The Bobbsey Twins in the Country Read online

  CHAPTER XIX

  SEWING SCHOOL

  "Let's get Mabel and all the others," said Nan to Mildred. "We ought totake at least six gingham aprons and three nightgowns over to the camp."

  Aunt Sarah had turned a big long attic room into a sewing school whereNan and Mildred had full charge. Flossie was to look after the spoolsof thread, keeping them from tangling up, and the girls agreed to letFreddie cut paper patterns.

  This was not a play sewing school but a real one, for Aunt Sarah andMrs. Bobbsey were to do the operating or machine sewing, while thegirls were to sew on tapes, buttons, overhand seams, and do all that.

  Mildred and Nan invited Mabel, Nettie, Marie Brenn (she was visitingthe Herolds), Bessie, and Anna Thomas, a big girl who lived overLakeside way.

  "Be sure to bring your thimbles and needles," Nan told them. "And comeat two o'clock this afternoon."

  Every girl came--even Nettie, who was always so busy at home.

  Mrs. Bobbsey sat at the machine ready to do stitching while Aunt Sarahwas busy "cutting out" on a long table in front of the low window.

  "Now, young ladies," said Mrs. Bobbsey, "we have ready some bluegingham aprons. You see how they are cut out; two seams, one at eachside, then they are to be closed down the back. There will be a pair ofstrings on each apron, and you may begin by pressing down a narrow hemon these strings. We will not need to baste them, just press them downwith the finger this way."

  Mrs. Bobbsey then took up a pair of the sashes and turned in the edges.Immediately the girls followed her instructions, and very soon all ofthe strings were ready for the machine.

  Nan handed them to her mother, and then Aunt Sarah gave out the work.

  "Now these are the sleeves," said Aunt Sarah, "and they must each havelittle gathers brought in at the elbow here between these notches. Nextyou place the sleeve together notch to notch, and they can be stitchedwithout basting."

  "Isn't it lively to work this way?" said Mildred. "It isn't a bit oftrouble, and see how quickly we get done."

  "Many hands make light work," replied Mrs. Bobbsey. "I guess we willget all the aprons finished this afternoon."

  Piece by piece the various parts of the garments were given out, untilthere remained nothing more to do than to put on buttons and workbuttonholes, and overhand the arm holes.

  "I'll cut the buttonholes," said Mrs. Bobbsey, "then Nan and Mildredmay work the buttonholes by sticking a pin through each hole. The othergirls may then sew the buttons on."

  It was wonderful how quickly those little pearl buttons went down thebacks of the aprons.

  "I believe I could make an apron all alone now," said Nan, "if it wascut out."

  "So could I," declared Mildred. "It isn't hard at all."

  "Well, here's my patterns," spoke up Freddie, who with Flossie had beenbusy over in the corner cutting "ladies" out of a fashion paper.

  "No, they're paper dolls," said Flossie, who was standing them all upin a row, "and we are going to give them to the fresh-air children toplay with on rainy days."

  It was only half-past four when Nan rang the bell to dismiss the sewingschool.

  "We have had such a lovely time," said Mabel, "we would like to havesewing to do every week."

  "Well, you are welcome to come," said Aunt Sarah. "We will make nightdresses for the poor little ones next week, then after that you mightall bring your own work, mending, fancywork or tidies, whatever youhave to do."

  "And we might each pay five cents to sew for the fresh-air children,"suggested Mildred.

  "Yes, all charity sewing classes have a fund," Mrs. Bobbsey remarked."That would be a good idea."

  "Now let us fold up the aprons," said Nan. "Don't they look pretty?"

  And indeed the half-dozen blue-and-white ginghams did look very nice,for they were carefully made and all smooth and even.

  "When can we iron them out?" asked Flossie, anxious to deliver thegifts to the needy little ones.

  "To-morrow afternoon," replied her mother. "The boys are going to pickvegetables in the morning, and we will drive over in the afternoon."

  Uncle Daniel had given the boys permission to pick all the butter-beansand string-beans that were ripe, besides three dozen ears of thechoicest corn, called "Country Gentleman."

  "Children can only eat very tender corn," said Uncle Daniel, "and asthat is sweet and milky they will have no trouble digesting it."

  Harry looked over every ear of the green corn by pulling the husks downand any that seemed a bit overripe he discarded.

  "We will have to take the long wagon," said Bert, as they began tocount up the baskets. There were two of beans, three of corn, one oflettuce, two of sweet apples, besides five bunches of Freddie'sradishes.

  "Be sure to bring Sandy back with you," called Freddie, who did not goto the camp this time. "Tell him I'll let him be my twin brother."

  Nan and Aunt Sarah went with the boys, but how disappointed they wereto find a strange matron in charge of the camp, and Sandy's eyes redfrom crying after Mrs. Manily.

  "Oh, I knowed you would come to take me to Freddie," cried he, "'causemy other mamma is gone too, and I'm all alone."

  "Mrs. Manily was called away by sickness in her family," explained thenew matron, "and I cannot do anything with this little boy."

  "He was so fond of Mrs. Manily," said Aunt Sarah, "and besides heremembers how lonely he was when his own mother went away. Maybe wecould bring him over to our house for a few days."

  "Yes, Mrs. Manily spoke of that," said the matron, "and she hadreceived permission from the Society to let Edward pay a visit to Mrs.Daniel Bobbsey. See, here is the card."

  "Oh, that will be lovely!" cried Nan, hugging Sandy as tight as herarms could squeeze.

  "Freddie told us to be sure to bring you back with us."

  "I am so glad to get these things," the matron said to Aunt Sarah, asshe took the aprons, "for everybody has been upset with Mrs. Manilyhaving to leave so suddenly. The aprons are lovely. Did the littlegirls make them?"

  Aunt Sarah told her about the sewing school, and then she said she wasgoing to have a little account printed about it in the year's report ofgood work done for the Aid Society.

  "And Mrs. Manily has written an account of your circus," the matrontold Harry and Bert, for she had heard about the boys and theirsuccessful charity work.

  Some of the girls who knew Nan came up now and told her how Nellie, thelittle cash-girl, had been taken sick and had had to be removed to thehospital tent over in the other mountain.

  This was sad news to Nan, for she loved the little cash-girl, and hopedto see her and perhaps have her pay a visit to Aunt Sarah's.

  "Is she very sick?" Aunt Sarah asked the matron.

  "Yes indeed," the other replied. "But the doctor will soon cure her, Ithink."

  "The child is too young to work so hard," Aunt Sarah declared. "It isno wonder her health breaks down at the slightest cause, when she hasno strength laid away to fight sickness."

  By this time a big girl had washed and dressed Sandy, and now what apretty boy he was! He wore a blue-and-white-striped linen suit and hada jaunty little white cap just like Freddie's.

  He was so anxious to go that he jumped in the wagon before the otherswere ready to start.

  "Get app, Bill!" he called, grabbing at the reins, and off the oldhorse started with no one in the wagon but Sandy!

  Sandy had given the reins such a jerk that Bill started to run, and themore the little boy tried to stop him the harder he went!

  "Don't slap him with the reins!" called Harry, who was now running downthe hill as hard as he could after the wagon. "Pull on the reins!" hecalled again.

  But Sandy was so excited he kept slapping the straps up and down onpoor Bill, which to the horse, of course, meant to go faster.

  "He'll drive in the brook," called Bert in alarm also rushing after therunaway. "Whoa, Bill! whoa, Bill!" called everybody, the children fromthe camp having now joined in following the wagon.

  The b
rook was directly in front of Sandy.

  "Quick, Harry!" yelled Bert. "You'll get him in a minute."

  It was no easy matter, however, to overtake Sandy, for the horse hadbeen on a run from the start. But Sandy kept his seat well, and evenseemed to think it good fun now to have everybody running after him andno one able to catch him.

  "Oh, I'm so afraid he'll go in the pond!" Nan told Aunt Sarah almost intears.

  "Bill would sit down first," declared Aunt Sarah, who knew her horse tobe an intelligent animal.

  "Oh! oh! oh!" screamed everybody, for the horse had crossed from theroad into the little field that lay next the water.

  "Whoa, Bill!" shouted Aunt Sarah at the top of her voice, and instantlythe horse stood still.

  The next minute both Bert and Harry were in the wagon beside Sandy.

  "Can't I drive?" asked the little fellow innocently, while Harry wasbacking out of the swamp.

  "You certainly made Bill go," Harry admitted, all out of breath fromrunning.

  "And you gave us a good run too," added Bert, who was red in the facefrom his violent exercise.

  "Bill knew ma meant it when she said whoa!" Harry remarked to Bert. "Itell you, he stopped just in time, for a few feet further would havesunk horse, wagon, and all in the swamp."

  Of course it was all an accident, for Sandy had no idea of starting thehorse off, so no one blamed him when they got back to the road.

  "We'll all get in this time," laughed Aunt Sarah to the matron. "AndI'll send the boys over Sunday to let you know how Sandy is."

  "Oh, he will be all right with Freddie!" Bert said, patting the littlestranger on the shoulders. "We will take good care of him."

  It was a pleasant ride back to the Bobbsey farm, and all enjoyedit--especially Sandy, who had gotten the idea he was a first-classdriver and knew all about horses, old Bill, in particular.

  "Hurrah! hurrah!" shouted Freddie, when the wagon turned in the drive."I knowed you would come, Sandy!" and the next minute the two littleboys were hand in hand running up to the barn to see Frisky, Snoop, thechickens, ducks, pigeons, and everything at once.

  Sandy was a little city boy and knew nothing about real live countrylife, so that everything seemed quite wonderful to him, especially thechickens and ducks. He was rather afraid of anything as big as Frisky.

  Snoop and Fluffy were put through their circus tricks for thestranger's benefit, and then Freddie let Sandy turn on his trapeze upunder the apple tree and showed him all the different kinds of turnsBert and Harry had taught the younger twin how to perform on the swing.

  "How long can you stay?" Freddie asked his little friend, while theywere swinging.

  "I don't know," Sandy replied vaguely.

  "Maybe you could go to the seashore with us," Freddie ventured. "We areonly going to stay in the country this month."

  "Maybe I could go," lisped Sandy, "'cause nobody ain't got charge of menow. Mrs. Manily has gone away, you know, and I don't b'lieve in theother lady, do you?"

  Freddie did not quite understand this but he said "no" just to agreewith Sandy.

  "And you know the big girl, Nellie, who always curled my hair withoutpulling it,--she's gone away too, so maybe I'm your brother now," wenton the little orphan.

  "Course you are!" spoke up Freddie manfully, throwing his arms aroundthe other, "You're my twin brother too, 'cause that's the realest kind.We are all twins, you know--Nan and Bert, and Flossie and me and you!"

  By this time the other Bobbseys had come out to welcome Sandy. Theythought it best to let Freddie entertain him at first, so that he wouldnot be strange, but now Uncle Daniel just took the little fellow up inhis arms and into his heart, for all good men love boys, especiallywhen they are such real little men as Sandy and Freddie happened to be.

  "He's my twin brother, Uncle Daniel," Freddie insisted. "Don't youthink he's just like me curls and all?"

  "He is certainly a fine little chap!" the uncle replied, meaning everyword of it, "and he is quite some like you too. Now let us feed thechickens. See how they are around us expecting something to eat?"

  The fowls were almost ready to eat the pearl buttons off Sandy's coat,so eager were they for their meal, and it was great fun for the twolittle boys to toss the corn to them.

  "Granny will eat from your hand," exclaimed Uncle Daniel, "You see, sheis just like granite-gray stone, but we call her Granny for short."

  The Plymouth Rock hen came up to Sandy, and much to his delight ate thecorn out of his little white hand.

  "Oh, she's a pretty chicken!" he said, stroking Granny as he would akitten. "I dust love chitens," he added, sitting right down on thesandy ground to let Granny come up on his lap. There was so much to seein the poultry yard that Sandy, Freddie, and Uncle Daniel lingeredthere until Martha appeared at the back door and rang the big dinnerbell in a way that meant, "Hurry up! something will get cold if youdon't."

  And the something proved to be chicken pot-pie with dumplings thateverybody loves. And after that there came apple pudding with hardsauce, just full of sugar.

  "Is it a party?" Sandy whispered to Freddie, for he was not accustomedto more than bread and milk at his evening meal.

  "Yes, I guess so," ventured Freddie; "it's because you came," and thenDinah brought in little play cups of chocolate with jumbles on theside, and Mrs. Bobbsey said that would be better than the pudding forFreddie and Sandy.

  "I guess I'll just live here," solemnly said the little stranger, as ifhis decision in such a matter should not be questioned.

  "I guess you better!" Freddie agreed, "'cause it's nicer than overthere, isn't it?"

  "Lots," replied Sandy, "only maybe Mrs. Manily will cry for me," and helooked sad as his big blue eyes turned around and blinked to keep backsome tears. "I dust love Mrs. Manily, Freddie; don't you?" he askedwistfully.

  Then Harry and Bert jumped up to start the phonograph, and that waslike a band wagon to the little fellows, who liked to hear the populartunes called off by the funny man in the big bright horn.