CHAPTER IX
OFF TO THE WOODS
Whether Danny Rugg was afraid the principal had seen him trying toforce a fight on Bert, or whether the unexpected fall that came tohim, caused it, no one knew, but certainly, for the next few days,Danny let Bert alone. When he passed him he scowled, or shook hisfist, or muttered something about "getting even," but this was all.
Perhaps it was the thought of what Bert had seen fall from Danny'spocket that made the bully less anxious to keep up the quarrel.At any rate, Bert was left alone and he was glad of it. He was notafraid, but he liked peace.
The school days went on, and the classes settled down to their workfor the long Winter term. And the thought of the snow and icethat would comparatively soon be with them, made the Bobbsey twinsrejoice.
"Charley Mason and I are going to make a dandy big bob this year,"said Bert one day. "It's going to carry ten fellows."
"And no girls?" asked Nan with a smile. She was walking alongbehind her brother with Grace and Nellie.
"Sure, we'll let you girls ride once in a while," said Charley, ashe caught up to his chum. "But you can't steer."
"I steered a bob once," said Grace, who was quite athletic for herage. "It was Danny Rugg's, too."
"Pooh! His is a little one alongside the one Charley and I aregoing to make!" exclaimed Bert. "Ours will be hard to steer, andit's going to have a gong on it to tell folks to get out of theway."
"That's right," agreed Charley. "And we'd better start it rightaway, Bert. It may soon snow."
"It doesn't feel so now," spoke Nan. "It is very warm. It feelsmore like ice cream cones."
"And if you'll come with me I'll treat you all to some," exclaimedNellie Parks, whose father was quite well off. "I have some of mybirthday money left."
"Oh, but there are five of us!" cried Nan, counting. "That is toomuch--twenty-five cents, Nellie."
"I've got fifty, and really it is very hot to-day."
It was warm, being the end of September, with Indian Summer nearat hand.
"Well, let's go to Johnson's," suggested Nellie. "They have thebest cream."
"Oh, here comes Flossie and Freddie!" exclaimed Nan. "We don't wantto take them, Nellie. That means---"
"Of course I'll take them!" exclaimed Nellie, generously. "I'vegot fifty cents, I told you."
"I'll give them each a penny and let them run along home," offeredBert.
"No, I'm going to treat them, too," insisted Nellie. "Come on!" shecalled to the little twins, "we're going to get ice cream cones,it's so warm."
"Oh, goodie!" cried Flossie. "I was just wishing for one."
"So was I," added her brother.
"And I'll ask you to my party next week," the little girl went on."I'm going to have one on my birthday."
"Oh, are you really, Flossie?" asked Nan. "I hadn't heard aboutit."
"Yep--I am. Mamma said I could, but she told me not to tell. I don'tcare, I wanted Nellie to know, as she's going to treat us to cones."
"And it's half my party, 'cause my birthday's the same day,"explained Freddie. "So you can come to my party at the same time,Nellie."
"Thank you, dear, I shall. Now let's hurry to the store, for it'sgetting warmer all the while."
The ice cream in the funny little cones was much enjoyed by all.Bert and Charley walked on together eating, and talking of the bobsled they were going to make. They passed Danny Rugg, who lookedrather enviously at them.
"Hey, Charley," called Danny, "come here, I want to speak to you."
"I'm busy now," answered Charley. "Bert and I have something todo."
"So have I. I've got a dandy plan."
"Well, I'll see you later," spoke Charley,
He had once been quite friendly with Danny, but he grew not to likehis ways, and so became more chummy with Bert, who was very glad,for he liked Charley.
The two boys went on to Bert's barn, where they were going tobuild the bob sled. The girls, with Flossie and Freddie, went onthe Bobbsey lawn, where there were some easy chairs. They sat inthe shade of the trees, and Freddie had Snap do some of his tricksfor the visitors.
"Can he jump through a hoop, covered with paper as they do in thecircus?" asked Nellie.
"Oh, we never thought to try that," said Freddie. "I'm going to makeone," and, filled with this new idea, he hurried into the house.
"Dinah," he said, "I want some paper and paste."
"Land sakes, chile! what yo' gwine t' do now?" asked the coloredcook. "Make a kite, an' take Snoop up in de air laik yo' brotherBert done once?"
"No, we're not going to do that," answered the little boy. "We'regoing to cover a hoop with paper, and make Snap jump through it,like in a circus."
"Mah goodness mustard pot!" cried Dinah. "What will yo' all be upto next?"
"I don't know," answered Freddie. "But will you make me some paste,Dinah? And you know we haven't got Snoop, anyhow, so we couldn'tsend him up on a kite tail," added Freddie.
"Deah me! Yo' chilluns done make me do de mostest wuk!" complainedDinah, but she laughed, which showed that she did not really meanit, and set at mixing some flour and water for the paste.
Flossie and Freddie insisted on making the paper covered hoopthemselves. They started, but they got so much of the sticky stuffon their hands and faces that Nan feared they would soil theirclothes, so she insisted on being allowed to do the pasting forthem.
"But we can help, can't we?" asked Freddie.
"Yes," said Nan.
Even for Nan covering a hoop with paper was not as easy as shethought it would be. Grace and Nellie helped, but sometimes thewind would blow the paper away just as they were ready to fold itaround the rim of the hoop. Then the paste would get on the girls'hands.
"What are you doing?" asked Bert, as he and Charley came from thebarn. They had to stop work on their job, as they could not find along enough plank. The decided to get one from Mr. Bobbsey's lumberyard, later.
"We're going to have Snap do the circus trick of jumping througha paper hoop," explained Nan. "Only we can't seem to get the hoopmade."
"I'll do it," offered Bert, and as he and Charley had often pastedpaper on their kite frames they had better luck, and soon the hoopwas ready.
"Come, Snap!" called Freddie, it having been settled that he andFlossie were to hold the hoop for the dog to leap through. Snap,always ready for fun, jumped up from the grass where he had beensleeping, and frisked about, barking loudly.
"Now you hold him there, Charley," directed Bert, pointing to a spotback of where Freddie and Flossie stood. "Then I'll go over hereand call him. He'll come running, and when he gets near enough,Freddie, you and Flossie hold up the paper hoop. He'll go rightthrough it."
It worked out just as the children had planned. Snap raced away fromCharley, when he heard Bert calling. He ran right between Flossieand Freddie, who raised the hoop just in time.
"Rip! Tear!" burst the paper, and Snap sailed through the hoop justas he probably had often done in the circus, perhaps from the backof a horse.
"Oh, that was fine!" cried Flossie. "Let's make another hoop!"
"Let's make a lot of 'em, and have a circus with Snap, and chargemoney to see him, and then we can buy a lot of ice cream for ourparty!" said Freddie.
"Oh, yes!" agreed his sister.
Well, they did make more hoops, and Snap seemed to enjoy jumpingthrough them. But when Mrs. Bobbsey heard about the circus plansshe decided it would make too much confusion.
"Besides, you have to help me get ready for your party," she saidto the two little twins.
This took their mind off the proposed circus, but for several daysafter that they had much fun making hoops for Snap to jump through.
Bert and Charley got a long plank from the lumber yard, and spentmuch time after school in the Bobbsey barn, working over their bobsled. It was harder than they had thought it would be, and theyhad to call in some other boys to help them. Mr. Bobbsey, too, gavehis son some advice about how to build it.
> Flossie and Freddie liked it very much in school. The kindergartenteacher was very kind, and took an interest in all her pupils.
"Oh, mamma!" cried Flossie, coming in one day from school, "I'velearned how to make a house."
"And I can make a lantern, and a chain to hang it on, and I can putit in front of Flossie's house!" exclaimed Freddie. "And, please,mother, may I have some bread and jam. I'm awful hungry."
"Yes, dear, go ask Dinah," said Mrs. Bobbsey, with a smile. "Andthen you may show me how you make houses and lanterns and a chain.Are they real?"
"No," said Flossie, "they're only paper, but they look nice."
"I'm sure they must," said their mother.
After each of the twins had been given a large slice of bread andbutter and jam, they showed the latest thing they had learned atschool. Flossie did manage to cut out a house, that had a chimneyon it, and a door, besides two windows.
Freddie took several little narrow strips of paper, and pasting theends together, made a lot of rings. Each ring before being pasted,was slipped into another, and soon he had a paper chain. To makethe lantern he used a piece of paper made into a roll, with slitsall around the middle of it where the light would have come outhad there been a candle in it. And the handle was a narrow slipof paper pasted over the top of the lantern.
"Very fine indeed," said Mamma Bobbsey. "Run out now to play. Ifyou stay in the house too much you will soon lose all the lovelytan you got in the country, and at the seashore."
"Children," said the principal to the Bobbseys and all the othersin school the next day, "I have a little treat for you. To-morrowwill be a holiday, and, as the weather is very warm, we will closethe school at noon, and go off in the woods for a little picnic."
"Oh, good!" cried a number of the boys and girls, and, though itwas against the rules to speak aloud during the school hours, noneof the teachers objected.
"But I expect you all to have perfect marks from now until Friday,"Mr. Tetlow went on. "You may bring your lunches to school withyou Friday morning, if your parents will let you, and we will leavehere at noon, and go to Ward's woods."
It was rather hard work to study after such good news, but, somehow,the pupils managed it. Finally Friday came, and nearly every boyand girl came to school with a basket or bundle holding his orher lunch. Mrs. Bobbsey put up two baskets for her children, Nantaking one and Bert the other.
"Oh, we'll have a lovely time!" cried Freddie, dancing about onhis little fat legs.
Twelve o'clock came, and with each teacher at the head of her class,and Mr. Tetlow marching in front of all, the whole school startedoff for the woods.