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THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT SCHOOL
THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT SCHOOL LAURA LEE HOPE CONTENTS
CHAPTER
I. A CIRCUS TRAIN
II. SNOOP Is GONE
III. A QUEER DOG
IV. HOME IN AN AUTO
V. SNAP DOES TRICKS
VI. DANNY RUGG IS MEAN
VII. AT SCHOOL
VIII. BERT SEES SOMETHING
IX. OFF TO THE WOODS
X. A SCARE
XI. DANNY'S TRICK
XII. THE CHILDREN'S PARTY
XIII. AN UNPLEASANT SURPRISE
XIV. A COAT BUTTON
XV. THANKSGIVING
XVI. MR TETLOW ASKS QUESTIONS
XVII. THE FIRST SNOW
XVIII. A NIGHT ALARM
XIX. WHO WAS SMOKING?
XX. A CONFESSION
XXI. THE FAT LADY'S LETTER
XXII. SNAP AND SNOOP
THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT SCHOOL
CHAPTER I
A CIRCUS TRAIN
"Mamma how much longer have we got to ride?" asked Nan Bobbsey
turning in her seat in the railroad car to look at her parents
who sat behind her.
"Are you getting tired?" asked Nan's brother Bert. "If you are I'll
sit next to the window and watch the telegraph poles and trees
go by. Maybe that's what tires you Nan" he added and his father
smiled for he saw that Bert had two thoughts for himself and one
for his sister.
"No I'm not tired of the scenery" answered the brown-haired and
brown-eyed girl "but you may sit next the window Bert if you
like."
"Thanks!" he exclaimed as he scrambled over to the place his sister
gave up.
"Are you tired dearie?" asked Mrs. Bobbsey leaning forward and
smoothing out her daughter's hair with her hand. "If you would like
to sit with me and put your head in my lap papa can go to another
seat and--"
"Oh no mamma I'm not as tired as that" and Nan laughed. "I was
just wondering how soon we'd be home."
"I'd rather be back at the seashore" said Bert not turning his
gaze from the window for the train was passing along some fields
just then and in one a boy was driving home some cows to be
milked as evening was coming on Bert was wondering if one of the
cows might not chase the boy. Bert didn't really want to see the
boy hurt by a cow of course but he thought that if the cow was
going to take after the boy anyhow he might just as well see it.
But the cows were very well-behaved and went along slowly.
"Yes the seashore was nice" murmured Nan as she leaned her head
back on the cushioned seat "but I'm glad to be going home again.
I want to see some of the girls and--"
"Yes and I'll be looking for some of the boys too" put in Bert.
"But school will soon begin and that's no fun!"
Mr. and Mrs. Bobbsey smiled at each other and Mr. Bobbsey taking
out a time-table looked to see how much longer they would be on
the train.
"It's about an hour yet" he said to Nan and she sighed. Really
she was more tired than she cared to let her mother know.
Just ahead of the two Bobbsey children were another set of them.
I say "set" for the Bobbsey children came "in sets."
There were two pairs of twins Bert and Nan nearly nine years of
age and Flossie and Freddie almost five. And whereas the two
older children were rather tall and slim with dark brown hair and
eyes the littler twins were short and fat and had light hair and
blue eyes. The two pairs of twins were quite a contrast and many
persons stopped to look at them as they passed along the street
together.
"No sir" went on Bert musingly "school's no fun and it starts
about a week after we get home. No chance to have a good time!"
"We've had fun all summer" replied his sister. "I rather like
school."
"Mamma are we going to school this year?" asked Flossie as she
looked back with a quick turning of her head that set her yellow
curls to dancing.
"If we are I'm going to sit with Flossie--can't I?" asked Freddie
kneeling in the seat so that he could face back to his father and
mother.
Indeed his request was not strange since the two younger twins
were always together even more so than their brother and sister.
"Yes I think you and Freddie will start school regularly this
term" said Mrs. Bobbsey "and if it can be arranged you may sit
together. We'll see about that. Be careful Freddie don't put your
head out of the window" she cautioned quickly for the little
chap had turned in his seat again and was leaning forward to see
a horse galloping about a field kicking up its heels at the sound
of the puffing engine.
"It's my turn to sit by the window anyhow" said Flossie.
"It is not! We haven't passed a station yet" disputed Freddie.
"Oh we have so!" cried his little sister. "Freddie Bobbsey!" and
she pointed her finger at him.
"Children--children" said Mrs. Bobbsey reprovingly.
"Are you two taking turns?" asked Bert smiling with an older
brother's superior wisdom.
"Yes" answered Flossie "he was to have the seat next to the window
until we came to a station and then it's to be my turn until we
pass another station and we have passed one but he won't change
over."
"Well it was only a little station anyhow" asserted Freddie
"and it come awful quick after the last one. It isn't fair!"
"There's a seat up ahead for you Bert" suggested Mr. Bobbsey as
a gentleman got up when the train approached a station. "You can
sit there and let Flossie or Freddie take your place."
"All right" answered Bert good-naturedly as he got up.
The train rolled on the two younger twins each having a window
now and Nan occupying the seat with her little brother. For a
time there was quietness until Mrs. Bobbsey said to her husband:
"Hadn't you better get some of the satchels together Richard and
tell Dinah what she is to carry?"
"I think I will" he answered as he went up the car aisle a
little way to where a very fat colored woman sat. She was Dinah
the Bobbsey cook and they took her with them always when going away
for the summer. Now they were on their way to their city house
and of course Dinah came back too.
"Mamma I'm thirsty" said Flossie after a bit. "Please may I get
a drink?"
"I want one too" said Freddie quickly "Come on Flossie we'll
both go down to the end of the car where the water cooler is."
"There's no cup" Nan said. "I went a little while ago but a lady
let me take her glass."
"And if there was a cup I would rather they didn't use it" said
Mrs. Bobbsey. "One never knows who has last handled a public cup."
"But I want a drink" insisted Flossie a bit fretfully for she
was tired from the long journey.
"I know it dear" said her mamma gently "and I'm getting out the
silver cup for you. Only you must be very careful of it and not
drop it for it is solid silver and will dent or mar easily." She
was searching in her bags and presently took out a very valuable
drinking cup gold lined and with much engraving on it. The cup
had been presented to Flossie and Freddie on their first birthday
and bore each of their names. They were very proud of it.
"Now be careful" warned Mrs. Bobbsey as she held out the cup.
"Hold on to the seats as you walk along."
"I'll carry the cup" said Freddie. "I'm the biggest."
"You are not!" declared his sister quickly. "I'm just as big."
"Well anyhow I'm a boy" went on Freddie and Flossie could not
deny this. "And boys always carries things" her brother went on.
"I'll carry the cup."
"Very well but be careful of it" said his mother with a smile
as she handed it to him. The two children went down the aisle of
the car. They stopped for a moment at the seat where Dinah was.
"Is Snoop all right?" asked Freddie peering into a box that was
made of slats with spaces between them for air.
"'Deed an' he am honey" said Dinah with a smile laughing so that
she shook all over her big fleshy body.
"I 'spect he's lonesome; aren't you Snoop?" asked Flossie poking
her finger in one of the cracks to caress as well as she could
a fat black cat. The cat like Dinah the cook went with the
Bobbseys on all their summer outings.
"Well maybe he am lonesome" admitted Dinah with another laugh
"but he's been real good. He hain't yowled once--not once!"
"He'll soon be out of his cage; won't you snoop?" said Freddie
and then he and his sister went on to the water cooler Near by they
saw something else to look at This was the sight of a very very
fat lady who occupied nearly all of one seat in the end of the car.
She was so large that only a very little baby could have found room
beside her.
"Look--look at her." whispered Flossie to Freddie as they paused.
The fat woman's back was toward them and she seemed to be much
interested in looking out of the window.
"She is fat" admitted Freddie. "Did you ever see one so big before?"
"Only in a circus" said Flossie "She'd make--make two of Dinah"
went on her brother.
"She would not" contradicted Flossie quickly. "Cause Dinah's black
and this lady is white."
"That's so" admitted Freddie with a smile. "I didn't think of
that."
A sway of the train nearly made Flossie fall and she caught quickly
at her brother.
"Look out!" he cried. "You 'most knocked the cup down."
"I didn't mean to" spoke Flossie. "Oh there goes my hat! Get it
Freddie before someone steps on it!"
Her brother managed to get the hat just as it was sliding under
the seat where the fat lady sat.
After some confusion the hat was placed on Flossie's head and once
more she and her brother moved on toward the water cooler. It was
getting dusk now and some of the lamps in the car had been lighted.
Freddie carrying the cup filled it with water at the little faucet
and very politely offered it to his sister first. Freddie was no
better than most boys of his age but he did not forget some of the
little polite ways his mamma was continually teaching him. One of
these was "ladies first" though Freddie did not always carry it
out especially when he was in a hurry.
"Do you want any more?" he asked before he would get himself a
drink.
"Just a little" said Flossie. "The silver cup doesn't hold much."
"No I guess it's 'cause there's so much silver in it" replied
her brother. "It's worth a lot of money mamma said."
"Yes and it's all ours. When I grow up I'm going to have my half
made into a bracelet."
"You are?" said Freddie slowly. "If you do there won't be enough
left for me to drink out of."
"Well you can have your share of it made into a watch and drink
out of a glass."
"That's so" agreed Freddie his face brightening. He gave his sister
more water and then took some himself. As he drank his eyes were
constantly looking at the very fat lady who filled so much of her
seat. She turned from the window and looked at the two children
smiling broadly. Freddie was somewhat confused and looked down
quickly. Just then the train gave another lurch and Freddie suddenly
spilled some of the water on his coat.
"Oh look what you did!" cried Flossie "And that's your best coat!"
"I--I couldn't help it" stammered Freddie.
"Never mind little boy" said the fat lady. "It's only clean water.
Come here and I'll wipe it off with my handkerchief. I'd come to
you only I'm so stout it's hard enough for me to walk anyhow and
when the train is moving I simply can't do it."
Freddie and Flossie went to her seat and with a handkerchief that
Flossie said afterward was almost as big as a table cloth the fat
lady wiped the water off Freddie's coat.
The little boy held the silver cup in his hand and feeling somehow
that he ought to repay the fat lady's kindness in some way after
thanking her he asked:
"Would you like a drink of water? I can bring it to you if you
would."
"Thank you" she answered. "What a kind little boy you are! I saw
you give your sister a drink first too. Yes I would like a drink.
I've been wanting one some time but I didn't dare get up to go
after it."
"I'll get it!" cried Freddie eager to show what a little man
he was. He made his way to the cooler without accident and then
moving slowly taking hold of the seat on the way back so as not
to spill the water he brought the silver cup brimful to the fat
lady.
"Oh what a beautiful cup" she said as she took it.
"And it cost a lot of money too" said Flossie. "It's ours--our
birthday cup and when I grow up I'm going to have a bracelet made
from my half."
"That will be nice" said the fat lady as she prepared to drink.
But she never got more than a sip of the water Freddie had so kindly
brought her for no sooner did her lips touch the cup than there
was a grinding shrieking sound a jar to the railway coach and the
train came to such a sudden stop that many passengers were thrown
from their seats.
Flossie and Freddie sat down suddenly in the aisle but they were
so fat that they did not mind it in the least. As surprised as he
was Freddie noticed that the fat lady was so large that she could
not be thrown out of her seat no matter how suddenly the train
stopped The little Bobbsey boy saw the water from the cup spill
all over the fat lady and she held the silver vessel in her big
pudgy hand looking curiously at it as though wondering what had
so quickly become of the water.
"It's a wreck--the train's off the track!" a man exclaimed.
"We've hit something!" cried another.
"It's an accident anyhow" said still a third and then every one
seemed to be talking at once.
Mr. Bobbsey came running down the aisle to where Flossie and Freddie
still sat dazed.
"Are you hurt?" he cried picking them both up together which was
rather hard to do.
"No--no" said Freddie slowly.
"Oh papa what is it?" asked Flossie wondering whether she was
going to cry.
"I don't know my dear. Nothing serious I guess. The engineer must
have put the brakes on too quickly. I'll look out and see."
Knowing that his children were safe Mr. Bobbsey put them down
and led them back to where his wife was anxiously waiting.
"They're all right" he called. "No one seems to be hurt."
Bert Bobbsey looked out of the window. Though darkness had fallen
there seemed to be many lights up ahead of the stopped train. And
in the light Bert could see some camels an elephant or two a
number of horses and cages containing lions and tigers strung out
along the track.
"Why--why what's this--a circus?" he asked. "Look Nan! See those
monkeys!"
"Why it is a circus--and the train must have been wrecked!"
exclaimed his sister. "Oh mamma what can it be?"
A brakeman came into the car where the Bobbseys were.
"There's no danger" he said. "Please keep your seats. A circus
train that was running ahead of us got off the track and some of
the animals are loose. Our train nearly ran into an elephant and
that's why the engineer had to stop so suddenly. We will go on
soon."
"A circus; eh?" said Mr. Bobbsey. "Well well! This is an adventure
children. We've run into a circus train! Let's watch them catch
the animals."
CHAPTER II
SNOOP IS GONE
"Papa do you think a tiger would come in here?" asked Freddie
remembering all the stories of wild animals he had heard in his
four years.
"Or a lion?" asked Flossie.
"Of course not!" exclaimed Nan. "Can't you see that all the wild
animals are still in their cages?"
"Maybe some of 'em are loose" suggested Freddie and he almost
hoped so as long as his father was there to protect him.
"I guess the circus men can look after them" said Bert. "May I
get off father and look around?"
"I'd rather you wouldn't son. You can't tell what may happen."
"Oh look at that man after the monkey!" cried Nan.
"Yes. and the monkey's gone up on top of the tiger's cage" added
Bert. "Say this is as good as a circus anyhow!"
Some of the big flaring lights used in the tents at night had
been set going so the circus and railroad men could see to work
and this glare gave the Bobbseys and other passengers on the train
a chance to see what was going on.
"There's a big elephant!" cried Freddie. "See him push the lion's
cage around. Elephants are awful strong!"
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