The Bobbsey Twins at Meadow Brook | Page 3

cried Flossie, as she came
to a corner of the yard where she had set out some pansy plants just
before going away.
"And I can't even see the lettuce I planted," said Freddie. "I guess Sam
didn't weed our gardens."
"Never mind, we can make new ones," Flossie said. "Oh, Freddie, look!
There's a strange cat!" Both children ran to where Snoop was making
the acquaintance of a pussy friend. The cats seemed to like one another
and the strange one let the little twins pet it as it lapped some milk from
Snoop's saucer.
A little later Dinah called Flossie and Freddie into the house to have a
glass of milk and some bread and jam, for it was past lunch time. The
small twins came willingly enough.

"What are we going to do the rest of the summer?" asked Nan, as she
sat next to her mother at the table. "Are we going away again?"
"I hope so!" exclaimed Bert. "The houseboat suited me, but if we can
have a trip to the seashore, or go to the country, so much the better."
"We shall see," half-promised Mrs. Bobbsey. "As soon as papa comes
home from the office, he will know how much more time he can spare
from business to go with us. Then I can tell you--"
"There he comes now, mamma!" exclaimed Nan. "Oh, excuse me for
interrupting you," she went on, for Mrs. Bobbsey insisted upon the
children being just as polite at home, and to one another, as they would
be among strangers.
"That's all right, Nan," said her mother kindly. "When papa comes in,
and has had a cup of tea, we'll talk over matters, and decide what to
do."
"Well, are you all settled?" asked Mr. Bobbsey, as he came in, catching
little Freddie up in his strong arms. "Haven't put out any fires since you
got here, have you?" he asked, for Freddie had a great love for playing
fireman, and he often put out "make-believe" blazes with a toy fire
engine he had, which squirted real water.
"No alarms to-day," laughed Freddie, for his father was tickling him in
his "fat ribs," as Freddie called them.
"How's my little fat fairy?" went on Mr. Bobbsey, catching Flossie up
as he had Freddie.
"All right." she answered. "Oh, papa, your whiskers prick!" she cried,
as Mr. Bobbsey kissed her.
"Sit down and have a cup of tea," invited Mrs. Bobbsey. "Then we can
talk about what we are to do. The children are anxious to get away
again, and if we are to go there is no need of unpacking more than we
have to."

"Would you like to go to Meadow Brook?" asked Mr. Bobbsey,
looking at his happy family.
"You know I would," answered his wife, with a smile.
"Meadow Brook! Oh, are we going there?" cried Nan.
"Well, Uncle Daniel has sent us an invitation," said Mr. Bobbsey, "and
your mother and I are thinking of it."
"Can you leave your lumber business long enough to go with us?"
asked Mrs. Bobbsey.
"I think so," replied her husband. "I just stopped at the office, and
everything there is going along nicely. So I think we'll go to Meadow
Brook, in the country, for the rest of the summer."
"Hurray! Hurrah! Oh, how nice!" cried the children.
"Dinah, I think I'll have another cup of tea," went on Mr. Bobbsey, as
the colored cook waddled in. "Make it cold, this time--with ice in it. I
am very warm."
"Yais-sah," said Dinah, taking his cup.
Then followed a confusion of talk, the two sets of twins doing the most.
They were joyfully excited at the idea of going to Meadow Brook farm.
"I'm going to turn somersaults in the grass--just like this," cried Freddie,
rolling over and over on the floor. He rolled toward the door that led
from the dining-room to the kitchen, and, just as he reached it, Dinah
came in with Mr. Bobbsey's cup of iced tea.
Before Freddie could stop himself, and before fat Dinah could get out
of the way, the little Bobbsey chap had rolled right into the cook, and
down she went in a heap on the floor, the cup and saucer crashing into
dozens of pieces, and the tea spilling all over.

CHAPTER II
NEW SUMMER PLANS
"Oh, Freddie!"
"Oh, Dinah!"
"Are you hurt?"
Thus came the cries, and as Snap, the dog, rushed in just then, barking
and leaping about, he made the confusion all the worse.
Mr. Bobbsey sprang from his chair, lifted Freddie out of the way, and
then helped Dinah to her feet. The fat, colored cook looked around in a
dazed manner, and Freddie, too, did not seem to know just what had
happened to him.
"Oh, don't