The Bobbsey Twins | Page 7

strange."
"I--I don't feel very good."
"Then you did run too hard, after all."
"It wasn't that, Nan." Bert looked around him. "Do you see anything of Danny Rugg?"
"No." Nan stopped short. "Bert Bobbsey, did you have a fight with him?"
"No--that is, not a real fight. I chased him with some snowballs and he threw a big chunk of ice at me."
"Did he hit you?"
"No, he--he--oh, Nan, perhaps I had better tell you. But you must promise not to tell anybody else."
"Tell me what?"
"Will you promise not to tell?"
"Yes," said Nan promptly, for she and her twin brother always trusted each other.
"When Danny threw the ice at me it flew past and broke Mr. Ringley's window."
"What, of the shoe store?"
"Yes. Mr. Ringley came running out after both of us. I ran one way and Danny ran another. I ran into the alleyway past Jackson's barn, and got over the fence, and he didn't come any further."
"Does Mr. Ringley think you broke the window?"
"I guess he does. Anyway, he followed me and not Danny."
"But you had nothing to do with it. Oh, Bert, what made you run away at all. Why didn't you stop and tell the truth?"
"I--I got scared, that's why. I was afraid he'd get a policeman."
"Danny ought to own up that he did it."
"He won't do it. He'll put it off on me if he can,--because I chased him in the first place."
"Did Mr. Ringley know it was you?"
"I don't know. Now, Nan, remember, you promised not to tell."
"All right, Bert, I won't say a word. But--but--what do you think Mr. Ringley will do?"
"I don't know."
When they reached the school Danny Rugg was nowhere to be seen. The boys continued to have fun snowballing, but Bert had no heart for play and went to his classroom immediately. But he could not put his mind on his lessons and missed both in geography and arithmetic.
"Bert, you are not paying attention," said the teacher severely. "You just said the capital of Pennsylvania was Albany. You must know better than that."
"Philadelphia," corrected Bert.
"After this pay more attention."
Danny Rugg did not come to school, nor did he show himself until an hour after school was out. Bert had gone home and brought forth his sled, and he and Nan were giving Freddie and Flossie a ride around the block when Danny hailed Bert.
"Come here, I want to talk to you," he said, from across the street.
"What do you want?" asked Bert roughly.
"I've got something to tell you. It won't take but a minute."
Bert hesitated, and then leaving Nan to go on alone with the sled, he crossed to where Danny was standing, partly sheltered by a tree box.
"You can't blame that broken window off on me, Danny Rugg," he began.
"Hush!" whispered Danny, in alarm. "I ain't going to blame it off on you, Bert. I only want you to promise to keep quiet about it."
"Why should I? It was your fault."
"Was it? I don't think so. You began the fight. Besides, if you dare to say a word, I'll--I'll give you a big thrashing!" blustered Danny.
He clenched his fists as he spoke and looked so fierce that Bert retreated a step.
"I haven't said anything, Danny."
"Then you had better not. Old Ringley doesn't know who broke his window. So you keep quiet; do you hear?"
"Are you sure he doesn't know?"
"Yes, because he has been asking everybody about it."
There was a pause and the two boys looked at each other.
"You ought to pay for the window," said Bert.
"Huh! I'm not going to do it. You can pay for it if you want to. But don't you dare to say anything about me! If you do, you'll catch it, I can tell you!" And then Danny walked off.
"What did he have to say?" questioned Nan, when Bert came back to her.
"He wants me to keep still. He says Mr. Ringley doesn't know who did it."
"Did you promise to keep still, Bert?"
"No, but if I say anything Danny says he will give it to me."
A crowd of boys and girls now came up and the talk was changed. All were having a merry time in the snow, and for the time being Bert forgot his troubles. He and Nan gave Freddie and Flossie a long ride which pleased the younger twins very much.
"I wish you was really and truly horses," said Flossie. "You go so _beau_tifully!"
"And if I had a whip I could make you go faster," put in Freddie.
"For shame, Freddie!" exclaimed Nan. "Would you hit the horse that gave you such a nice ride?"
"Let me give you a ride," answered the little fellow, to change the subject.
He insisted upon it, and soon Nan was on the sled behind Flossie, and Bert and Freddie were hauling them along where pulling was easy. This was great sport for Freddie,