that only a very little baby could have found roombeside her.
"Look--look at her." whispered Flossie to Freddie, as they paused.The fat woman's back was toward them, and she seemed to be muchinterested in looking out of the window.
"She is fat," admitted Freddie. "Did you ever see one so big before?"
"Only in a circus," said Flossie "She'd make--make two of Dinah,"went on her brother.
"She would not," contradicted Flossie quickly. "Cause Dinah's black,and this lady is white."
"That's so," admitted Freddie, with a smile. "I didn't think ofthat."
A sway of the train nearly made Flossie fall, and she caught quicklyat her brother.
"Look out!" he cried. "You 'most knocked the cup down."
"I didn't mean to," spoke Flossie. "Oh, there goes my hat! Get it,Freddie, before someone steps on it!"
Her brother managed to get the hat just as it was sliding underthe seat where the fat lady sat.
After some confusion the hat was placed on Flossie's head, and oncemore she and her brother moved on toward the water cooler. It wasgetting dusk now, and some of the lamps in the car had been lighted.
Freddie, carrying the cup, filled it with water at the little faucet,and, very politely, offered it to his sister first. Freddie was nobetter than most boys of his age, but he did not forget some of thelittle polite ways his mamma was continually teaching him. One ofthese was "ladies first," though Freddie did not always carry itout, especially when he was in a hurry.
"Do you want any more?" he asked, before he would get himself adrink.
"Just a little," said Flossie. "The silver cup doesn't hold much."
"No, I guess it's 'cause there's so much silver in it," repliedher brother. "It's worth a lot of money, mamma said."
"Yes, and it's all ours. When I grow up I'm going to have my halfmade into a bracelet."
"You are?" said Freddie slowly. "If you do there won't be enoughleft for me to drink out of."
"Well, you can have your share of it made into a watch, and drinkout of a glass."
"That's so," agreed Freddie, his face brightening. He gave his sistermore water, and then took some himself. As he drank his eyes wereconstantly looking at the very fat lady who filled so much of herseat. She turned from the window and looked at the two children,smiling broadly. Freddie was somewhat confused, and looked downquickly. Just then the train gave another lurch and Freddie suddenlyspilled some of the water on his coat.
"Oh, look what you did!" cried Flossie "And that's your best coat!"
"I--I couldn't help it," stammered Freddie.
"Never mind, little boy," said the fat lady. "It's only clean water.Come here and I'll wipe it off with my handkerchief. I'd come toyou, only I'm so stout it's hard enough for me to walk anyhow, andwhen the train is moving I simply can't do it."
Freddie and Flossie went to her seat, and with a handkerchief, thatFlossie said afterward was almost as big as a table cloth, the fatlady wiped the water off Freddie's coat.
The little boy held the silver cup in his hand, and feeling, somehow,that he ought to repay the fat lady's kindness in some way afterthanking her, he asked:
"Would you like a drink of water? I can bring it to you if youwould."
"Thank you," she answered. "What a kind little boy you are! I sawyou give your sister a drink first, too. Yes, I would like a drink.I've been wanting one some time, but I didn't dare get up to goafter it."
"I'll get it!" cried Freddie, eager to show what a little manhe was. He made his way to the cooler without accident, and then,moving slowly, taking hold of the seat on the way back, so as notto spill the water, he brought the silver cup brimful to the fatlady.
"Oh, what a beautiful cup," she said, as she took it.
"And it cost a lot of money, too," said Flossie. "It's ours--ourbirthday cup, and when I grow up I'm going to have a bracelet madefrom my half."
"That will be nice," said the fat lady, as she prepared to drink.
But she never got more than a sip of the water Freddie had so kindlybrought her, for, no sooner did her lips touch the cup than therewas a grinding, shrieking sound, a jar to the railway coach, and thetrain came to such a sudden stop that many passengers were thrownfrom their seats.
Flossie and Freddie sat down suddenly in the aisle, but they wereso fat that they did not mind it in the least. As surprised as hewas, Freddie noticed that the fat lady was so large that she couldnot be thrown out of her seat no matter how suddenly the trainstopped The little Bobbsey boy saw the water from the cup spillall over the fat lady, and she held the silver vessel in her big,pudgy hand, looking curiously at it, as though wondering what hadso quickly become of the water.
"It's a wreck--the train's off the track!" a man exclaimed.
"We've hit something!" cried another.
"It's an accident, anyhow," said still a third, and then every oneseemed to be talking at once.
Mr. Bobbsey came running down the aisle to where Flossie and Freddiestill sat, dazed.
"Are you hurt?" he cried, picking them both up together, which wasrather hard to do.
"No--no," said Freddie slowly.
"Oh, papa, what is it?" asked Flossie, wondering whether she wasgoing to cry.
"I don't know, my dear. Nothing serious, I guess. The engineer musthave put the brakes on too quickly. I'll look out and see."
Knowing that his children were safe, Mr. Bobbsey put them downand led them back to where his wife was anxiously waiting.
"They're all right," he called. "No one seems to be hurt."
Bert Bobbsey looked out of the window. Though darkness had fallenthere seemed to be many lights up ahead of the stopped train. Andin the light Bert could see some camels, an elephant or two, anumber of horses, and cages containing lions and tigers strung outalong the track.
"Why--why, what's this--a circus?" he asked. "Look, Nan! See thosemonkeys!"
"Why, it is a circus--and the train must have been wrecked!"exclaimed his sister. "Oh mamma, what can it be?"
A brakeman came into the car where the Bobbseys were.
"There's no danger," he said. "Please keep your seats. A circustrain that was running ahead of us got off the track, and some ofthe animals are loose. Our train nearly ran into an elephant, andthat's why the engineer had to stop so suddenly. We will go onsoon."
"A circus; eh?" said Mr. Bobbsey. "Well, well! This is an adventure,children. We've run into a circus train! Let's watch them catchthe animals."