CHAPTER IV
OFF FOR MEADOW BROOK
Little Freddie, who sat beside his older brother, Bert, in Mr.Bobbsey's automobile, looked on with wonder in his childish eyes, ashe saw the boy Mr. Mason had been shaking run down the road.
"What's the matter with him, Bert?" Freddie asked. "Didn't he like tobe shook?"
"I should say _not_!" exclaimed Bert "And I wouldn't myself. I don'tthink that man did right to shake him so."
"It was too bad," added Freddie. "Say, Bert," he went on eagerly,"maybe we could catch up to him in the automobile, and we could takehim to Meadow Brook with us. Nobody would shake him there."
"No, I guess they wouldn't," said Bert: slowly, thinking how kind hisuncle and aunt were.
"Then let's go after him!" begged Freddie.
"No, we couldn't do that, Freddie," Bert said with a smile at hislittle brother. "The boy maybe wouldn't want to come with us, andbesides, papa wouldn't let me run the auto, though I know whichhandles to turn, for I've watched him," Bert went on, with a firmbelief that he could run the big car almost as well as could Mr.Bobbsey.
"Well, when papa comes back I'm going to ask him to go after that boyand bring him with us," declared Freddie. "I don't like to see boysshook."
"I don't, either," murmured Bert.
By this time Mr. Bobbsey had come up to where Mr. Mason was standing.
"Oh, how do you do, Mr. Bobbsey," spoke the other lumber man. "Ididn't expect to see you for some days."
"I did come a little ahead of time," went on the twins' father. "But Iam going to take my family off to the country, so I thought I wouldcome and see you, and finish up our business before going away."
"I'm always glad to talk business," Mr. Mason said, "but I thoughtyour folks were out somewhere on a houseboat."
"We were, and just came back to-day. But the summer isn't over, andwe're going to my brother's place, at Meadow Brook Farm. But you seemto be having some trouble," he went on, nodding down the road in thedirection the sobbing boy had run. "Of course it isn't any affair ofmine, but--"
"Yes, trouble! Lots of it!" interrupted Mr. Mason bitterly. "I havehad a lot of trouble with that boy."
"That's too bad," spoke Mr. Bobbsey. "He seems a bright sort of chap.He isn't your son, is he?"
"No, I'm his guardian. He's my ward. His father was a friend of minein business, and when he died he asked me to look after the boy. Hisname is Frank Kennedy."
"Oh, yes, I heard about him," said Mr. Bobbsey.
"Heard about him! I guess you didn't hear any good then!" exclaimedthe other lumber man, rather crossly. "What do you mean?"
"Why, we came past your house a little while ago," said Mr. Bobbsey,"and your wife mentioned a Frank Kennedy who used to take your twodaughters out rowing. If he had been there to-day the girls probablywouldn't have gone out alone, and drifted away."
"Drifted away! What do you mean?" cried Mr. Mason. "Has anythinghappened?"
"It's all right, my papa went out in a boat and got 'em!" criedFreddie in his shrill, childish voice, for he heard what his fatherand Mr. Mason were saying.
"I--I don't understand," said the other lumber dealer, seriously. "Wasthere an accident?"
"Oh, it wasn't anything," Mr. Bobbsey said. "When I went past yourhouse, near the river, I saw the two girls adrift in a boat, not farfrom shore. They had floated out while playing. I went after them andyour wife, before she showed me this short cut to your place, spokeabout an adopted boy, Frank Kennedy, who used to play with thechildren."
"Oh, I'm much obliged to you," said Mr. Mason, after a pause. "Yes,Frank did look after the girls some. That was he who just ran down theroad. But he did better at home than he's doing in my office.
"What do you mean?" asked Mr. Bobbsey, wondering why it was that Mr.Mason had so severely shaken the boy who had run away.
"Well, I mean that Frank just lost twenty dollars for me," proceededthe lumber man.
"Twenty dollars! How was that?" asked Mr. Bobbsey.
"I left him in charge of my office, while I was out on some otherbusiness," went on the lumber dealer, "and a strange man came in andbought two dollars worth of expensive boards. Frank gave them to him,and the man took them away with him, as they were not very large, orheavy to carry."
"Two dollars--I thought you said twenty!" exclaimed Mr. Bobbsey.
"So I did. Wait until I tell you all. As I said, Frank sold thisstrange man two dollars worth of boards. The man gave Frank a twentydollar bill, and Frank gave him back eighteen dollars in change."
"Well, wasn't that right?" asked Mr. Bobbsey, with a smile. "Twodollars from twenty leave eighteen--or it used to when I went toschool."
"That part is all right," Mr. Mason said, bitterly, "but the fact isthat the twenty dollar bill Frank took from the strange man is nogood. It is bad money, and no one but a child would take it. It's abill that was gotten out by the Confederate states during the CivilWar, and of course their money isn't any better than waste-paper now.I don't see how Frank was fooled that way. I wouldn't have been if Ihad been in the office."
"Perhaps the boy never saw a Confederate bill before," suggested Mr.Bobbsey.
"No matter, he should have known that it wasn't good United States'money!" declared Mr. Mason. "By his carelessness to-day he lost metwenty dollars; the eighteen dollars in my good money that he gave theman in change, and the two dollars worth of boards. And all I have toshow for it is that worthless piece of paper!" and Mr. Mason took fromhis pocket a crumpled bill.
Mr. Bobbsey looked at it carefully.
"Yes, that's one of the old Confederate States' bills all right," hesaid, "and it isn't worth anything, except as a curiosity."
"It cost me twenty dollars, all right," said Mr. Mason, with a sourlook on his face. "I can't see how Frank was so foolish as to be takenin by it."
"Well, the poor boy knew no better, and probably he is sorry enoughnow," said Mr. Bobbsey.
"I guess he's sorry enough!" exclaimed Mr. Mason, bitterly. "I gavehim a good shaking, as he is too big to whip. I shook him and scoldedhim."
"Well, almost anyone, not very familiar with money, might have madethat mistake," spoke Mr. Bobbsey. "This Confederate bill looks verymuch like some of ours, and a person in a hurry might have been fooledby it."
"Oh, nonsense!" broke in Mr. Mason. "There was no excuse for Frankbeing fooled as he was. I won't listen to any such talk! He lost metwenty dollars and he'll have to make it up to me, somehow."
"But how can he, when he has run away?" asked Mr. Bobbsey, and he feltvery sorry for Frank, who was not much older than Bert. Mr. Bobbseyknew how grieved he would be if something like that happened to hisson.
"Yes, he pretended to run away," said Mr. Mason, "but he'll soon runback again."
"How do you know?" Mr. Bobbsey wanted to know. "Did he ever run awaybefore?"
"No, he never did," admitted Mr. Mason, "but he'll have to run backbecause he has nowhere to run to. He can't get anything to eat, he hasno money, and he can't find a place to sleep. Of course he'll comeback!
"And when he does come back," Mr. Mason went on, "I'll make him workdoubly hard to pay back that twenty dollars. I can't afford to losethat much money."
"But it was an accident; a mistake that anyone might have made," saidMr. Bobbsey again.
"Nonsense!" cried the other lumber man. "I'll make Frank Kennedy payfor his mistake!"
"Perhaps the strange man did not mean to give him the Confederatebill," went on Bert's father. "Some persons carry those old Southernbills as souvenirs, or pocket-pieces, and this man might have paid hisout by mistake. I know that once happened to me with a piece of money.He may come back and give you a good twenty dollar bill."
"I am not so foolish as to hope anything like that will happen," saidMr. Mason. "No, I'm out twenty good hard-earned dollars. That's allthere is to it. But I'll get it out of Frank Kennedy, somehow."
"If he ever comes back," said Mr. Bobbsey, in a low voice.
"Oh, he'll come b
ack--never fear!" responded the other lumber dealer.Mr. Bobbsey gently shook his head. He was not so sure of that. Frank,as he ran down the road, crying, seemed to feel very badly indeed, andwhen he said he would never come back it sounded as though he meantit.
"Poor little chap!" thought Mr. Bobbsey to himself. "I am very sorryfor him. I wonder where he will sleep to-night?" And he could not helpthinking how badly he would feel if he knew his own two dear boys hadto be without a place to sleep, or somewhere to get a meal.
Mr. Mason did not appear to worry about the plight of his ward, forwhom he was guardian.
The lumber dealers finished their business and Mr. Mason again thankedMr. Bobbsey for what he had done for the two girls in the boat.
"I guess I'd better keep Frank at the house after this," went on Mr.Mason. "He's safer there than at the office, and wouldn't lose me somuch money. But I'll get it out of him, some way," and he thrust backinto his pocket the bad twenty dollar bill.
Bert had understood most of the talk between his father and Mr. Mason,but little Freddie did not know much of what went on except that Frankhad run away.
"I wouldn't run away from my home," he said. "I like it too much."
"Yes, but you haven't anyone at your home to shake you as hard as thatman did," said Bert. "I don't blame Frank for running away."
"Poor boy!" sighed Mr. Bobbsey. "Life is a hard matter for a littlechap with no real home."
In the automobile the lumber man and his two boys went back toLakeport, passing on their way the house where Mr. Mason lived. Thetwo little girls waved their hands to Freddie and Bert as the boysrode past. But there was no sign of Frank Kennedy.
The sadness of the scene the two Bobbsey boys had witnessed was soonforgotten in the joys of getting ready to go to Meadow Brook. Theyspent that night in their city house, unpacking only such few thingsas they needed. When morning came Flossie and Freddie were the firstup.
"We're going to the country!" sang Flossie, walking about in a longnight-gown that trailed over the floor.
"Going to Meadow Brook!" chanted Freddie. "Where's Snoop? I'm going totake him!"
"And may we take Snap, too?" asked Bert, who had taught the formercircus dog many new tricks.
THE BOBBSEY HOUSE WAS SOON A VERY BUSY PLACE]
"Yes, we'll take them both," said Mrs. Bobbsey. "Now hurry, childrendear. We are going to leave soon after breakfast, and it is a longride in the train, you know."
"Are we going to ride in the 'merry-go-round car'?" asked Flossie.
"She means a parlor car, with chairs that swing around," said Nan,with a laugh.
"Yes, we'll ride in a chair car," decided Mr. Bobbsey.
The Bobbsey house was soon a very busy place. Valises that had beenopened were packed again. Dinah got a quick breakfast. Mr. Bobbsey hadmuch telephoning to do about business matters, and Mrs. Bobbsey--well,she had to do what all mothers do on such occasions--look aftereverything. Nan and Bert helped as much as they could.
Flossie and Freddie tried to help, but you know how it is with littlechildren. The two smaller twins were very anxious that Snoop, theblack cat, be taken with them in his little traveling crate.
"I'll get him and pack him up," said Freddie.
"And I'll help," offered Flossie.
Soon all was in readiness for the start to the depot where theBobbseys would take the train for Meadow Brook. Just as the automobilecame up to the door to take the family, there arose a cry from thedirection of the side porch where Flossie and Freddie had gone withthe cat-cage, in which to put Snoop.
"Oh, my!" exclaimed Mrs. Bobbsey. "I wonder what has happened now? Ihope those twins are all right!"
"I'll go see!" offered Nan, setting off on a run.