The Bobbsey Twins in Washington | Page 6

Bobbsey Twins on the Deep, Blue Sea," and in it is related how
the family went on a voyage to an island off the coast of Florida, to
rescue a poor, sick boy who had been left there by mistake.
Now they were home once more.

It was almost time for school to open for the fall term, and the twins
were playing in the barn, making the most of the last days of their
vacation, when the accident happened about the hay, as I have told you.
"Flossie! Freddie! Are you under there?" called Bert, anxiously, as he
threw aside armful after armful of the dried grass. "Are you down there
under the hay?"
He paused a moment to listen for an answer, but none came. If Flossie
and Freddie were there, either they did not hear him or they were so
smothered by the hay that they could not answer.
"Oh, I hope nothing has happened to them!" exclaimed Bert, and he
began digging away faster than before.
Certainly it was a large pile of hay to have fallen on two little children.
But then the hay was soft, and Bert, himself, had often been buried
under a pile in the field. It had not hurt, but the dust had made him
sneeze.
Faster and faster Bert dug away at the hay. He heard feet pattering on
the barn floor back of him, and, turning, saw Snap, the big dog, come
running in.
"Oh, Snap!" cried Bert, "Flossie and Freddie are under the hay! Help
me dig 'em out!"
"Bow wow!" barked Snap, just as if he understood. Of course he didn't
really know what had happened, but he saw Bert digging away and
Snap himself knew enough to do that. Often enough he had dug up,
with his front paws, a bone he had buried in the hard ground. This
digging in the soft hay was easier than that.
So Snap began to paw aside the hay, just as Bert was doing, and while
boy and dog were doing this into the barn came fat Dinah, with Nan
running ahead of her.
"Whut's dish yeah has happened, Bert? Whut's all dish yeah I heah Nan

say?" demanded the black cook. "Whut you done gone an' done to yo'
l'il broth' an' sistah? De pooh l'il honey lambs!"
"I didn't do anything!" declared Bert. "I was swinging on a rope, over
the haymow, and so was Nan. And Flossie and Freddie were playing on
the barn floor under the mow. I fell on the hay and so did Nan, and a
whole lot of it slid down and fell on top of Flossie and Freddie
and--and--now they're down under there, I guess!"
"Good land ob massy!" exclaimed Dinah. "Dat suah is a lot to happen
to mah poor l'il lambkins! Where is you, Flossie? Where is you,
Freddie?" she cried.
There was no answer.
"Oh, Dinah! do get them out," begged Nan.
"I will, honey! I will!" exclaimed the colored woman.
"Shall I go to get Sam?" Nan wanted to know. "Mother isn't at home,"
she added to Bert. "She went over to Mrs. Black's. Oh, maybe we can't
ever get Flossie and Freddie out!"
"Hush yo' talk laik dat!" cried Dinah. "Co'se we git 'em out! We kin do
it. No need to git Sam. Come on now, Bert an' Nan! Dig as fast as yo'
kin make yo' hands fly!"
Dinah bent over and began tossing aside the hay as Bert had been doing.
Nan also helped, and Snap--well he meant to help, but he got in the
way more than he did anything else, and Bert tried to send his dog out,
but Snap would not go.
Faster and faster worked Dinah, Nan and Bert, and soon the big pile of
hay, which had fallen on Flossie and Freddie grew smaller. It was being
stacked on another part of the floor.
"Maybe I'd better go and telephone to daddy!" suggested Nan, when the
hay pile had been made much smaller. "You don't see anything of them

yet, do you Dinah?" she asked anxiously.
"No, not yet, honey! But I soon will. We's 'most to de bottom ob de
heap. No use worritin' yo' pa. We'll git Freddie and Flossie out all
right!"
Bert was tossing aside the hay so fast that his arms seemed like the
spokes of a wheel going around. He felt that it was partly his fault that
the hay had fallen on his little brother and sister.
"Now we'll git 'em!" cried Dinah, after a bit. "I see de barn flo' in one
place. Come on out, chilluns!" she cried. "Come on out, Flossie an'
Freddie! We's dug de hay offen yo' now! Come on out!"
Indeed the hay pile was now so small