The Bobbsey Twins | Page 3

said Nan.
"Girls can't be soldiers," answered Freddie. "They have to get married,
or be dressmakers, or sten'graphers, or something like that."
"You mean sten_o_graphers, Bert. I'm going to be a sten_o_grapher
when I get big."
"I don't want to be any sten_o_gerer," put in Flossie. "I'm going to keep
a candy store, and have all the candy I want, and ice cream----"
"Me too!" burst in Freddie. "I'm going to have a candy store, an' be a
fireman, an' a soldier, all together!"
"Dear! dear!" laughed Dinah. "Jess to heah dat now! It's wonderful wot
yo' is gwine to be when yo' is big."
At that moment the front door bell rang, and all rushed to the hallway,
to greet their mother, who had been down-town, on a shopping tour.

CHAPTER II
ROPE JUMPING, AND WHAT FOLLOWED
"Oh, mamma, what have you brought?" Such was the cry from all of
the Bobbsey twins, as they gathered around Mrs. Bobbsey in the

hallway. She had several small packages in her hands, and one looked
very much like a box of candy.
Mrs. Bobbsey kissed them all before speaking. "Have you been good
while I was gone?" she asked.
"I guess we tried to be good," answered Bert meekly.
"Freddie's boiler got broke, that's all," said Flossie. "Dinah swept up the
dirt."
Before anything more could be said all were in the dining room and
Mrs. Bobbsey was called upon to admire the row of houses. Then the
box of candy was opened and each received a share.
"Now you had better go out and play," said the mother. "Dinah must set
the table for dinner. But be sure and put on your thick coats. It is very
cold and feels like snow."
"Oh, if only it would snow!" said Bert. He was anxious to try a sled he
had received the Christmas before.
It was Saturday, with no school, so all of the boys and girls of the
neighborhood were out. Some of the girls were skipping rope, and Nan
joined these, while Bert went off to join a crowd of boys in a game of
football.
"Let us play horse," suggested Freddie to Flossie. They had reins of red
leather, with bells, and Freddie was the horse while his twin sister was
the driver.
"I'm a bad horse, I'll run away if you don't watch me," cautioned
Freddie, and began to prance around wildly, against the grape arbor and
then up against the side fence.
"Whoa! whoa!" screamed Flossie, jerking on the reins. "Whoa, you
naughty horse! If I had a whip, I'd beat you!"
"If you did that, I'd kick," answered Freddie, and began to kick real

hard into the air. But at last he settled down and ran around the house
just as nicely as any horse could. Then he snorted and ran up to the
water bucket near the barn and Flossie pretended to give him a drink
and some hay, and unharnessed him just as if he was a real steed.
Nan was counting while another girl named Grace Lavine jumped,
Grace was a great jumper and had already passed forty when her
mother called to her from the window.
"Grace, don't jump so much. You'll get sick."
"Oh, no, I won't," returned Grace. She was a headstrong girl and always
wanted her own way.
"But jumping gave you a headache only last week," continued Mrs.
Lavine. "Now, don't do too much of it," and then the lady closed the
window and went back to her interrupted work.
"Oh, dear, mamma made me trip," sighed Grace. "I don't think that was
fair."
"But your mamma doesn't want you to jump any more," put in another
girl, Nellie Parks by name.
"Oh, she didn't say that. She said not to jump too much."
It was now Nan's turn to jump and she went up to twenty-seven and
then tripped. Nellie followed and reached thirty-five. Then came
another girl who jumped to fifty-six.
"I'm going a hundred this time," said Grace, as she skipped into place.
"Oh, Grace, you had better not!" cried Nan.
"You're afraid I'll beat you," declared Grace.
"No, I'm not. But your mamma said----"
"I don't care what she said. She didn't forbid my jumping," cut in the

obstinate girl. "Are you going to turn or not?"
"Yes, I'll turn," replied Nan, and at once the jumping started. Soon
Grace had reached forty. Then came fifty, and then sixty.
"I do believe she will reach a hundred after all," declared Nellie Parks,
a little enviously.
"I will, if you turn steadily," answered Grace, in a panting voice. Her
face was strangely pale.
"Oh, Grace, hadn't you better stop?" questioned Nan. She was a little
frightened, but, nevertheless, kept on turning the rope.
"No!" puffed Grace.