Laura Lee Hope

“ Then they both laughed, for it was a good joke on each of them.
"Never mind," spoke Bert, as he got up and dressed. "We'll try it again to-night."
"Try what?" asked Nan from the next room, for she could hear her brother speak. "If you boys try to play any tricks on us girls—-"
"Don't worry," broke in Harry. "The secret isn't about you."
"I think you're real mean not to tell us!" called Dorothy, from her room. "Nan and I are going to have a marshmallow roast, when we go on shore near the waterfall, and we won't give you boys a single one, will we, Nan?"
"Not a one!" cried Bert's sister. ”

“ Bobbsey, while Nan, Bert, Flossie and Freddie walked with their mother.
"Oh, mamma, when do you think we can go in our boat?" asked Flossie.
"Well, as soon as school closes, my dear."
"And will we sail across the ocean?" Freddie wanted to know.
"Of course not!" cried Bert. "A houseboat isn't a ship."
"That boy knew about ships," said Nan. "I like him, don't you, mamma?"
"Yes, he seemed real nice. He hasn't a very easy life, I'm afraid, working on a farm. But we must hurry on to supper. We'll talk about the boat after papa comes home." ”

“ Snap is going to be my horse," explained Freddie. "I'm going to hitch him to my express wagon, and Flossie and I are going to have a ride."
"Ha! Ha!" laughed Bert. "You won't get much of a ride with THAT harness," and he looked at the thin cord which the small boy was winding about the dog's neck.
"Why not?" asked Freddie, a little hurt at Bert's laughter. Freddie, like all small boys, did not like to be laughed at.
"Why, Snap is so strong that he'll break that string in no time," said
Bert. "Besides—"
"Flossie's gone in for our booty straps, I tell you!" ”

“ CHAPTER V THE STRANGE BOY The Bobbsey twins looked at one another, and then at their mother, as Mr. Bobbsey went out of the living room of the houseboat, toward the stairway that led up on deck.
Bert tried to look brave, and as though he did not care. Nan moved a little closer to her mother. As for Flossie, she, too, was a little frightened, but Freddie did not seem at all alarmed.
"Is it somebody come to take the boat away from us?" he asked in his high-pitched, childish voice. "If it is—don't let 'em, papa." ”

“ A few days after this, when the Bobbsey twins reached home from school, Mrs. Bobbsey met them at the door, saying:
"I have good news for you, children!"
"What is it?" cried Bert.
"Don't we have to go to school any more?" Freddie.
"Are we going on the houseboat sooner than we expected?" Nan wanted to know.
"It's about your two cousins—Harry and Dorothy," went on Mrs. Bobbsey. "They have both accepted our invitations, and they will come with us on the trip! Won't that be nice?"
"Lovely!" exclaimed Nan, her eyes shining with delight. "Dorothy and
I'll have such nice times together!" ”

“ Bobbsey. "This boat is all right on a lake, or river, but the big waves of the ocean would be too strong for it. We don't intend to go to sea. Why? Are you fond of sailing?"
"That's what I am!" cried the boy. "I'm going to sea in a ship some day. I'm sick of farm-life!" and his eyes snapped.
"Are you a farmer?" asked the twins' father.
"I work for a farmer, and I don't like it—the work is too hard," the boy said, as he hung his head.
"There is plenty of hard work in this world," went on Mr. Bobbsey. "Of course too much hard work isn't good for any one, but we must all do our share. ”

“ Bobbsey. "Even if he did fish a little during the time you call yours, that would be no excuse for using a horsewhip on him."
"I tell you he's bound out to me, and I can do as I please with him!" cried Mr. Hardee.
"No, you can't," said Mr. Bobbsey. "You have no right to be cruel, even if he is a poor boy, and is bound out to you. Haven't you any folks, Will?" he asked. ”

“ He couldn't know that," said Freddie. "I didn't know it myself until a little while ago, and I didn't tell anybody but you."
"Well, maybe Snap heard us talking about it," went on Flossie. "He's awful smart, you know, Freddie, from having been in a circus."
"But he isn't smart enough for that, even if he can do lots of tricks," Freddie went on. "There's Snoop!" he exclaimed, as a big, black cat ran across the lawn. "Maybe SHE took our book straps."
"She couldn't," said Flossie. "Our books were in 'em, and they'd be too heavy for Snoop to drag." ”

“ Flossie and Freddie were busy trying to make Snoop do one of the tricks the circus lady had taught her. But Snoop wanted to go out in the kitchen, and have Dinah give her some supper.
"Company, eh?" exclaimed Mr. Bobbsey, slowly. "Well, I don't know. We have plenty of room on the Bluebird. I wonder how it would do to ask Harry and Dorothy to come with us?" he inquired of his wife.
"Oh, Cousin Harry!" cried Bert. "That would be fine!"
"And Cousin Dorothy!" added Nan. "She and I could have lovely times together. Do ask her, mother!"
"We might ask the cousins," agreed Mrs. Bobbsey. ”

“ Wouldn't you like to go in a boat, Snoop?" and Flossie picked the fat cat up in her arms. Snoop was quite an armful now. "Don't you want to go, Snoop?"
"Meow!" was all Snoop said, and that might have meant anything at all.
"Supper first," suggested Mr. Bobbsey, "and after that we'll talk about the boat."
The meal was a merry one, and there was much talk and laughter. As Dinah brought on one good thing to eat after another, Mrs. Bobbsey said:
"I hope every one has as nice a supper as we have." ”

“ Marvin owned," said Bert. "It's a fine one, too. We're going to have a trip in her soon."
"You're a lucky boy!" exclaimed John. "Can't you take me down and show me over the boat?"
"I'd like to," said Bert, "but father said I wasn't to go aboard, when he was not with me."
"Pooh! He'll never know," suggested Danny Rugg, a boy with whom Bert had had more or less trouble. "You needn't tell your father you went to the boat. Come on, take us down and let's see it."
"No," said Bert, quietly but firmly. "Maybe my father wouldn't know I had been on board, but I'd know it."
"Aw, you're a fraid-cat!" ”

“ Snap, as I have told you, used to belong to a circus before the Bobbseys bought him, so perhaps learning tricks came easier to him than to most dogs.
"Yes, I taught him this trick myself," went on Nan. "He will walk around on his hind legs, and carry a doll in his front paws, just like a nurse girl. When I dress him up in one of my old skirts and a jacket, he is too funny for anything! I'll make him do the trick now, only I won't dress him up, for I can't find the clothes he wears. I don't believe we brought them. But I'll make him carry the doll for you. Here, Snap!" called Nan. ”

“ Marvin was there, and he sold papa the Marvin houseboat. Oh! and such fun as we're—"
"What's a houseboat?" interrupted Flossie.
"It's a boat with a house on it, of course," spoke Bert, eagerly. "I know. I've seen lots of them. You can live in them just like in a house, only it's on water. There's more room in a houseboat than in a regular boat. Go on, Nan."
"Are we going to live in it?" asked Freddie. ”

“ This is the only way to get to Lake Romano."
"I know what to do, papa," spoke Flossie. "We can ask that man to take down the wires, if Freddie can't cut them with the cutter-thing."
"Yes, I suppose we could do that," Mr. Bobbsey said, slowly.
By this time Mr. Hardee had come closer to the houseboat, which had drifted near to the shore.
"Will you take that fence down, and let us go past?" asked Mr.
Bobbsey, as politely as he could.
"No, I won't!" snapped Mr. Hardee in reply. "No!"
"But we want to go on down the creek," explained the twins' father, "and we can't get past the fence." ”

“ Flossie. "Oh, won't it be fun, Freddie!"
"Yes, I wish it was time to go now. I'm tired of school," said the little fellow.
But school must go on, whether there are houseboat parties or not, so the Bobbsey twins had to study their lessons. I think that day, however, Bert must have been thinking of other things than his books, for when the teacher asked him what an island was, Bert gave a queer answer. Instead of saying it was a body of land, surrounded by water, Bert said:
"An island is a fire engine in the kitchen."
"Why, Bert Bobbsey! What ARE you thinking of?" asked the teacher. ”

“ Mr. Bobbsey spoke too late. Freddie's heel kicked over the glass, and the lemonade spilled right into Mrs. Bobbsey's lap.
"Oh, Freddie!" cried Bert.
"Never mind—it's an old dress," laughed Mrs. Bobbsey, "and there's more lemonade. Accidents will happen on picnics. Never mind, Freddie."
The cricket was "shooed" away by Nan, Freddie's glass was filled again, and the picnic went on merrily. Soon it was time to go back to the boat. ”

“ Nan and Dorothy, having finished looking at each other's dresses, which always seems to delight girls, had come up on deck so that now the whole Bobbsey family, and their country, and seashore cousin visitors also, were there.
"Have you caught any fish yet?" asked Mr. Bobbsey, walking over to where Bert and Harry were dangling their lines in the water.
"Not yet, but we've had two or three bites," said Bert, hopefully.
"I think you'll have better luck when we reach some quiet place, and anchor," Mr. Bobbsey went on. "At any rate, you need not worry, if you don't catch any fish. ”

“ The twins were a little sad as they saw their boat backing up, but it could not be helped.
"We'll have a good time fishing, anyhow," said Harry.
"That's right," agreed Bert. "I wonder if that boy Will took his fishing rod with him? He'd probably need it, if he has run away, and is going out west to find his uncle."
"Why would he need a fish-rod?" asked Nan.
"To catch fish to eat," her brother said. "He'll have to have something, and fish are the easiest to get. I almost wish I had gone with him. It will be lots of fun."
"Oh, but it will be very hard, too," said Mrs. Bobbsey. ”

“ He had begun to dress, and now he thrust his head out from his room.
"Hurry up, Harry," he added. "We want to see this storm."
"No, you must stay here," Mrs. Bobbsey said. "It is too bad a storm for you children to be out in, especially this dark night. Your papa and Captain White will do all that needs to be done."
"Mamma, it—it isn't dark when the lightning comes," said Freddie. He did not seem to be afraid of the brilliant flashes. ”

“ And, the odd part of it was that, when everything was out of the locker, there was no hole to be seen, through which any of the gnawing animals might have slipped.
"That's funny," said the twins' father, as he peered about. "I don't see how that rat got in here, or got out again."
"Perhaps it wasn't a rat," suggested Mrs. Bobbsey.
"What was it, then, that made the noise?" asked her husband.
"I don't know," she answered. "Something might have bumped against the boat outside."
"Yes, that's so," admitted Mr. Bobbsey. "But Snap wouldn't act that way just on account of a noise." ”

“ Bert and Harry, who had caught some larger fish, went back to their rods and lines, while Nan took up Freddie's pole and used it for herself. Flossie divided her time between getting her doll to "sleep" and watching Freddie's fish.
"Well, are we really going up the creek?" asked Mrs. Bobbsey.
"Yes, Mr. Murphy got the farmer to cut the wire fence, so we can get past," said Mr. Bobbsey. "We had better start, too, for Mr. Hardee might change his mind, and put back the wire fence."
"I guess there isn't much danger of that," spoke Mr. Murphy. "But you have a fine boat. ”

“ And Captain White knew how to use it.
Mr. Bobbsey came up out of the little motor room after a while, and watched his wife and Dinah putting things away. The boat was moving down the lake.
"Oh, look at your face!" suddenly cried Mrs. Bobbsey.
"What's the matter with it?" asked her husband, putting his hand up to his nose, as almost any person will do when you speak of his face.
"It's all black!" went on Mrs. Bobbsey. "So are your hands. Oh,
Richard! What have you been doing?"
"Learning to run the gasoline engine," he said. ”

“ Then, too, it was so strange eating on a boat that was moving through the water, for the engine had been started again. Several times, during the meal, the two smaller twins jumped up from the table to run to the windows and look out over the lake. At last their mother said:
"Now, Flossie and Freddie, you must sit still and finish your dinner. Otherwise you may be ill. You'll have plenty of time to see things after you leave the table."
Snap was soon dry, from lying in the sun, and, a little later, Snoop was as warm and fluffy as before she had fallen into the lake. ”

“ Something must be the matter with the spring," said Mr. Bobbsey. He walked toward Freddie's fire engine, which was pretty large, for a toy. But before he reached it, the water hose had swung around, and, instead of sprinkling Flossie, was aimed at Mr. Bobbsey. However he did not mind. Holding the newspaper in front of his face, Freddie's father reached the fire engine, and turned off the machinery that pumped the water.
"There!" he cried. "The fire's out! The only damage is from water," and he laughed, for he was wet, and so were Mrs. Bobbsey, Flossie and Freddie ”

“ Bobbsey. "Your father had a letter from the miner uncle to-day, saying he was going to make a miner of Will. He gave up the idea of going to sea."
"And will he dig gold?" asked Flossie.
"I suppose so, dear!"
"Oh, I'm going to dig gold when I grow to be a man," said Freddie. "May I have another marshmallow, Nan?" "Yes, little fat fireman," she laughed.
A few days later, after making a trip around the lower end of the lake, the Bobbsey twins started for home, reaching there safely, and having no more trouble with Mr. Hardee and his wire fence. ”

“ Bobbsey, "and from what I know of Mr. Hardee he isn't an easy man to work for. Well, have you seen enough of the boat, Nan? Do you think you'll like it?"
"Oh, I just love it," Nan answered. "I'm so anxious for the time to come when we can go sailing, or whatever you do in a boat like this. Mamma, may I bring some of my things from home to fix up my room?"
"I think so—yes. We shall have to talk about that later. I think it is time we started home now. Dinah will not want to wait supper for us." ”