by Oliver Optic
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BROTHER AND SISTER
BY
JOSEPHINE LAWRENCE
AUTHOR OF
"BROTHER AND SISTER'S SCHOOLDAYS" "BROTHER AND SISTER'S HOLIDAYS"
BROTHER AND SISTER SERIES
BY JOSEPHINE LAWRENCE
1. BROTHER AND SISTER 2. BROTHER AND SISTER'S SCHOOLDAYS 3. BROTHER AND SISTER'S HOLIDAYS
BROTHER AND SISTER
CONTENTS
I. THE MORRISONS II. GRANDMA HASTINGS III. SISTER IN MISCHIEF IV. PARTY PREPARATIONS V. DICK'S BUTTONS VI. RALPH'S PRESENT VII. MORE PRESENTS VIII. THE PARTY IX. OUT IN THE BARN X. THE HAUNTED HOUSE XI. JIMMIE'S SURPRISE XII. A LITTLE SHOPPING XIII. A BIG DISAPPOINTMENT XIV. TWO IN TROUBLE XV. TROUBLE AGAIN XVI. MISS PUTNAM COMPLAINS XVII. MAKING UP WITH JIMMIE XVIII. MICKEY GAFFNEY XIX. A VERY SICK DOLL XX. PLANS FOR MICKEY XXI. BROTHER AND SISTER PAY A CALL XXII. MICKEY OWNS UP
BROTHER AND SISTER
CHAPTER I
THE MORRISONS
"Brother," said Mother Morrison, "you haven't touched your glass ofmilk. Hurry now, and drink it before we leave the table."
Brother's big brown eyes turned from his knife, which he had beenplaying was a bridge from the salt cellar to the egg cup, toward thetumbler of milk standing beside his plate.
"I don't have to drink milk this morning, Mother," he assured herconfidently. "Honestly I don't. It's raining so hard that we can't gooutdoors and grow, anyway."
Louise, his older sister, said sharply. "Don't be silly!" but Ralph,who was in a hurry to catch his train, stopped long enough to give aword of advice.
"Look here, Brother," he urged seriously, "better not skip a morning.Your birthday is next week, isn't it? Well, if you're not tall enoughby Wednesday morning, you can't have the present I bought for you lastnight. Too short, no present--you think it over."
He stooped to kiss his mother, tweaked Sister's perky bow ofhair-ribbon, and with a hasty "Good-bye" for the others at the table,hurried out into the hall. They heard the front door slam after him.
Spurred by Ralph's mysterious hint, Brother drank his milk, and thenthe Morrison family scattered for their usual busy day.
Brother and Sister were left to clear the breakfast table. They alwaysdid this, carrying out the dishes and silver to Molly in the kitchen.Then they crumbled the cloth neatly. Molly declared she could not dowithout them.
"What do you suppose Ralph is going to give you?" speculated Sister,carefully folding up the napkin Louise had dropped, and slipping itinto the white pique ring embroidered with an "L." "Maybe it's a train?"
"No, I don't believe it's a train," said Brother slowly, crumbling abit of bread and beginning to build a little farm with the crumbs. "No,I guess maybe he will give me a tool-chest."
"Come on, and bring the bread tray," suggested Sister practically. Shenever forgot the task in hand for other interests. "Mother says wemustn't dawdle, Roddy, you know she did. It's my turn to feed thebirds, so I'll crumb the table. Could I use your saw if you get atool-chest?"
Brother answered dreamily that he supposed she could. He watched Sisterand her crumb-brush sweep away his nice little bread-crumb fences,while he planned to build a real fence if Ralph's present should turnout to be the long-coveted tool-chest.
When Sister had swept up every tiny crumb, she and Brother went out toscatter the bits of bread to the birds who, winter and summer, neverfailed to come to the back door and who always seemed hungry.
This morning there were robins, starlings, a pair of beautiful big bluejays, and, of course, the rusty little sparrows. Each bird seemed to bepretending to the others that he was looking for worms, and each oneslyly watched the Morrison back door in hopes that two small figureswould presently come out and toss them a breakfast of breadcrumbs.
Sister flung her crumbs as far as her short arm would send them, andmanaged to hit an indignant old starling squarely in the eye. He glaredat her crossly.
"Birds don't mind getting wet, do they?" said Brother, as the sparrowshopped about in the driving rain and pecked gratefully at the crumbs."Let's hop the way they do, Betty."
Sister obediently hopped, looking not unlike a very plump little robinat that, with her dark eyes and bobbing curls. Only, you see, she andBrother were much heavier than any birds, and they made so much noisethat Molly came to the door to see what they were doing.
"Another rainy day and the two of you bursting with mischief!" shesighed good-naturedly. "Will you be quiet for an hour if I let you makea dough-man while I'm mixing my bread?"
Brother and Sister loved to make dough-men, and so while Molly kneadedher bread, they worked busily and happily at the other end of thetable, shaping two men from the bit of sponge she gave them and quiteforgetting to scold about the unpleasant weather which kept themindoors.
Their real names, you must know, were Rhodes and Elizabeth Morrison.Rhodes was six, and Elizabeth five, and sometimes they were called"Roddy" and "Betty," but most always Brother and Sister.
This was partly because they were so many Morrisons.
There was Daddy Morrison, who was a lawyer and who went to town everymorning to a busy office that seemed, to Brother and Sister, when theyvisited him, to be all papers and typewriters.
There was dear Mother Morrison, who was altogether lovely, with browneyes like Brother's, and dark curly hair like Sister.
There were Louise and Grace, the twins; they were fifteen and went tohigh school, and were very pretty and important and busy.
Then there was Dick, the oldest of them all, and Ralph, who went to lawschool in the city, and Jimmie, who was seventeen and the captain ofthe high school football team.
Counting Brother and Sister, seven children, you see, and as Mollytruly said, "a houseful." Molly had lived with Mother Morrison sinceLouise and Grace were babies, and they would not have known what to dowithout her. She was as much a part of the family as any of them.
The Morrison house was a big, shabby, roomy place with wide, deepporches and many windows. There was a large lawn in front and an oldbarn in back where the older boys had fitted up a gymnasium with allkinds of fascinating apparatus, most of which Brother and Sister wereforbidden to touch.
The Morrisons lived in Ridgeway, a thriving suburb of the city, whereDaddy Morrison, Dick and Ralph went every day.
And now that you are introduced, we'll go back to Brother and Sistermaking dough-men in Molly's kitchen.
"What makes my dough-man kind of dark?" inquired Sister, callingMolly's attention to the queer-shaped figure she had pieced together.
Sure enough Sister's dough-man, and Brother's, too, was a rather darkgray, while the bread Molly was mixing was creamy white.
Mother Morrison, coming into the kitchen carrying Brother's rubbers andraincoat, saved Molly an explanation.
CHAPTER II
GRANDMA HASTINGS
"Where are you going Mother?" asked Brother, when he saw the rubbers.
"I'm not going out," smiled Mother. "You are going for me, dear. Theseare your rubbers and coat--hop into them and run across the street toGrandma's with this apron pattern."
"Will you bake my dough-man, Molly?" begged Brother, struggling intohis coat and taking the small parcel Mother gave him. "Is Betty coming?"
"Not this time," answered his mother. "It is raining too hard. Yes,Molly will bake your dough-man and you may eat him for lunch. Run alongnow."
Grandmother Hastings lived almost directly across the street from theMorrison house and she was putting her beautiful Boston fern out to getthe rain when Brother tramped sturdily up her side garden path.
"Bless h
is heart, he's a regular little duck!" cried Grandma, givinghim a tremendous hug.
That is the way grandmothers are, you know, whether they live acrossthe street from you and see you every day, or whether they live milesaway and come to visit you Christmas and summer times. A grandmother isalways glad to see you.
Grandmother Hastings was short and plumpy and her white hair was curlyand her eyes were blue. She had pink cheeks and wore a blue dress and awhite apron with a frilly bib, and altogether, Brother thoughtprivately, she looked very nice indeed.
"I'm very glad to get that pattern," she told him, patting the longleaves of the fern and spreading them out to catch the rain. "I've amagazine you can take back to Mother, dearie, and an old fashion bookSister will like for paper dolls. Come into the sitting-room while Ifind them for you. Take off your rubbers, child."
Brother followed her into the house and there Aunt Kate swooped uponhim and tickled him as she always did. Aunt Kate was a school teacher.In summer she tutored backward pupils. She was on her way to give alesson now and in a few minutes she went away merrily into the drivingrain. That left Grandmother and Brother to entertain each other.
"Do you know what Ralph is going to give me for a birthday present,Grandmother?" Brother asked, dropping flat on his stomach to playjungle with the tigerskin that lay before the fireplace. "He says ifI'm not tall enough I can't have it. But he's bought it all ready--hesaid so."
Brother, you see, would be six years old in a few days. He couldn'thelp thinking a great deal about his birthday.
Grandmother and Brother had no secrets from each other, thoughsometimes they planned surprises for the other members of the family.
"No, I don't know what Ralph plans to give you," admitted Grandmother."Don't try to find out, dearie. It is much nicer to be surprised. Why,you know you wouldn't have a bit of fun next Wednesday if you knew whatyour presents were to be."
Brother was willing to be surprised, because Wednesday wasn't so longto wait. Still he thought he would like to know what Ralph's presentwas. Ralph was his dearest brother, and he had a happy knack of alwaysgiving Brother and Sister exactly what they wanted. Louise and Gracewere apt to make them presents which were useful, like pretty socks andhair-ribbons for Sister, and gloves and handkerchiefs for Brother, butRalph never did anything like that.
"I've dropped a stitch in my knitting," said Grandmother suddenly."Brother, I wonder if you could run upstairs and bring me my glasses? Ithink they are on the bureau in my room."
Brother ran upstairs and went into Grandmother's pretty bedroom. Therewere white and silver things on her bureau and a little gold jewel boxand several bottles of different colors. But, though Brother lookedcarefully, he could not find the glasses.
He went out into the hall.
"Oh, Grandma!" he called. "Your glasses aren't on the bureau."
"Dear, dear," sighed Grandmother. "'Let me see, where can they be? Doyou know, Brother, I'm afraid I have left them in my black silk bag onthe closet shelf. Can you get it, or shall I come up?"
"I can get it," answered Brother confidently. "You wait, Grandma."
The closet shelf was pretty high, but Brother carried a chair to thecloset door and by standing on it he was able to reach the shelf.Goodness, what was more, he could see the things on the shelf.
And they were bundles!
One--two--three--Brother counted three mysterious paper bundles, tiedwith brown string.
Now you know if you had a birthday due most any minute and your headwas full of the presents you hoped to receive, and you saw threebundles on the shelf in your grandma's closet, you know you wouldprobably do just what Brother did; poke your finger into the topbundle. Brother poked. Then he prodded. The top bundle slipped andcarried the other two with it. Brother was brushed off the chair andthree bundles and one boy landed in a heap on the floor.
"Brother!" cried Grandma, who had come up to see what kept him so long."Are you hurt?"
"No'm," answered Brother, rather foolishly. "I was just feeling thesebundles, Grandma, to see--to--see----"
"Whether they were birthday presents?" smiled Grandma. "Well, dearie,they are nothing but blankets tied up to send to the cleaners. I'mglad, for your sake, they were, for you might have hurt yourself,otherwise, as it is, they were soft and thick for you to fall on."
"I'll get the glasses now," murmured Brother hastily.
He climbed up on the chair again and this time found without anytrouble the black bag which held Grandma's glasses.
"Mother is waving a handkerchief--that means she wants you," saidGrandmother, glancing from the window. "Scoot along, dear, and don'tthink too much about the birthday till it comes. Here are themagazines. And here's a drop-cake for you."
Brother paddled down the steps, went halfway to the front hedge, andthen turned.
"Oh, Grandma!" he shouted. "Do you know what I think Ralph is going togive me? I think it's a tool-chest!"
CHAPTER III
SISTER IN MISCHIEF
"I hope it's like this to-morrow!"
Brother stood on the front porch, flattening his nose against thescreen door and sniffing the fragrant June sunshine.
Ever since his unsuccessful attempt to find out from Grandma Hastingswhat Ralph's present was to be, it had rained. That was three days ago,so you may be sure the whole Morrison family were very glad to see thesun again. Especially as the very next day was Brother's birthday.
"Brother, I'm going down town to buy the favors for your party,"announced Louise, who sat in the porch hammock crocheting a sweater."Wouldn't you like to go with me?"
Brother thought he would.
"Take me?" begged Sister, falling over the small broom she carried, inher eagerness to be one of the party. "It's my turn, Louise, honestlyit is."
"Well, you see, I can't very well take you both," explained Louisekindly. "Mrs. Adams is going to call for me with her car, and itwouldn't be polite to ask her to take two children; and as it isBrother's birthday, he ought to be the one to go--don't you think so?"
Sister nodded, though her lower lip trembled suspiciously. And whenMrs. Adams drove her shiny automobile up to the curb, and Louise andBrother were whisked away in it, two big tears rolled down Sister'sround cheeks.
"Why, honey!" Grace, the other twin sister, swinging her tennisracquet, came through the hall and saw the tears. "What you cryingfor?" she asked. "Everyone gone and left you? I'll tell you what todo--you go out in the kitchen and take a peep at what is on the tableand you won't feel like crying another moment."
"What is it?" asked Sister cautiously.
She wasn't going to stop crying and then find out she had been cheated.
"You go look," answered Grace mysteriously.
So sister started for the kitchen and Grace ran off to her game oftennis with Jimmie.
The kitchen was in perfect order and very quiet. Molly was upstairsmaking the beds, and Mother Morrison was planning the party withGrandmother Hastings.
"Oh!" said Sister softly as she saw what was on the table. "Oh, my!"
For right in the center of the white-topped table, on a large pinkplate, perched Brother's birthday cake! It was a beautiful cake,perfectly round and very smooth and brown.
"But the icing!" said Sister aloud. "There's no ICING! I s'pose Mollydidn't have time."
If Sister had stopped to think, she would have remembered that all thebirthday cakes Molly made--and she made seven every year for theMorrisons, and one for Grandmother Hastings--were always iced with pinkor white or chocolate icing.
But, you see, she didn't stop to think, and when she discovered a bowlof lovely creamy white stuff on the small table between the windows,this small girl decided that she would ice the cake and save Molly thetrouble.
There was a little film of water over the top of the bowl, but Sistertook a wooden spoon and stirred it carefully, and the water mixednicely with the white stuff, so that she had a bowl filled with thesmoothest, whitest "icing" any cook could ask for.
; "I'll get a silver knife to spread it with," said Sister, who had oftenwatched Molly, and knew what to do.
She brought the knife from the dining-room and had just put one broadstreak of white across the top of the cake when Molly came down theback stairs and saw her.
"Sister!" cried Molly. "What are you doing with my cold starch?"
"I'm icing the cake," answered Sister calmly. "You forgot it, I guess."
Poor Molly grabbed the bowl from Sister's hands.
"Can't I leave the kitchen one minute that you don't get intomischief?" she scolded. "This isn't ICING--it's STARCH for Mr. Jimmie'scollars. I'm going to make a beautiful chocolate icing for the cakethis afternoon and write Brother's name on it in white frosting."
"Oh!" said Sister meekly.
"Go on upstairs, do," Molly urged her. "I've my hands full todaygetting ready for the party; can't you find something nice to doupstairs?"
Thus sped on her way, Sister reluctantly mounted the stairs to thesecond floor.
"I could play jacks with Nellie Yarrow," she said to herself. "Onlyshe's lost her jackstones and I can't find mine. What's that on Dick'sbureau?"
Ralph and Jimmie roomed together, but Dick had a room of his own, andthough Sister was strictly forbidden to meddle with his things, theyhad a great attraction for her. She could just see the top of Dick'schiffonier from the floor and now she dragged a chair up to it andclimbed up to see what the shining thing was that had caught her eye.
It was a gold collar button, and Dick, she found, had a box of pearland gold buttons that Sister was sure she had never seen before. Sheplayed with them, tossing them up and down and watching them glitter,until a sudden thought struck her.