“All right!” answered Freddie. “Oh, look, I’ve got a wind-up steamboat, too. Oh! let me down so I can look at it, Nan! Now please do!”
Nan saw a pile of her own gifts, so she set Freddie down for a moment, intending to carry him up stairs a little later. She had wrapped a robe about Flossie, who was contentedly playing with her newest doll, and looking at her other presents. Santa Claus had been kind to the Bobbsey twins that Christmas.
Bert, big boy though he thought himself getting to be, could no longer resist the temptation to come down in his bath robe to see what he had received, and a little later fat Dinah, roused earlier than usual by the joyous shouts of the children, came lumbering in.
“Oh, Dinah! Dinah! Look what you got!” cried Flossie. “Your things are all here on this chair,” and the little girl led the fat cook over toward it.
“Things fo’ me? What yo’-all talkin’ ’bout chile? Ole Dinah don’t git no Christmas!” protested the jolly colored woman, laughing so that she shook all over.
“Yes, you do get a Christmas, Dinah. Look here!” and Flossie showed where there were some useful presents for the cook,—large aprons, warm shoes, an umbrella, and a bright shawl that Dinah had been wanting for a long time.
“What? All dem fo’ me?” asked the surprised cook. “Good land a’ massy! I guess ole Santa Claus done gone an’ made a beef-steak this time, suah!”
“No, there’s no mistake! See, they’ve got your name on!” insisted Flossie. “See, Dinah!” and she led the cook over to the chair where the presents were piled. There was no doubt of it, they were for Dinah, and near them was another chair containing gifts for her husband, Sam. He would not be in until later, however. But Dinah saw a pair of rubber boots that would be very useful in the deep snow, and there were other fine presents for Sam.
Bert and Nan were now looking at their things, and Mr. and Mrs. Bobbsey could be heard moving around upstairs, having decided that it was useless to lie abed longer now that the children were up.
“Come, come, Flossie and Freddie!” called Mrs. Bobbsey. “You must get dressed and then you can play as much as you like. I don’t want you to get cold. If you do you can’t go to Snow Lodge, remember!”
This was enough to cause the small Bobbseys to scamper upstairs. Flossie carried her doll with her, and Freddie took along his fire engine, for that was the gift he had most wanted, and for which he had begged and pleaded for weeks before Christmas.
Feeling that a little liberty might be allowed on this day, Mrs. Bobbsey did not insist on the younger children dressing completely until after breakfast, so in their warm robes and slippers Flossie and Freddie were soon again examining their toys, discovering new delights every few minutes.
Nan was busy inspecting her camera, while Bert was looking at a new postage stamp album he had long wanted, when from the kitchen where Dinah was getting breakfast came a series of excited cries, mingled with laughter and shouts of:
“Fire! Fire! Fire!”
“Mercy! What’s that?” screamed Mrs. Bobbsey, turning pale.
Mr. Bobbsey made a rush for the kitchen. Nan and Bert, with Flossie, gathered about their mother. Then they heard Dinah calling:
“Stop it, Freddie! Stop it I done tell you! Does yo’-all want me t’ git soaked? An’ yo’-all will suah spoil them pancakes! Oh, now yo’ hab done it! Yo’ squirted right in mah mouf! Oh mah goodness sakes alive!”
Mrs. Bobbsey looked relieved.
“Freddie must be up to some prank,” she said.
“Freddie, stop it!” commanded Mr. Bobbsey, and then he was heard to laugh. The others all went out to the kitchen and there they saw a curious sight.
Freddie, with his new toy fire engine, was pumping water on fat Dinah, who was laughing so heartily that she could do nothing to stop him. Mr. Bobbsey, too, was shouting with mirth, for the hose from the toy engine was rather small, and threw only a thin, fine spray.
“I’m a fireman!” cried Freddie, “and I’m pretending Dinah is on fire. See her red apron—that’s the fire!” and the little fellow turned the crank of his engine harder than ever, throwing the tiny stream of water all over the kitchen.
“That’s enough, Freddie,” said Mr. Bobbsey, when he could stop laughing. Dinah was still shaking with mirth, and Freddie, looking in the tank of the engine, said:
“There’s only a little more water left. Can’t I squirt that?”
Without waiting for permission Freddie made the water spurt from the nozzle of the hose. At that moment the door of the kitchen opened, to let in Sam. With him came Snap, the trick dog, and the tiny stream of water caught Sam full in the face.
“Hello! What am dat?” he demanded in surprise. “Am de house leakin’?”
“It’s my new fire engine!” cried Freddie. “I didn’t mean to wet you, Sam, but I was playing Dinah was on fire!”
“Well, yo’-all didn’t wet me so very much,” replied Sam, with a grin that showed his white teeth. “Dat suah am a fine fire engine!”
Snap sprang about, barking and wagging his tail, and, there being no more water in Freddie’s engine, he had to stop pumping, for which every one was glad.
“You must not do that again,” said Mrs. Bobbsey, when the excitement was over, and laughing Dinah had dried her face, and put on another apron. “You frightened us all, Freddie, and that is not nice, you know.”
“I won’t, Mamma, but I did want to try my fire engine.”
“Then you must do it in the bath room where the water will do no harm. But come now, children, get your breakfast and then you will have the whole day to look at your toys.”
Breakfast was rather a hurried affair, and every now and then Flossie and Freddie would leave the table to see some of their gifts. But finally the meal was over and then came more joyous times. Sam received his presents, and Mr. and Mrs. Bobbsey had time to look at theirs, for Santa Claus had not forgotten them.
“And there’s something for Snap, and for Snoop, too!” exclaimed Freddie. “Snoop has a new ribbon with a silver bell, and Snap a new collar, with his name on,” and soon the cat and dog, newly adorned, were being put through some of their tricks.
If I tried to tell you all that went on in the Bobbsey house that Christmas this book would contain nothing else. So I will only say that the holiday was one of the most delightful the twins ever remembered.
“And then to think, with all this, that we are to go to Snow Lodge! It’s great!” cried Bert.
“I hope I can get some good pictures up there with my camera,” said Nan. “Will you show me how it works, Bert?”
“Yes, and we’ll go out today and try it. I want to see how my new skates go, too. The lake is frozen and we’ll have some fun.”
The day was cold and clear. There had been a little fall of snow during the night, but not enough to spoil the skating, and soon Bert and Nan were on their way to the lake, while Flossie and Freddie, after inspecting all their presents over again, had gone out to play on their sleds.
This gave Dinah and Mrs. Bobbsey time to get ready the big Christmas dinner, with the roast turkey, for Mr. Bobbsey had brought home one of the largest he could find.
While Flossie and Freddie were playing on the hill, a small one near their home, they heard a voice calling to them:
“Want a ride, youngsters?”
Looking up they saw Mr. Carford in his big sled. It was filled with baskets and packages, and the Bobbsey twins guessed rightly that the generous old man was taking around his Christmas contributions to the poor families.
“Yes, we’ll go!” cried Freddie. “What shall we do with our sleds?” asked Flossie.
“Oh, Harry Stone will look after them; won’t you Harry?” asked Freddie, “He can use mine, and his sister Jessie can use yours until we come back, Flossie,” and Freddie turned the coasters over to a poor boy and girl who lived near the Bobbsey home. Harry and his sister were delighted, and promised to take good care of the sleds.
“I won’t take you far�
��only just around town,” said Mr. Carford, as the twins got in his sled. “When are you going up to my Snow Lodge?”
“We’re going soon, I guess,” answered Flossie. “I heard mamma and papa talking about it yesterday.”
“And we’re ever so much obliged to you for letting us have your place,” said Flossie. “Will you come up and see us while we’re there? I’ve got a doll that can talk.”
“And I’m going to take my fire engine along, so if the place gets on fire I can help put it out,” exclaimed Freddie. “Will you come up?”
Mr. Carford started. He looked at the children in a strange sort of way, and then stared at the horses.
“No—no—I guess I won’t go to Snow Lodge any more,” he said slowly, and Flossie and Freddie were sorry they had asked him, for they remembered the story their father had told them about the sorrow that had come to the aged man.
But the children soon forgot this in the joy of helping in the distribution of the good things in the sled, and the happiness brought to many poor families seemed to make up, in a way, for what Mr. Carford had suffered in the trouble over his nephew.
When all the gifts had been given out from the sled, Mr. Carford drove the two younger Bobbsey twins back to the hill where they again had fun coasting.
Meanwhile Nan and Bert were having a good time on the ice. Nan’s camera was used to take a number of pictures, which the children hoped would turn out well.
While Bert was taking a picture of Nan, Charley Mason came skating up, and Bert, whose best chum he was, insisted that Charley get in the picture also.
“My!” exclaimed Charley, as he saw Nan’s camera, “that’s a fine one!”
“I just got it today,” said Nan, with a pleased smile. “I’m going to take a lot of pictures up at Snow Lodge.”
“Snow Lodge,” repeated Charley. “You mean that place Mr. Carford owns?”
“Yes,” replied Bert. “He is going to let us all go up there for three weeks or so.”
“Say, that’s funny,” spoke Charley. “You’ll have some other Lakeport folks near you.”
“Who else is going up to Snow Lodge?” asked Nan.
“Well, they’re not exactly going to Snow Lodge,” replied Charley, “but I heard a while ago that Danny Rugg and his folks were going up to a winter camp near there. Mr. Rugg has bought a lumber tract in the woods, and he’s going to see about having some of the trees cut. Danny is going, too. So you’ll have him for a neighbor.”
“Oh, dear!” exclaimed Nan, in dismay. “That spoils everything!”
“Well, if Danny tries any of his tricks I’ll get after him!” exclaimed Bert, firmly. But he looked anxious over the unwelcome news Charley had brought.
CHAPTER XI
Making Plans
“Are you sure this is so—is Danny Rugg really going up to the woods near Snow Lodge?” asked Bert of Charley, after a pause.
“That’s what Frank Smith told me,” replied Charley, “and you know Frank and Danny are great chums.”
“That’s so. Well, if Danny doesn’t bother us we won’t make any trouble for him,” said Bert. “Still, I’d rather he would go somewhere else.”
“If Mr. Rugg is going up to see about having lumber cut,” said Nan, “I guess there won’t be much fun for Danny. Maybe he won’t bother us at all.”
“He will if he gets a chance,” declared her brother. “Danny’s just that kind. But we’ll wait and see.”
Bert, Nan and Charley talked for some time longer about the trip to Snow Lodge, and then, as it was getting nearly time for dinner, they skated down the lake toward their homes.
“How are you folks going up to the lodge?” asked Charley, before parting from Bert and Nan.
“Oh, I guess father will take one of his big lumber sleds and drive us all up,” replied Bert. “We’ll have to take along lots of things to eat, for it’s a good ways to the store, and we might get snowed in.”
“That’s right,” said Charley. “But say, why don’t you and Freddie go up in our ice-boat, the Ice Bird? It isn’t much of a run to Snow Lodge, on the lake, and it’s good going now.”
“I never thought of that!” exclaimed Bert. “I wonder if father would let us?”
“You can ask him,” said Nan. “I’d like to skate up, if it wasn’t so far. But I don’t believe it would be safe to take Freddie on the ice-boat, Bert. He’s so little, and so easily excited that he might tumble out.”
“That’s right. And yet it will be no fun to sail it alone. I wish you could go with me, Charley.”
“I wish I could, but I don’t see how I can. My folks are going to my grandmother’s for a couple of weeks. Otherwise I’d be glad to go.”
“Well, maybe my father will sail in the ice-boat with me,” spoke Bert. “I guess I’ll ask him.”
Bert and Nan had much to talk about as they skated on, having bidden Charley good-bye, and their conversation was mostly about the new idea of getting to Snow Lodge on the ice.
“I don’t want to skate alone, any more than you want to go in the ice-boat alone,” said Nan. “But maybe mamma and papa will let us invite some of our friends to spend a week or so at Snow Lodge with us. Then it would be all right.”
“It surely would,” said Bert.
The Christmas dinner at the Bobbsey home was a jolly affair, and while it was being eaten Bert spoke to his father about the ice-boat.
“Do you think it will carry you to the upper end of the lake?” asked Mr. Bobbsey with a smile, for Bert and Charley had made the boat themselves, with a little help. Though it was a home-made affair, Bert was as proud of it as though a large sum had been spent for it.
“Of course it will carry us to Snow Lodge,” he said. “There would be room for four or five on it, if the wind was strong enough to carry us to the head of the lake. But I don’t want to go alone, Father. Could you come?”
“I’m afraid not,” laughed Mr. Bobbsey. “I’ll have to go in the big sled with your mother, and the provisions. We’re going to take Dinah and Sam along, you know. Can’t you ask some of your boy friends? I guess there’s room enough at the Lodge.”
“That’s just what I’ll do!” exclaimed Bert “I’ll see who of the boys can go.”
“And may I ask Grace Lavine or Nellie Parks?” inquired Nan. “We could skate up, or go part way in the ice-boat with the boys.”
“I think so,” said Mrs. Bobbsey.
“I know who you could take on the ice-boat,” said Freddie, passing his plate for more turkey.
“Who?” asked Bert.
“Dinah!” cried the little fellow. “She would be so heavy that she couldn’t roll off, and if the ice-boat started to blow away she’d be as good as an anchor.”
“That’s right!” cried Nan. “Dinah, did you hear what Freddie is planning for you?” she asked as the fat cook came in with the plum pudding.
“I ‘clar t’ goodness I neber knows what dat ar’ chile will be up to next!” exclaimed Dinah with a laugh. “But if he am plannin’ to squirt any mo’ fire injun water on me I’s gwine t’ run away, dat’s what I is!”
They all laughed at this, Dinah joining in, and then Freddie explained what he had said.
“No, sah! Yo’ don’t cotch me on no ice-cream boat!” declared Dinah. “I’ll go in a sled, but I ain’t gwine t’ fall down no hole in de ice and be bit by a fish! No, sah!”
There was more laughter, and then the plum pudding was served. Freddie begged that Snoop and Snap be given an extra good dinner, on account of it being Christmas, and Dinah promised to see to this.
Mr. and Mrs. Bobbsey discussed the plans for going to Snow Lodge. They agreed that Bert and Nan, if they wished, might each ask a friend, for the old farmhouse in the woods on the edge of the lake contained many rooms. It was completely furnished, all that was needed being food.
“So if you young folks want to skate or ice-boat up the lake I see no objection,” said Mr. Bobbsey. “The rest of us will go in a big sled.”
&n
bsp; “Couldn’t I go in the ice-boat?” asked Freddie. “I’m getting big. I’m almost in the first reader book.”
“We’re going so fast your fire engine might be lost overboard,” said Bert with a smile, and that was enough for his little brother. He didn’t want that to happen for the world, so he gave up the plan of going on the Ice Bird.
“I don’t like the idea of that Danny Rugg going to be near us,” said Mrs. Bobbsey to her husband, when Bert had told this news. “He’s sure to make trouble.”
“Perhaps not,” said Mr. Bobbsey. “Bert generally manages to hold his own when Danny bothers him.”
“Yes, I know. But it always makes hard feelings. I do wish Danny wasn’t going up there.”
“Well, the woods are open, and we can’t stop him,” said Mr. Bobbsey, with a smile. The children had gone out to play, and the house was quiet once more.
“There is a great deal to do to get ready,” went on Mrs. Bobbsey. “But I think the trip will do us all good. I only hope none of us take cold.”
“Don’t worry,” advised her husband. “I’ll see Mr. Carford, and have the fires made up a couple of days before we arrive. That will make the house good and warm, and dry it out.”
They talked over the various things they had to do in order to make their stay at Snow Lodge pleasant, and then went out to call on some friends.
That afternoon Bert and Nan extended the invitation to Snow Lodge to a number of their boy and girl friends, explaining how they were going to make the trip on skates or on the ice-boat.
But one after another declined. Either their parents had made other plans for spending the Christmas holidays, or they did not think it wise to let their children go off in the woods.
Bert asked a number of boys he knew, but none of them could go, and Grace Lavine, Nellie Parks, and many other girls to whom Nan spoke, made excuses.
“I guess we’ll have to give up the ice-boat plan,” said Bert, regretfully that night to Nan. “No one seems able to go. Will you risk it with me, Nan?”
“I wouldn’t be afraid,” she answered. “If mamma and papa will let me I’ll sail in the Ice Bird with you.”
The Bobbsey Twins Megapack Page 51