The Bobbsey Twins' Adventure in the Country Read online

  But when they reached the barn again there was no sign of the little calf. Sadly the children returned to the house and reported their failure to find Frisky.

  “Never mind, Freddie,” Uncle Daniel said kindly. “I know where I can get another calf.”

  “But it won’t be Frisky!” Freddie objected.

  Aunt Sarah attempted to get Freddie’s mind off the lost calf by mentioning the auction to which they were going the next day. “You’ll like it,” she said.

  “Will the man who talks real fast be there?” Flossie asked.

  Aunt Sarah smiled. “Yes indeed.”

  “What is the special thing you want us to see, Aunt Sarah?” Nan asked.

  “You’ll have to wait and find out,” her aunt replied mysteriously.

  “Do you know what it is, Mommy?” Flossie asked.

  Mrs. Bobbsey laughed. “I have a good idea,” she said teasingly. “But I’m not going to tell, so there’s no use coaxing!”

  But still Freddie did not smile. Bert looked anxiously at Harry who responded by standing up. “Come on, Freddie,” he urged. “Let’s you and Bert and I walk down to the Holden farm. It’s not far and my friend Tom has a younger brother just about your age. His name is Roy.”

  Freddie looked a little happier. “Okay,” he agreed. “We can look for Frisky on the way.”

  After the boys had left and the grownups had gone out for a stroll around the farm, Nan sighed. “I wish we could think of something to cheer up Freddie,” she said to her sister.

  Flossie thought a minute then suggested that they ask Dinah. “Maybe she will know what to do.”

  The two girls ran to the kitchen where Dinah and Martha were seated at the table shelling peas. Nan and Flossie explained how sad Freddie was about the loss of Frisky.

  “We might cheer him up with some homemade ice cream,” Dinah suggested.

  “You mean we’ll make it?” Nan asked.

  “Yes. I’ll show you how. All right, Martha?”

  Martha nodded. “There’s just about time before supper. Better make it out on the back porch. We’ll be busy in here.”

  Dinah set out the cream, eggs, and sugar on a table on the shady porch. “You can mix it in this,” she directed, bringing out a large yellow bowl. “I’ll fix the freezer for you.”

  Carefully Nan mixed the cream and eggs. Then Flossie had an idea. “Let’s make this extraspecial ice cream,” she proposed. “Let’s put in some strawberries !”

  “I thought we were going to make chocolate,” Nan said. “Dinah is getting it ready now.”

  “I know,” Flossie said with a giggle, “but if we put in strawberries too, it’ll be even more special!”

  Nan agreed, though a little doubtfully, and the two girls ran out to the strawberry patch.

  When Dinah came out onto the porch with the chocolate syrup she was surprised to find Nan and Flossie gone. “I’ll just see how it tastes,” she told herself, and picked up a spoon. She dipped it into the creamy mixture.

  “They’ve forgotten the sugar.” She chuckled. “I’ll fix it and they won’t know the difference.” She added the correct amount of sugar and went back into the kitchen.

  In a few minutes Nan and Flossie returned from their errand. “Let’s wash the berries in this water,” Flossie proposed, pointing to an outside tap. “Then the ice cream will be a s’prise to Dinah too!”

  This was quickly done, and the girls walked up onto the porch. As they did so, Flossie spied her ballerina doll on the floor.

  “Oh dear!” she cried. “Bessie must have fallen out when Bert and Harry took in the suitcases!” She picked up the doll and examined her. ”She’s sort of mussed up,” Flossie observed, ”but I think she’ll be all right.”

  In the meantime, Nan had added the sugar she had not put in before, the chocolate syrup, and the strawberries to the ice-cream mixture. Now she went into the kitchen to report to Dinah that they were ready for the freezer.

  Flossie, with Bessie clutched in her arms, peered in the bowl. “Freddie likes it nice and sweet,” she thought. “I’ll just put in some more sugar.” With that she picked up the sugar dish and dumped a generous amount into the ice cream.

  Dinah came out with the freezer. “I’ve put the ice and salt around the can,” she explained. “Just pour the ice cream into the can, put on the lid, and keep turning the crank. I have to get back now to the kitchen. I’ve got a cake in the oven.”

  Nan and Flossie took turns grinding the freezer crank and after a while it became hard to do. Dinah came to look. She said the mixture had thickened and pronounced the ice cream finished.

  “Come and get ready for supper,” Aunt Sarah called. “The boys are back and they’re hungry!”

  “Did they find Frisky?” Nan asked.

  “Unfortunately, no.”

  Tears came to Flossie’s eyes. “I hope Frisky finds a nice barn to stay in tonight.”

  Later when all the Bobbseys were at the table the twins’ mother asked, “What did you girls do when the boys went to the Holden farm?”

  Flossie looked at Nan and winked. “You’ll find out pretty soon,” she said. “Nan and I made a s’prise for everybody!”

  “A coat for our rooster?” Harry teased.

  “You can’t eat that,” said Flossie, giggling.

  “I know,” Bert spoke up. “An apple-tree pie.”

  Freddie, although he still felt sad when he thought about the missing Frisky, said, “Flossie and Nan made something with strawberries.”

  The girls looked at each other. How close Freddie had come to guessing their secret!

  When the delicious dinner of country ham and candied sweet potatoes had been eaten, Martha brought in a large glass bowl and put it in front of Aunt Sarah.

  “This is the s’prise!” Flossie explained.

  “Ice cream!” Freddie cried. “Oh, boy! You made it?”

  Aunt Sarah served the dessert. She took a spoonful and an odd look came over her face. “It’s—er—quite good,” she murmured.

  Next Nan tasted her dessert. She put down her spoon. “Goodness!” she said, “this is too sweet!” She looked at her sister. “Did you put sugar in the ice cream, Flossie?”

  “Why yes. I thought it needed some more.”

  Suddenly Dinah, who was bringing in the cake, burst out, “Dear me! Sugar! I put some in, too!”

  Bert grinned. “New flavor, folks. Chocolate-strawberry-sugar ice cream.”

  At that moment Uncle Daniel looked at something on his spoon. “And what’s this?” he exclaimed.

  Flossie leaned over to see, then burst into giggles. “It’s Bessie’s dancing slipper!” she gasped. “It must have slipped off when I was putting in the sugar!”

  “Ho, ho!” Bert cried. “That’s better yet. Chocolate-strawberry-sugar-dancing-slipper ice cream!”

  This was too much for the whole Bobbsey family and Dinah. They burst into laughter. Martha came in to see what the fun was about. She too chuckled when she saw what Uncle Daniel had found in the dessert.

  Dinner ended with everyone in high spirits. But presently Freddie became solemn again. “Can’t we do something more about finding Frisky?” he asked Uncle Daniel, who was in the living room.

  “Don’t worry, Freddie. I believe the little calf can take care of herself. She’ll probably find a new home.”

  This gave Freddie an idea. Flossie had mentioned that Frisky might go to another barn. “Uncle Daniel,” he said, “could we phone to all the neighbors and ask them if the calf is visiting their cows?”

  Uncle Daniel put an arm around his little nephew. “That’s a good idea, Freddie,” and he called upstairs, “Harry, come down here and do some phoning for your cousin.”

  When Harry arrived, Freddie explained the plan. At once Harry put in calls to all the farmhouses within a radius of three miles. None of the owners had seen Frisky but they promised to look for him.

  Freddie waited anxiously for word, but bedtime came and still no one had c
alled. Sadly, Freddie went upstairs and undressed.

  “Maybe there’ll be good news in the morning,” his mother told him, as she kissed her small son goodnight.

  Snoop was put into a padded box in the kitchen, and presently everyone went to bed.

  It seemed to Freddie that he had been asleep for a long time when he was awakened by pounding on the front door. He heard Uncle Daniel go downstairs to answer it, then exclaim, “You found her!” It sounded as if someone was talking about Frisky!

  Freddie jumped out of bed excitedly and ran to the top of the stairs. A strange man was speaking to Uncle Daniel.

  “You didn’t phone me, but my wife happened to be talking to Mrs. Holden, and she told her about your lost calf.”

  Freddie raced down the stairs.

  “I went into the barn,” the stranger continued, “and there was this strange calf. Is it yours?”

  By now Freddie could see a truck with a calf standing in it. He dashed outside and pulled himself up onto the truck.

  “Frisky!” he yelled. “You’re back!”

  “That’s Frisky all right,” Uncle Daniel replied. “Thanks for returning her. Freddie, this is Mr. Peter Burns, one of our neighbors.”

  Freddie leaned down and shook hands with Mr. Burns. “Oh thanks a million,” he said. Then he hugged Frisky.

  “Freddie, how would you like to get your bathrobe and slippers and then help us put the calf in the barn?” Uncle Daniel asked.

  “Oh boy, would I!” Freddie answered.

  By this time the other children had awakened and Freddie told them the news. There was great rejoicing that Frisky was back on the farm and all of them went to help put Frisky to bed.

  Everyone slept peacefully, but around midnight Flossie began to have a silly dream. She thought Frisky came prancing into the house and began to play the piano ! Flossie awoke, smiling to herself. The idea of a musical black-and-white calf!

  Then suddenly Flossie sat up in bed and listened. The house was dark but someone was playing the piano!

  CHAPTER V

  GOING, GOING, GONE !

  “NAN! NAN!” Flossie jumped out of bed and tugged at her sister’s covers.

  Sleepily Nan sat up. “Wh-what’s the matter?” she murmured.

  “It’s all dark,” Flossie whispered, “but somebody’s downstairs playing the piano!”

  Nan stumbled from her bed and followed Flossie into the hall. They listened. The first floor was dark and everything was quiet.

  “You must have been dreaming,” Nan said, “but I’ll get Uncle Daniel and we’ll look.”

  He turned on the lower hall light and hurried with the girls to the living room. No one was there. But Nan noticed that a sheet of music which had been on the piano rack now lay on the floor.

  “Somebody knocked that down,” she said. “Flossie, was this the tune the person was playing?”

  “I-I don’t think so,” Flossie answered. “It was only like lots of scales all at once.”

  Uncle Daniel smiled, and Flossie knew he thought she had been dreaming. She did not mention Frisky as he turned out the lights and they all went back upstairs.

  When the girls were in their room once more, Flossie said, “Nan, I did hear the piano—really I did.”

  Nan smiled. “Then that’s another mystery for us to solve. Just think, Flossie, we haven’t been here one whole day yet, and we’ve had three mysteries.”

  “One got solved tonight—Frisky,” said Flossie. “And tomorrow we’ll go to the auction. But we might never know about the piano.”

  “Unless it gets played again,” Nan answered sleepily.

  The next morning at breakfast Harry said he had a suggestion for Sunday. “Let’s have a picnic after church—just us children.”

  “That would be fun,” Nan said. “We’ll fix the food today.”

  Bert asked where they would have the picnic.

  “We might go out to the grove near the quarry,” Harry replied. “May we, Mother?”

  “All right,” she consented.

  “Dad, will you take us?”

  Uncle Daniel nodded. “How about going in the hay wagon? Billy and Betty need exercise.”

  “A hay wagon!” Bert exclaimed. “That sounds great!”

  “I’ll call my friends Tom Holden and Bud Stout right away,” Harry said. “Tom can bring his little brother to play with Freddie.”

  “Aren’t there any girls in this neighborhood?” Nan asked.

  Harry looked sheepish. “I guess there are,” he said, “but I don’t usually play with girls.”

  Aunt Sarah leaned over and patted Nan’s hand. “There are some very nice girls near here,” she remarked. “I’ll call Patty Manners and Kim Harold. I think you’ll like them and I know they enjoy picnics.”

  The morning passed quickly with arrangements for the picnic next day. The boys and girls on the nearby farms eagerly accepted the invitations. Dinah and Martha planned what they would prepare for the lunch. Bert, Freddie, and Harry were busy in the barn, currying Billy and Betty.

  “There, they look keen!” Harry observed as he put down the curry-comb and stood back to admire the sleek farm horses.

  Everyone bathed and dressed for the auction. After lunch Uncle Daniel, Aunt Sarah, Mrs. Bobbsey, and the five children climbed into the station wagon for the trip. The vehicle was crowded, so the older children took turns holding Freddie and Flossie on their laps.

  “Oh!” Bert pretended to groan when Flossie plumped herself down on his knees. “Oh, Flossie! You sure have eaten a lot!”

  “I’m heavy, too,” Freddie bragged, bouncing up and down on Harry’s lap.

  Suddenly Harry spread his knees apart and Freddie tumbled to the floor. “You weigh so much I can’t even hold you,” Harry said teasingly.

  The auction was to be held in Meadowbrook. Uncle Daniel parked on the town square and led the way into a tent which had been erected on the green. At the far end was a raised platform. On it was a small table. A man stood behind it with a wooden gavel in his hand.

  Near the platform were articles of all descriptions. There were tables and chairs, lamps with broken shades, baby buggies, books, records, and stacks of dishes and glassware.

  “Those are the things for sale,” Aunt Sarah explained. “The man with the gavel names a price and if you’re willing to pay that much, you put up your hand or call out.”

  “I’d love to buy something,” Nan said as she eyed the articles on the crowded platform.

  Mrs. Bobbsey opened her purse and handed Harry and each of the twins a dollar bill. “You may each bid up to this amount,” she said, “on anything you want.”

  “Thank you, Mommy,” Flossie said.

  The Bobbsey party took their places on folding chairs which had been set up inside the tent. In a short while all the chairs were occupied and some people were standing.

  As the auctioneer began his opening speech Nan whispered to Aunt Sarah, “What is it that you meant we’d want to buy?”

  Aunt Sarah smiled. “It’s still a secret.”

  The auctioneer pounded his gavel on the stand and the sale began. “The first lot I have,” he called, “is a doll’s china tea set.” He displayed the gaily-decorated cups and saucers, a tea pot and a cream pitcher. “I’ll have to sell these ‘as is,’ ” he said. “The set is complete except for a saucer and the sugar bowl. Now, who’ll start the bidding at two dollars?”

  There was silence. Flossie leaned over to her mother. “Oh, I’d love to have that tea set,” she said. “And I don’t care if the sugar bowl’s missing—all my dollies are sweet enough already!”

  The auctioneer went on, “Only two dollars for this lovely tea set, folks—It’s worth three times that!”

  “I’ll bid ten cents!” Flossie piped up.

  Everyone laughed and the auctioneer joined in. But still no one else bid.

  “Are we going to let this tea set go for only ten cents?” he called out, looking around the room. “Very well, Go
ing for ten cents ... Going for ten cents. SOLD to the little lady for one thin dime!”

  Flossie ran up the aisle and came back proudly holding the set of doll dishes.

  “Here’s something for the little gentleman!” the auctioneer said, holding up a large decorated cup. “What am I bid for this mustache cup!”

  A wave of laughter spread over the audience. Uncle Daniel explained to Freddie that a mustache cup was made with a partition across the opening so that a man’s mustache would not get wet while he was drinking from it.

  Freddie giggled. “I don’t need it now, but I might have a mustache when I’m bigger. I’ll bid ten cents!” he shouted.

  Little Roy Holden who was seated near the Bobbseys raised his hand. “I’ll bid fifteen cents !”

  “Fifteen cents,” the auctioneer cried. “I hear fifteen cents ... Do I hear twenty-five?”

  “Twenty-five cents !” Freddie burst out.

  “Twenty-five cents I have. Do I hear thirty?” the man called, looking at Roy.

  Roy shook his head.

  The auctioneer’s voice rang out, “Going, going, GONE for twenty-five cents!” he cried.

  Freddie ran up to get his mustache cup and returned grinning from ear to ear.

  Several pieces of furniture were displayed and were sold after spirited bidding.

  “We still haven’t bought anything, Sis,” Bert remarked.

  Nan nodded. “And Aunt Sarah’s mysterious object hasn’t come up for bidding.”

  The next article the auctioneer held up was an old-fashioned record player with a large horn attached. “Say, that’s keen!” Bert exclaimed. “Freddie and I could keep it in our bedroom!” So he bid on the machine and finally it became his for seventy-five cents.

  “I know what I want,” Nan said. “See that old doll propped up in the chair? It would be wonderful for my collection!” She indicated a cloth doll in a faded silk dress. Its delicate face was made of china.

  In a few minutes the doll was brought to the platform. The bidding started at twenty-five cents. Several people seemed to be interested, but Nan kept bidding and it was sold to her for one dollar.

  “Harry’s the only one who hasn’t bought anything,” Flossie announced.