CHAPTER II
THE START
With so much to think about, the few weeks that were left betweenvacation and the country passed quickly for the Bobbseys. As told inany first book, "The Bobbsey Twins," this little family had a splendidhome in Lakeport, where Mr. Bobbsey was a lumber merchant. The motherand father were both young themselves, and always took part in theirchildren's joys and sorrows, for there were sorrows sometimes. Think ofpoor little Freddie getting shut up all alone in a big store with onlya little black kitten, "Snoop," to keep him from being scared to death;that was told of in the first book, for Freddie went shopping one daywith his mamma, and wandered off a little bit. Presently he foundhimself in the basement of the store; there he had so much trouble ingetting out he fell asleep in the meantime. Then, when he awoke and itwas all dark, and the great big janitor came to rescuehim--oh!--Freddie thought the man might even be a giant when he firstheard the janitor's voice in the dark store.
Freddie often got in trouble, but like most good little boys he wasalways saved just at the right time, for they say good children havereal angels watching over them. Nan, Bert, and Flossie all had plentyof exciting experiences too, as told in "The Bobbsey Twins," for amongother neighbors there was Danny Rugg, a boy who always tried to maketrouble for Bert, and sometimes almost succeeded in getting Bert into"hot water," as Dinah expressed it.
Of course Nan had her friends, as all big girls have, but Bert, hertwin brother, was her dearest chum, just as Freddie was Flossie's.
"When we get to the country we will plant trees, go fishing, and pickblackberries," Nan said one day.
"Yes, and I'm going with Harry out exploring," Bert announced.
"I'm just going to plant things," prim little Flossie lisped. "I justlove melons and ice cream and--"
"Ice cream! Can you really plant ice cream?" Freddie asked innocently,which made the others all laugh at Flossie's funny plans.
"I'm going to have chickens," Freddie told them. "I'm going to have oneof those queer chicken coops that you shut up tight and when you openit it's just full of little 'kippies.'"
"Oh, an incubator, you mean," Nan explained. "That's a machine forraising chickens without any mother."
"But mine are going to have a mother," Freddie corrected, thinking howsad little chickens would be without a kind mamma like his own.
"But how can they have a mother where there isn't any for them?"Flossie asked, with a girl's queer way of reasoning.
"I'll get them one," Freddie protested. "I'll let Snoop be their mamma."
"A cat! the idea! why, he would eat 'em all up," Flossie argued.
"Not if I whipped him once for doing it," the brother insisted. ThenNan and Bert began to tease him for whipping the kitten after thechickens had been "all eaten up."
So the merry days went on until at last vacation came!
"Just one more night," Nan told Flossie and Freddie when she preparedthem for bed, to help her very busy mother. Bert assisted his fatherwith the packing up, for the taking of a whole family to the countrymeant lots of clothes, besides some books and just a few toys. Thenthere was Bert's tool box--he knew he would need that at Meadow Brook.
The morning came at last, a beautiful bright day, a rare one fortraveling, for a fine shower the evening before had washed and cooledthings off splendidly.
"Now come, children," Mr. Bobbsey told the excited youngsters. "Keeptrack of your things. Sam will be ready in a few minutes, and then wemust be off."
Promptly Sam pulled up to the door with the family carriage, and allhurried to get in.
"Oh, Snoop, Snoop!" cried Freddie. "He's in the library in the box!Dinah, get him quick, get him!" and Dinah ran back after the littlekitten.
"Here you is, Freddie!" she gasped, out of breath from hurrying. "Youdon't go and forget poor Snoopy!" and she climbed in beside Sam.
Then they started.
"Oh, my lan' a-massy!" yelled Dinah presently in distress. "SamJohnson, you jest turn dat hoss around quick," and she jerked at thereins herself. "You heah, Sam? Quick, I tells you. Get back to dathouse. I'se forgot to bring--to bring my lunch basket!"
"Oh, never mind, Dinah," Mrs. Bobbsey interrupted. "We will have lunchon the train."
"But I couldn't leab dat nice lunch I got ready fo' de chillen inbetween, missus," the colored woman urged. "I'll get it quick as awink. Now, Sam, you rush in dar quick, and fetch dat red and whitebasket dat smells like chicken!"
So the good-natured maid had her way, much to the delight of Bert andFreddie, who liked nothing so well as one of Dinah's homemade lunches.
The railroad station was reached without mishap, and while Mr. Bobbseyattended to getting the baskets checked at the little window in the biground office, the children sat about "exploring." Freddie hung back alittle when a locomotive steamed up. He clung to his mother's skirt,yet wanted to see how the machine worked.
"That's the fireman," Bert told him, pointing to the man in the cab ofthe engine.
"Fireman!" Freddie repeated. "Not like our firemen. I wouldn't be thatkind," He had always wanted to be a fireman who helps to put out fires.
"Oh, this is another kind," his father explained, just then coming upin readiness for the start.
"I guess Snoop's afraid," Freddie whispered to his mother, while hepeeped into the little box where Snoop was peacefully purring. Glad ofthe excuse to get a little further away, Freddie ran back to whereDinah sat on a long shiny bench.
"Say, chile," she began, "you hear dat music ober dar? Well, a big fatlady jest jumped up and down on dat machine and it starts up and playsSwanee Ribber."
"That's a weighing machine," Nan said with a laugh. "You just put apenny in it and it tells you how much you weigh besides playing a tune."
"Lan' o' massy! does it? Wonder has I time to try it?"
"Yes, come on," called Bert. "Father said we have plenty of time," andat the word Dinah set out to get weighed. She looked a little scared,as if it might "go off" first, but when she heard the soft strain ofan old melody coming out she almost wanted to dance.
"Now, ain't dat fine!" she exclaimed. "Wouldn't dat be splendid in dekitchen to weigh de flour, Freddie?"
But even the interesting sights in the railroad station had to be givenup now, for the porter swung open a big gate and called: "All aboardfor Meadow Brook!" and the Bobbseys hurried off.