Chapter 3

"Just what I thought!" he said to himself. "That would taste pretty good for dinner. The dog won't know the difference."

He reached down to take the beefsteak out.

But Rover had finished chasing Ponto and was on the way back. When he saw the man reaching into his basket, he ran back as fast as he could go.

"Bow-wow! bow-wow!" he barked. He looked so big and savage, and he barked and growled so loud, that Mr. Hook dropped the meat back into the basket. But he did not wait to put the white cloth and the brown paper over it.

Rover took the basket up and walked swiftly toward home. Mr. Hook stood looking after him and thinking, "I wish that dog were not so big and savage."

Bobby was waiting for Rover under the maple tree in the front yard, and they walked to the house side by side.

As Rover set the basket on the floor, Mrs. Hill picked it up and said, "I wonder why the meat is on top of the cloth and the paper."

But Rover did not tell.

XI

"Quack, quack, quack!" said the Big White Duck, as he started down to the Duck Pond below the orchard.

"Quack, quack, quack!" said the six other ducks, as they fell in line behind the leader.

"Let's all a-swimming go," they said.

And away they all went, waddling along in a procession, one behind another.

But when they got there, the Duck Pond was dry.

"It is very strange," thought the ducks. "What has happened to our pond?"

But all they said was, "Quack, quack, quack!" as they walked on the dry earth where the water had been.

Before long the leader started back toward the farmyard.

So all the ducks fell in line and waddled back, one behind another. They drank from the tub of water at the pump, but they could not swim in it because it was too small, and so they could not keep their feathers clean and white.

Now this is why the Duck Pond was dry.

For weeks there had been no rain at Cloverfield Farm.

Every day the sun had shone brightly all day.

The ground was very dry. The grass was dead and brown. The cistern had become empty. In the road the dust was several inches deep.

"The plums and peaches are falling from the trees," said Farmer Hill. "If it doesn't rain soon, we won't have any fruit."

"My flowers are dying," said Mother.

They watched the sky every day, to see if there were any signs of rain.

"I see a little cloud," said Bobby every few days. "Perhaps it will rain to-day."

But the little cloud would float lazily across the sky and bring no rain.

Every day the ducks would go in a procession down to the Duck Pond to swim. Every day they would find the Duck Pond dry and come back, one behind another, and take a drink from the tub of water at the pump.

And so five weeks passed.

At last, one day, big clouds gathered in the sky.

Bobby saw them first and came running in to tell the news.

"It's going to rain," he shouted. "See the big, big clouds."

Mother and Sue went to the door and looked out.

"It's surely going to rain," they said.

"I'll help put the windows down," said Bobby. And he ran to do it.

The men stopped work and put the horses in the barn, so they would not get wet. The hens and chickens went under the shed. The cows in the pasture went under the big trees.

It was not long before the lightning flashed and the thunder crashed and the rain came down.

They all went to the Big South Window to watch the storm--Father, Mother, John, Sue, Bobby and Betty.

"I like to watch a storm," said Bobby.

"It is a good sight," said Father. "Now the corn and potatoes will grow and the fruit will stay on the trees."

"My flowers will blossom again," said Mother, "and we'll have water in the cistern."

"I hope it will make the grass green," said Sue.

"I hope it will fill the Duck Pond," said Bobby, "so I can sail my boats and the ducks can have a swim."

As they stood there, suddenly Bobby called out, "Oh, see the ducks!" There they were in the rain, waddling around in the pools of water.

"Quack, quack, quack!" said the Big White Duck. "Isn't this grand?"

"Quack, quack, quack!" said the six other ducks, as they shook their feathers and waggled their tails.

After the rain had stopped and the pools had begun to dry up, Bobby saw the Big White Duck start off toward the Duck Pond.

All the other ducks followed, one behind another.

Down to the Duck Pond they went and found it full of water.

So all the ducks a-swimming went and were content.

XII

The day after the big rain, Bobby and Rover were down at the Duck Pond.

Bobby would throw a stick out into the middle of the pond and shout, "Get it, Rover."

Rover would jump into the water, swim out to the stick and bring it back in his mouth. Nine times Bobby threw the stick into the pond. Nine times Rover brought it back.

When they had done that long enough, Rover shook himself to get the water out of his coat, and lay down on the bank to dry.

Bobby spied an old raft, lying at one edge of the pond, under the willow tree. "I'll play on the raft," he thought.

It was only a few days since Mother had said, "Never go on the raft, Bobby, unless Father or John is at the pond with you."

"Oh, pshaw!" thought Bobby. "There is no danger; I'll have a little fun."

For some time he was content to keep near the shore, just pushing the raft around a little with a long pole. Then, growing bolder, he thought, "I'll go clear across the pond. Mother will never find it out."

So across the pond he started. Near the middle the water was deeper, so he had to go to the edge of the raft and lean over to make his pole touch bottom.

A little farther, and a little farther, he leaned. The raft began to tip and the first thing Bobby knew, he went head first into the water.

Down he went, to the bottom of the pond.

When he came up, he was lucky enough to be near the raft, and he grabbed the edge of it.

"Help! help!" he shouted. He tried to climb up on the raft but could not do it.

No one heard him shout, except the ducks that were swimming not far off. They said, "Quack, quack, quack!" but they could not help him.

Rover, over on the bank, was dozing in the sun. The first time Bobby called, Rover wiggled his ears but went on dozing.

Bobby shouted again, "Help! help!"

Rover heard this time and stood up and looked out over the water.

He saw Bobby clinging to the raft. Into the water he jumped and swam as fast as he could.

When he came near, Bobby said, "Oh, Rover, can't you help me out?" He took hold of Rover's collar with his right hand but still clung to the raft with his left hand.

Rover tried to swim toward the shore but the raft was so heavy he could not go very fast. So Bobby let go of the raft and then Rover could pull him along.

Bobby clung to Rover's collar until they reached shallow water.

"I'm glad you were near, Rover," he said, when they were on dry ground.

Bobby did not want to go to the house and tell Mother what had happened, but there was no other way.

So Bobby, all wet and drippy, and Rover, all wet and drippy, went to the house together.

"Why Bobby Hill, what have you been doing?" asked Mother, when she saw his wet, muddy clothes.

When he told her about getting on the raft she looked surprised. When he told her what Rover did, she turned and patted Rover's neck and said, "Good dog, good dog!"

"Of course, you will have to go to bed while your clothes get dry," she said to Bobby.

"Can't I put on one of my clean suits?" he asked.

"No," said Mother. "When boys get on rafts and fall into the water, they always go to bed while their clothes dry."

So to bed Bobby went in the middle of the day.

Mother washed his clothes and hung them to dry in the shade of the apple tree.

Sue tied a blue ribbon on Rover's collar, and Mother gave him a plate of cold roast beef with potatoes and gravy.

XIII

Of all the horses on Cloverfield Farm, Prince was the one the children liked best.

Prince would take a lump of sugar from Bobby's hand and not bite him. He would let Bobby and Betty come near and not kick them.

Sometimes Bobby rode on Prince's back, very slowly, with Father walking along beside.

"When shall I be allowed to go trotting down the road all alone, like John and Sue?" asked Bobby.

"Not until you are older," answered Father.

One day Bobby was down in the field where Hobson was working. When the dinner bell rang, Bobby said, "Let me ride Prince up to the barn."

"You might fall off," said Hobson. "I think I had better not let you."

"I can hang on," said Bobby. "Father lets me ride sometimes."

Hobson thought a moment. "All right; if you'll be careful, I'll let you ride this time," he said.

He let Daisy go on ahead, and then lifted Bobby to Prince's back with the big, clumsy work harness still on.

"Hold on tight and go slow," said he, as he gave Bobby the check rein.

Through the gap into the lane went Daisy, up the lane toward the barn. Prince and Bobby followed.

When Father let Bobby ride up to the barn, he always walked along beside. But after Hobson had started them off, he went across lots to the barn.

So there was Bobby riding Prince all alone.

How big and grand he felt!

When they were part way up the lane, Daisy, who was in a hurry for her dinner, began to trot.

"Let us trot, too," said Bobby. "Get-up, Prince."

Prince was hungry and thirsty. So when Bobby said a second time, "Get-up, Prince," and pulled on the check rein, Prince began to trot.

Father was in the farmyard at the head of the lane, fixing the drill for the wheat sowing.

"I can ride as well as John or Sue," thought Bobby. "I'll show Father I can."

Up and down, up and down, he bounded as Prince trotted along.

Prince was enjoying it too.

"I'll give Bobby a good ride," he thought. And he arched his neck and trotted proudly up the lane.

Bobby felt happy and grand.

Prince felt happy and grand.

Now along the sides of the lane, there were thistle patches; and in one place near the head of the lane, there was a low stone pile with thistles growing up between the stones.

Bobby always kept away from thistle patches when he was barefoot.

They had gotten almost to the head of the lane, when Prince began to trot faster. Bobby bounded up and down higher than ever, his bare feet hitting the horse's sides at every step.

And then, the first thing he knew, he began to slide off.

"Whoa! whoa!" he shouted.

He grabbed a piece of the harness and tried to hold on, but at every step Prince took he slid farther.

"Whoa! whoa!" he shouted again.

Prince slowed up, but it was too late. He turned his head just in time to see Bobby tumble to the ground. Then he stopped stock still.

Down on the stones and the thistles Bobby fell.

This was bad enough, but then he rolled against Prince's hind foot, a little stunned by the fall.

Father saw Bobby fall and ran toward him, thinking as he ran, "Oh, what if Prince steps on Bobby or kicks him?"

And Father ran faster than he had ever run before.

But there Prince stood and kept his foot as still as still could be, until Father came and pulled Bobby away. Then Prince started on to the barn.

"Are you hurt?" asked Father.

"Not much," replied Bobby, as he rubbed his bruises.

Father helped him get the thistles out of his bare feet and legs. There were sixteen.

"That was a grand ride, though," said Bobby.

They went to the barn together and came up to Prince at the watering-trough.

Father took Prince's face in his two hands and in his kindest voice said, "You are a wonderful horse, Prince. Thank you for being careful of my Bobby. You shall have some extra oats to-day."

When Sue was told about it, she found another blue ribbon and tied it on Prince's bridle.

XIV

Mother's favorite place in all the house was by the big window in the sitting-room. It was on the south side of the house; so they called it the Big South Window.

On bright days the sun shone through it and flooded the sitting-room with golden sunshine. From it Mother could see green fields near by and purple hills in the distance and the blue sky over all.

"I love my Big South Window," she often said.

She sat there to do the sewing and mending. She sat there to read and sometimes just to enjoy the view--orchard and woods, green fields and the big elm tree, purple hills and blue sky.

One day in Autumn, a letter came to Mother from her sister. "Please come and make me a visit," the letter said.

"I do not see how I can go," said Mother. "There are so many things to be done here."

"Oh, yes, you must go," said Father. "You have not had a vacation in a long time. We'll get Aunt Martha to come and keep house."

"I'll look after the chickens and the ducks," said Bobby. "And I'll keep the wood box full for Aunt Martha."

So one day in October Mother said good-by and went away on her long journey. She was to be gone three weeks.

From the very first, Bobby missed her greatly. Most of all he missed her at evening, when she was not there to tell him a good-night story. But for the first week he stood it very well, his extra chores helping to pass the time away.

After that it seemed such a long time since he _had_ seen her, and such a very long time until he _would_ see her, that he could scarcely wait.

Every morning he counted the days until she would come home. When the second week had passed, he could say, "Only seven more days until Mother comes home."

That day, after he had fed the chickens and ducks and filled the wood box, he went into the sitting-room and sat in Mother's rocker and looked out through her favorite window.

Then he noticed how dirty it was.

"That will never do," thought Bobby. "Her window must be as bright and shiny as if she were here to look at it."

Bobby washed the big window on the inside and then he went outside. By standing on the kitchen stool and getting Aunt Martha to push down the upper sash, he could reach the top.

So with feeding the chickens and the ducks, and romping with Rover, and looking after Betty, and watching the men at work, and playing with his blocks and trains, and reading a book which Mother sent him, another week passed.

At last came the morning when it was only a few hours before she would come.

Bobby could hardly eat any breakfast for the joy of it.

All the forenoon, he and Sue were sweeping and dusting and putting the house in order.

Sue picked some pansies from Mother's pansy bed and put them in a dish on the dining table.

Bobby went to the fence corners and picked some beautiful red bitter-sweet for the sitting-room. Last of all, they washed the Big Window.

After dinner, to pass the time away, Bobby took his ball and began to bounce it on the side of the house.

"I'll see whether I can catch it a hundred times," thought he.

Ninety-seven times he caught it. "I'll soon have a hundred," he said. "Won't that be fine to tell Mother?"

He screwed up his mouth and threw the ball again. But instead of hitting the boards it hit the Big South Window.

Crash went the glass, in dozens of pieces, to the ground.

"Oh! oh!" moaned Bobby, as he stood looking at the ruined window.

"Why did I do it? Why _did_ I do it?"

Sue heard the crash and came to see what had happened.

"It is too bad," said she.

"I must get another glass put in before Mother comes home," he said.

"There is not time," said Sue. "And probably there is not so large a pane without going to the city. But we can pick up the pieces and make it look as tidy as possible."

So they picked up the pieces, and Bobby carried them off to the barrel where they kept broken glass and dishes.

When Bobby had put the broken pieces of glass in the barrel, he went into the sitting-room. How ugly the Big Window looked now, with the big, jagged hole in it and the glass cracked in all directions. He felt the chill November air coming in through the broken pane.

"It will never do," thought he. "I must get a new pane put in right away."

He went to his bank, which was standing on the clock-shelf. In it he found four dollars, which he had been saving for a long time to buy a new Express Wagon.

"I hope it will be enough," he said.

There was only one man in the village who kept window glass--Mr. Barlow, the carpenter. As fast as he could run, Bobby ran to the village, and as he ran, he kept thinking, "Will he be at home? Will he have a big glass?"

When Bobby reached Mr. Barlow's shop, as soon as he could get his breath, he said, "Oh, Mr. Barlow, have you a big window pane? I've broken our Big South Window."

"Broken your Big South Window, have you? Well, that is too bad. I think I haven't one now, and to-morrow is Sunday; but I'll get you one on Monday when I go to the city."

"Oh, but it must be put in to-day," said Bobby. "I have the money to pay you. Would four dollars be enough?"

"I think that would be enough," said Mr. Barlow. "But I will have to nail boards over it to-night and get a big pane Monday."

"But I do so want it put in to-day," said Bobby. "Mother is coming home on the four o'clock train."

"So your mother's coming home, is she?" He saw the anxious look on Bobby's face.

"I will see what I can find," he said.

Mr. Barlow's shop was piled full of all sorts of things for building houses. Besides his work bench and tool chests, there were piles of lumber, bundles of shingles, odd window sashes and, in one corner, some window panes. He went to this corner and looked over the panes.

"No," he said, "there is nothing big enough."

Bobby began to look here and there. Back of a pile of lumber, he found two window panes.

"Here, Mr. Barlow," he called. "Here are some big ones."

"Well! well! I had forgotten them," said Mr. Barlow. He came back there and measured them. "Almost big enough," he said, "but not quite. I remember just the size of your big window. These lack three inches.

"I'm afraid you will have to wait, sonny," he added.

Bobby tried to keep back the tears, but they would come; he was so disappointed. Mr. Barlow thought a moment.

"I'll tell you what I'll do," said he. "I had some big windows taken over to Mr. Martin's new house this morning. He is going to have two windows just the size of yours. If they are not yet put in, I think Mr. Martin will let me take one for you and get him another next week."

Bobby and the carpenter went over to Mr. Martin's house. They found that one of the big panes had already been put in, and the man was just going to start on the other.

"Wait a minute," said Mr. Barlow. "We may not want that one put in to-day."

Then he said to Mr. Martin, "Will you let me put that big pane into Mr. Hill's window? I'll get another one for you on Monday."

"Why not get Mr. Hill's on Monday?" asked Mr. Martin.

"Well, you see, Bobby broke their big window and his mother is coming home to-day," said the carpenter.

"I see," said Mr. Martin. "Well, in that case, I'll help a little chap out."

Mr. Barlow hitched up his horse and put the big pane of glass in the wagon. They reached the house with the big pane all safe.

While Mr. Barlow put it in, Bobby stood watching him and looking at the clock every once in a while. When it was all done, he handed the four dollars to Mr. Barlow.

"And thank you ever so much for coming to-day," he said.

"It won't take as much as that," said the carpenter. And he handed a dollar back to Bobby.

"What time did you say Mother was coming?" he asked.

"On the four o'clock train," answered Bobby.

"There is time to wash it if you will bring the things," said Mr. Barlow.

Bobby washed the inside, while Mr. Barlow washed the outside.

And there was the Big Window, whole and bright and shiny again.

It was not long before Father and John came up to the house with Prince, to go to the train. Bobby and Sue and Betty all got into the carriage. Rover ran along beside it.

On the way to the station, Bobby told Father all about the window.

In a short time, the train came in sight down the track. In a few moments more, Bobby saw Mother coming from the train and ran to meet her.

And it was not long before she was home again, and they were all visiting together in the sitting-room.

As she sat in the big rocker near the window, Mother said, "I saw many beautiful sights on my trip, but none that I like better than the view from my beautiful, shiny, big window."

And then wasn't Bobby Hill happy!

XV

A few weeks after Mother came home, they were all gathered in the sitting-room after supper.

Outside, the rain beat against the window panes and the wind made a mournful sound among the evergreens.

Inside, all was bright and cheery. In the coal stove a fire was burning. On the table a big lamp sent a bright light through the room.

Baby Betty had been put to bed, but Bobby sat at the table, reading a new book.

"It is almost bedtime for you," said Mother.

"Can't we have a game of dominoes before I go?" asked Bobby.

Mother looked at the clock. "Just one," she said.

So they all gathered around the table in the center of the room--Father, Mother, John and Sue and Bobby.

Father and Bobby were partners. They got two hundred points first and so won the game.

When the game was over, John went down cellar and brought up a pan of apples. Bobby and Sue went to the attic and brought down a basin of walnuts. And as they were eating the walnuts and the apples, they had a merry time.

"I am glad we have such a comfortable place on this stormy night," said Mother.

"I always like our long Winter evenings," said Father.

Bobby was cracking nuts. Suddenly he stopped and listened to the rain.

"I hope the squirrels in the apple tree have plenty of nuts to-night," said he.

At half past eight, Bobby went upstairs to bed. Mother tucked him in and told him a good-night story. It was about Daniel in the Lion's Den that night.

When she came down, Father was reading his paper on one side of the table. Across from him, John sat reading a book. Sue was softly playing on the piano.

Mother stopped a moment in the doorway to enjoy the scene.

"Winter time or Summer time, home is best," she thought.

Then she took her place in the easy chair which John had drawn up for her near the lamp, and opened her book to read.

Upstairs, Bobby lay awake for some time, listening to the wind and rain.

Then he fell asleep and dreamed that he was in the hayfield playing with Rover; and the sound he heard was not the storm but the hum of the mower cutting the clover.

THE END

End of Project Gutenberg's Bobby of Cloverfield Farm, by Helen Fuller Orton