CHAPTER IX
WHAT HAPPENED TO WILLIAM
"First," said Russ, as he took up the shovel, "we've got to make ahole."
"I thought you said we were going to make a fountain," said Laddie.
"We are," Russ went on. "But first you have to have some place for thefountain water to run into, don't you?"
"I guess so," agreed Laddie, who was not quite sure.
"'Course you have," insisted his older brother. "Don't you 'member how afountain is? It has a big basin where the water splashes in out of athing like a hose, and us boys could paddle our feet in the water if wewanted to."
"Oh! are you goin' to make _that_ kind of a fountain?" asked Laddie.
"Sure," said Russ. "Come on, help me dig the hole, and then we'll fixthe hose in it and run it full of water and then we can paddle in it--Imean in the hole full of water--and the hose'll be squirtin', and thatwill be a fountain."
"That'll be fine!" cried Laddie. "I'll get a shovel and help you dig."
Laddie found a small shovel in the barn, and, Russ using the larger one,which was really too big for him, the two brothers began to make theirfountain. If their father and mother had been at home, or even Aunt Johad seen them, I don't suppose they would have been allowed to do this,for it wasn't exactly right, no matter how much fun they thought theywould have.
But the boys went on digging, making a deep and large hole in thegarden. They tossed the dirt out with their shovels, and, as the soilwas soft, it was easy for them to dig in it.
"Isn't it 'most big enough now?" asked Laddie, after a while.
"Almost," Russ answered, as he looked up from where he stood in thehole.
"I'm tired--my back aches," Laddie went on.
"I'm tired, too," said Russ. "But I guess when you build a fountain itmakes 'most everybody tired. We'll only dig a little more, and then wecan run the water in and wade. I haven't had a good wade since we camefrom Grandma Bell's."
"Neither have I," said Laddie.
So they dug some more, until they really had quite a large hole in thegarden, and then Russ went to get the hose. It was still attached to thefaucet, but the water was not turned on.
If William had seen what the boys were doing he would have stopped them.For, though Mr. and Mrs. Bunker had said nothing about not letting thechildren play in the water, and though Aunt Jo had not spoken of it,either, still, I feel sure William would have stopped Laddie and Russfrom making their fountain if he had seen them. But he did not. He wasdoing something inside the garage just then, and it was at this timethat Russ took the nozzle end of the hose, and dragged the long, rubberpipe over toward the hole he and Laddie had dug.
"Now all we've got to do is to fasten the hose in the hole, so itsticks up straight," said Russ. "Then I'll turn the water on, and we'llhave a fountain and we can wade in it."
"That'll be fun!" exclaimed Laddie.
At first Russ did not have an easy time trying to make the hose nozzlestand up straight in the hole he and his brother had dug. Then the boy,after whistling a bit, and thinking as well as he could, exclaimed:
"I know how to do it!"
"How?" asked Laddie.
"Why, I'll just drive a stick down in the middle of the hole, and I'llleave part of it sticking up. Then I can tie the end of the hose to it,sticking up in the air, you know, and when I turn the water on it'llsquirt right straight up and come down in the fountain."
"That'll be nice," said Laddie. But you just wait and see what happens.
Russ found an old broom-handle, and, using the shovel for a hammer, hedrove this stick down into the soft dirt, leaving enough showing abovethe bottom of the hole to which to tie the hose.
Laddie helped his brother do this, and then the fountain was ready to"play" as it is called. I suppose the water bubbling up and down, as itdoes in a fountain, really looks as though it were playing.
"Now we're all ready to turn it on," said Russ when the hose was tiedfast.
"And then we can wade in the fountain," added Laddie. "I'm going to getmy shoes and stockings off now," and he sat down on the ground, near thehole, and began to do this.
Russ went back to where, on the outside wall of the garage, the hose wasscrewed on the faucet. He tried to turn the brass handle. But it wasstiff, and more than his little fingers could manage.
"Come here, Laddie!" called Russ. "You've got to help me turn on thewater."
"Wait till I get my other shoe off!" said Laddie.
"No, come on! Do it now!" said Russ. "You can take your shoe offafterwards, while we're waiting for the fountain basin to fill."
So, with one shoe on and the other off, Laddie limped over to the garageto help his brother turn the faucet. Before this William had finishedwhat he was doing, and had gone to the house to ask Parker something. Hedid not notice what Laddie and Russ were doing, but on his way back tothe garage the chauffeur saw the pile of dirt, noticed the hole andlooked at the end of the hose sticking up in the air.
"Now I wonder what that is," said William to himself. "I didn't leavethe hose like that, and I don't believe Alexis could have dug such a bighole. I must certainly see what it is."
So William, forgetting for the moment about the little Bunkers, walkedover to the hose. He saw it sticking up in the hole and, as he bent overit, he said:
"This must be the work of Laddie and Russ. I wonder what they're goingto do. Play fireman, maybe."
And it was just then, as William leaned over the hose, that Russ andLaddie managed to turn the faucet. You can imagine what happened afterthat.
Through the hose spurted the water, out of the end, right in William'sface. But of course Laddie and Russ did not mean to do that.
"Oh, my! Here! What's this! Oh, I'm all wet!" spluttered the chauffeur.He jumped back, but not quite far enough, for he stumbled over some ofthe dirt, and fell down, and the water, shooting up into the air, camedown on him in a regular shower.
"I say now! Stop it! Shut off the water!" cried William.
At first Laddie and Russ did not know what he meant. Then they lookedtoward the hole, which they intended for a fountain, and saw thechauffeur getting wet. William's legs seemed to be so tangled that hecouldn't get up in a hurry, and he was getting very wet.
"Turn off the water! Turn off the water!" he begged. "I'm getting allmud!"
Laddie and Russ were frightened, then, and they tried to shut off thefaucet. But, just as, often, when you want to do a thing in a hurry youcan't, so it happened with the two boys. The faucet wouldn't turn, andthe water kept on spurting, and William kept getting wet, until hefinally managed to roll out of the way and then he stood up, looking atthe showering hose.
"What's all this?" asked the dripping chauffeur, but he was not angry."What are you boys doing?"
"Please, it's a fountain we made," said Russ.
"And we're goin' wadin' in it!" added Laddie. "Oh, look, Russ! Itsquirts fine! I'm going to take off my other shoe!"
He sat down to do this. Really the fountain made from the hose, wassending out a fine shower of water that sparkled in the sun. The waterwas beginning to fill the hole the boys had dug.
"What are you going to do?" asked William, wiping the water from hisface.
"We're goin' wadin' in the fountain," explained Laddie. "That's what wemade it for."
"Oh, no, you'd better not," said William. "I'm sorry, but your auntwouldn't like a fountain in her garden. It'll only be a mud-hole, andyou'll get all dirty. Your father and mother wouldn't want that. I guessI'd better shut off the water. When your aunt comes home, if she letsyou do it, why then it will be all right. But I'm afraid I can't let youdo it now."
Russ and Laddie looked disappointed. After all their work not to havethe fountain! It was too bad!
"We--we're sorry you got wet," said Russ, thinking perhaps William felta little vexed at them.
"Oh, that's all right," said William. "I don't mind. These are my oldclothes, anyhow. But I'd best shut off the water."
He started to
ward the faucet to do this. Already the hole Laddie andRuss had dug was half full, and would have made, as Russ said, a "dandy"place to wade. But it was not to be.
As the boys stood beside the hole half filled with water, and as Williamwas at the faucet, ready to turn it off, a loud barking was heard, andinto the garden came racing a little dog, chased by big Alexis, who wasbarking loudly.
"Oh, look!" cried Russ.
And then something else happened.