Laura Lee Hope - The Bobbsey Twins

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CHAPTER XVII

THE RACE AND THE RUNAWAY

Bert loved to ride and drive, but it must be confessed that he did not
enjoy racing.

The road was rather uneven, and he could not help but think what the
consequences might be if the cutter should strike a deep hollow or a big
stone.

"Don't let Rusher run away," he said to his friend. "Be careful."

Bob was by this time having his hands so full that he could not answer.

"Steady, Rusher, steady!" he called out to the steed. "Steady, old boy!"

But the old race horse was now warmed up to his work and paid no
attention to what was said. On and on he sped, until the young man in
the other cutter was gradually outdistanced.

"Told you I could beat you!" flung back Bob.

"The race is yours," answered the young man, in much disappointment, and
then he dropped further back than ever.

"Better slacken up, Bob," said Bert. "There is no use in driving so hard
now."

"I--I can't slacken up," answered Bob. "Steady, Rusher," he called out.
"Whoa, old fellow, whoa!"

But the old race horse did not intend to whoa, and on he flew as fast as
his legs would carry him, up the first hill and then onward toward the
turn before mentioned.

"Be careful at the turn, Bob!" screamed Bert. "Be careful, or we'll go
over!"

"Whoa, Rusher!" repeated Bob, and pulled in on the reins with all of his
might.

The turn where the sand pit had been was now close at hand. Here the
road was rather narrow, so they had to drive close to the opening, now
more than half filled with drifted snow. Bert clung to the cutter while
Bob continued to haul in on the reins. Then came a crash, as the cutter
hit a hidden stone and drove straight for the sand pit.

"Hold on!" cried Bob, and the next instant Bert found himself flying
out of the cutter and over the edge of the road. He tried to save
himself by clutching at the ice and snow, but it was useless, and in a
twinkling he disappeared into the sand pit! Bob followed, while Rusher
went on more gayly than ever, hauling the overturned cutter after him.

Down and down went poor Bert into the deep snow, until he thought he was
never going to stop. Bob was beside him, and both floundered around
wildly until almost the bottom of the pit was reached.

"Oh, Bob!"

"Oh, Bert! Are you hurt?"

"Don't know as I am. But what a tumble!"

"Rusher has run away!"

"I was afraid he'd do that."

For a minute the two boys knew not what to do. The deep snow lay all
around them and how to get out of the pit was a serious question.

"It's a wonder we weren't smothered," said Bob. "Are you quite sure no
bones have been broken?"

"Bones broken? Why, Bob, it was like coming down on a big feather bed. I
only hope Rusher doesn't do any damage."

"So do I."

When the boys finally floundered out of the hollow into which they had
fallen, they found themselves in snow up to their waists. On all sides
of them were the walls of the sand pit, ten to fifteen feet high.

"I don't see how we are going to get out of this," said Bert dolefully.
"We can't climb out."

"We'll have to do it," answered Bob. "Come, follow me."

He led the way through the deep snow to where the walls did not seem to
be so high. At one spot the rain had washed down part of the soil.

"Let us try to climb up that slope," said the larger boy and led the
way, and Bert followed.

It was hard work and it made Bert pant for breath, for the snow was
still up to his waist. But both kept on, and in the end they stood on
the edge of the sand pit, opposite to the side which ran along the
road.

"Now we have got to walk around," said Bob. "But that will be easy, if
we keep to the places where the wind has swept the snow away."

At last they stood on the road, and this reached both struck out for
Dalton, less than a mile away.

"I'm afraid I'll catch it, if Rusher has smashed up the cutter," said
Bob as they hurried along.

"We did wrong to race," answered Bert.

"Humph! it's no use to cry over spilt milk, Bert."

"I know that, Bob. Was the cutter a new one?"

"No, but I know father won't want it smashed up."

Much downhearted the boys kept on walking. Bert had not wanted to race,
yet he felt he was guilty for having taken part. Perhaps his father
would have to pay for part of the damage done.

"Maybe old Rusher ran right into town and smashed things right and
left," he said to his friend.

"It would be just like him," sighed Bob. "It will make an awful bill to
pay, won't it?"

A little further on they came to where a barn and a wagon shed lined the
road. Under the shed stood a horse and cutter.

"My gracious me!" burst out Bob.

"Why--why--is it Rusher?" gasped Bert.

"It is!" shouted his friend.

Both boys ran up, and as they did so a farmer came from the barn.

"Oh, Mr. Daly, did you catch our horse?"

"I did, Bob," said the farmer. "Had a runaway, eh?"

"Yes, sir. Rusher threw us both into the old sand pit. I'm ever so glad
you caught him. Is the cutter broken?"

"Not that I noticed. I knew you must have had a spill-out. I saw you
going to the lake right after dinner."

Both boys inspected the cutter and found it in good condition, outside
of a few scratches that did not count. Old Rusher was also all right,
for which they were thankful.

"It was nice of you to stop the horse," said Bert to Farmer Daly.

"Oh, I'd do as much for anybody," said the farmer. "That is, if it
wasn't too dangerous. Rusher wasn't running very fast when I caught
him."

"He was running fast enough when he threw us out," answered Bob.

It did not take the boys long to get into the cutter again.

"Don't let him get away on the road home," sang out Farmer Daly after
them.

"No fear of that," answered Bob.

He was very careful how he let Rusher step out. It was growing late, but
Bert did not urge him on, so it was half-past five before the Ramdell
house was reached.

"You are late after all," said Mr. Bobbsey, rather displeased.

"Oh, we've had such an adventure," cried Bert.

"What happened to you?" questioned Mrs. Bobbsey quickly.

"Rusher threw us into a sand pit," answered Bert, and then told the
whole story.

"You can be thankful that you were not hurt," said his mamma.

"I am thankful, mamma."

"Rusher is still full of go," said Mrs. Ramdell. "I have warned my
husband not to let Bob drive him."

"Oh, it was the brush with the other cutter that did it," said Bob.
"Rusher couldn't stand it to let another horse pass him on the road."

Shortly after this, good-bys were said, and Sam brought around the big
family sleigh from the barn. Into this the whole Bobbsey family piled,
and off they went, in the gathering gloom of the short winter day.

"I've had a lovely time!" called out Nan.

"So have I had a lovely time," added little Flossie.

"Splendid," came from Freddie. "The baby is awful nice to play with."

"I've had a good time, too," said Bert. "The hockey game was just the
best ever, and so was the drive behind Rusher, even if we did get dumped
out."

The drive back to Lakeport was enjoyed as much as the drive to Dalton in
the morning. On the way the children began to sing, and the voices
mingled sweetly with the sounds of the sleigh bells.

"I shall not forget this outing in a hurry," said Nan, as she leaped to
the step and ran into the house.

"I shan't forget it either," answered Bert. "But it turned out
differently for me from what I thought it would."

CHAPTER XVIII

A QUARREL IN THE SCHOOLYARD

Three days after the grand sleighing party to Dalton, Nan came down to
breakfast looking very pale and worried.

"What is the trouble, Nan?" questioned her mamma. "What has happened?"

"Oh, mamma, I scarcely feel like telling," answered Nan. "I am afraid
you'll laugh at me."

"I fancy you had best tell me," went on Mrs. Bobbsey.

"I saw the ghost last night--or rather, early this morning."

"What, the ghost that I saw?" shouted Bert.

"I think it must have been the same. Anyway, it was about that
high"--Nan raised her hand to her shoulder--"and all pure white."

"Oh, Nan!" shivered Freddie. "Don't want no ghostses!"

"I don't want to see it," put in Flossie, and edged closer to her mamma
as if fearful the ghost might walk into the dining room that minute.

"This is certainly strange," came from Mr. Bobbsey. "Tell us all about
it, Nan."

"Oh, papa, you won't laugh?" and Nan's face grew very red. "I--I--didn't
think of it then, but it must have been very funny," she continued.

"It's not very funny to see a ghost, Nan," said Mrs. Bobbsey.

"I don't mean that--I mean what I did afterward. You see I was asleep
and I woke up all of a sudden, for I thought somebody had passed a hand
over my face. When I looked out into the room the ghost was standing
right in front of the dresser. I could see into the glass and for the
minute I thought there were two ghosts."

"Oh!" came from Flossie. "Two! Wasn't that simply dreadful!" And she
crouched closer than ever to her mamma.

"As I was looking, the ghost moved away toward the window and then I saw
there was but one. I was so scared I couldn't call anybody."

"I believe you," said Bert. "It's awful, isn't it?"

"This is certainly strange," said Mr. Bobbsey, with a grave look on his
face. "What did you do next, Nan."

"You--you won't laugh, papa?"

"No."

"I thought of my umbrella. It was resting against the wall, close to the
bed. I turned over and reached for the umbrella, but it slipped down and
made a terrible noise as it struck the floor. Then I flung the covers
over my head."

"What did you want the umbrella for?" questioned Freddie, in great
wonder. "'Twasn't raining."

"I thought I could--could punch the ghost with it," faltered Nan.

At this Bert could hold in no longer, and he set up a shout of laughter,
which was instantly repressed by Mr. Bobbsey.

"Oh, Nan, I'm sorry I laughed," said her twin brother, when he could
speak. "But the idea of your poking at a ghost with an umbrella!"

"It was more than you tried to do," said Mr. Bobbsey dryly.

"That is so." Bert grew red in the face. "Did you see the ghost after
that?" he asked to hide his confusion.

"No."

"Not at all?" asked Mrs. Bobbsey.

"No, mamma. I stayed under the covers for about a minute--just like Bert
did--and when I looked the ghost was gone."

"I will have to investigate this," said Mr. Bobbsey seriously. "It is
queer that neither I nor your mamma has seen the ghost."

"I ain't seen it," said Flossie.

"Don't want to see it," piped in Freddie.

Dinah, in the kitchen, had heard Nan's story and she was almost scared
to death.

"Dat am de strangest t'ing," she said to Sam, when he came for his
dinner. "Wot yo' make of it, hey?"

"Dunno," said Sam. "Maybe sumbuddy's gwine to die."

The matter was talked over by the Bobbsey family several times that
day, and Mr. Bobbsey remained awake nearly all of that night, on the
watch for the ghost. The following night Mrs. Bobbsey watched, and then
Dinah took her turn, followed by Sam, who sat in the upper hall in a
rocking chair, armed with a club. But the ghost failed to show itself,
and after a week the excitement died down once more.

"Perhaps you were dreaming, Nan," said Mrs. Bobbsey.

"No, I wasn't dreaming, mamma, and Bert says he wasn't dreaming either."

"It is strange. I cannot understand it at all."

"Do you believe in ghosts, mamma?"

"No, my dear."

"But I saw something."

"Perhaps it was only a reflection. Sometimes the street lamps throw
strange shadows on the walls through the windows."

"It wasn't a shadow," said Nan; and there the talk ended, for Mrs.
Bobbsey knew not what to say to comfort her daughter.

In some way the news that a ghost had been seen in the Bobbsey house
spread throughout the neighborhood, and many came to ask about it. Even
the boys and girls talked about it and asked Nan and Bert all manner of
questions, the most of which the twins could not answer.

The "ghost talk," as it was called, gave Danny Rugg a good chance to
annoy both Nan and Bert.

"Afraid of a ghost! Afraid of a ghost!" he would cry, whenever he saw
them. "Oh, my, but ain't I afraid of a ghost!"

"I think it is perfectly dreadful," said Nan one day, on returning from
school. Her eyes were red, showing that she had been crying.

"I'll 'ghost' him, if he yells at us again," said Bert. "I'm not going
to stand it, so there!"

"But what will you do, Bert?"

"I'll fight him, that's what I'll do."

"Oh, Bert, you mustn't fight."

"Then he has got to leave you alone--and leave me alone, too."

"If you fight at school, you'll be expelled."

"I don't care, I'm going to make him mind his own business," said Bert
recklessly.

Danny Rugg was particularly sore because he had not been invited to
Grace Lavine's party. Of all the boys in that neighborhood he was the
only one left out, and he fancied it was Nan and Bert's fault.

"They don't like me and they are setting everybody against me," he
thought. "I shan't stand it, not me!"

Two days later he followed Bert into the schoolyard, in which a large
number of boys were playing.

"Hullo! how's the ghost?" he cried. "Is it still living at your house?"

"You be still about that ghost, Danny Rugg!" cried Bert, with flashing
eyes.

"Oh, but wouldn't I like to have a house with a ghost," went on Danny
tantalizingly. "And a sister who was afraid of it!"

"Will you be still, or not?"

"Why should I be still? You've got the ghost, haven't you? And Nan is
scared to death of it, isn't she?"

"No, she isn't."

"Yes, she is, and so are you and all the rest of the family." And then
Danny set up his old shout: "Afraid of a ghost! Afraid of a ghost!"

Some of the other boys followed suit and soon a dozen or more were
crying, "Afraid of a ghost!" as loudly as they could.

Bert grew very pale and his breath came thickly. He watched Danny and
when he came closer caught him by the arm.

"Let go!" cried the big boy roughly.

"I want you to stop calling like that."

"I shan't stop."

"I say you will!"

Bert had hardly spoken when Danny struck at him and hit him in the arm.
Then Bert struck out in return and hit Danny in the chin. A dozen or
more blows followed in quick succession. One struck Bert in the eye and
blackened that organ, and another reached Danny's nose and made it
bleed. Then the two boys clinched and rolled over on the schoolyard
pavement.

"A fight! A fight!" came from those looking on, and this was taken up on
all sides, while many crowded forward to see what was going on.

The school principal, Mr. Tetlow, was just entering the school at the
time. Hearing the cry he ran around into the yard.

"Boys! boys! what does this mean?" he demanded, and forced his way
through the crowd to where Bert and Danny lay, still pummeling each
other. "Stand up at once and behave yourselves," and reaching down, he
caught each by the collar and dragged him to his feet.

CHAPTER XIX

NAN'S PLEA

Bert's heart sank when he saw that it was the school principal who held
him by the collar. He remembered what Nan had said about fighting and
being expelled.

"It was Bert Bobbsey's fault," blustered Danny, wiping his bleeding nose
on his sleeve.

"No, it wasn't," answered Bert quickly. "It was his fault."

"I say it was your fault!" shouted Danny. "He started the fight, Mr.
Tetlow."

"He struck first," went on Bert undauntedly.

"He caught me by the arm and wouldn't let me go," came from Danny.

"I told him to keep still," explained Bert. "He was calling, 'Afraid of
a ghost!' at me and I don't like it. And he said my sister Nan was
afraid of it, too."

"Both of you march up to my office," said Mr. Tetlow sternly. "And
remain there until I come."

"My nose is bleeding," whined Danny.

"You may go and wash your nose first," said the principal.

With a heart that was exceedingly heavy Bert entered the school and made
his way to the principal's office. No one was there, and he sank on a
chair in a corner. He heard the bells ring and heard the pupils enter
the school and go to their various classrooms.

"If I am sent home, what will mamma and papa say?" he thought dismally.
He had never yet been sent home for misconduct, and the very idea filled
him with nameless dread.

His eye hurt him not a little, but to this he just then paid no
attention. He was wondering what Mr. Tetlow would have to say when he
came.

Presently the door opened and Danny shuffled in, a wet and bloody
handkerchief held to his nose. He sat down on the opposite side of the
office, and for several minutes nothing was said by either of the boys.

"I suppose you are going to try to get me into trouble," said Danny at
length.

"You're trying to get me into trouble," returned Bert. "I didn't start
the quarrel, and you know it."

"I don't know nothing of the kind, Bert Bobbsey! If you say I started
the fight--I'll--I'll--tell something more about you."

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

"What can you tell?"

"You know well enough. Mr. Ringley hasn't forgotten about his broken
window."

"Well, you broke that, I didn't."

"Humph! maybe I can prove that you broke it."

"Danny Rugg, what do you mean?" exclaimed Bert. "You know I had nothing
to do with that broken window."

The big boy was about to say something more in reply when Mr. Tetlow
entered the office.

"Boys," said he abruptly, "this is a disgraceful affair. I thought both
of you knew better than to fight. It is setting a very bad example to
the rest of the scholars. I shall have to punish you both severely."

Mr. Tetlow paused and Bert's heart leaped into his throat. What if he
should be expelled? The very thought of it made him shiver.

"I have made a number of inquiries of the other pupils, and I find that
you, Danny, started the quarrel. You raised the cry of 'Afraid of a
ghost!' when you had no right to do so, and when Bert caught you by the
arm and told you to stop you struck him. Is this true?"

"I--I--he hit me in the chin. I told him to let me go."

"He struck me first, Mr. Tetlow," put in Bert. "I am sure all of the
boys will say the same."

"Hem! Bert, you can go to your classroom. I will talk to you after
school this afternoon."

Somewhat relieved Bert left the office and walked to the classroom,
where the other pupils eyed him curiously. It was hard work to put his
mind on his lessons, but he did his best, for he did not wish to miss in
any of them and thus make matters worse.

"What did the principal do?" whispered the boy who sat next to him.

"Hasn't done anything yet," whispered Bert in return.

"It was Danny's fault," went on the boy. "We'll stick by you."

At noontime Bert walked home with Nan, feeling very much downcast.

"Oh, Bert, what made you fight?" said his twin sister. "I told you not
to."

"I couldn't help it, Nan. He told everybody that you were afraid of the
ghost."

"And what is Mr. Tetlow going to do?"

"I don't know. He told me to stay in after school this afternoon, as he
wanted to talk with me."

"If he expels you, mamma will never get over it."

"I know that, Nan. But--but--I couldn't stand it to have him yelling
out, 'Afraid of a ghost!'"

After that Nan said but little. But her thoughts were busy, and by the
time they were returning to the school her mind was fully made up.

To all of the school children the principal's office was a place that
usually filled them with awe. Rarely did anybody go there excepting when
sent by a teacher because of some infringements of the rules.

Nan went to school early that afternoon, and as soon as she had left
Bert and the two younger twins, she marched bravely to Mr. Tetlow's
office and knocked on the door.

"Come in," said the principal, who was at his desk looking over some
school reports.

"If you please, Mr. Tetlow, I came to see you about my brother, Bert
Bobbsey," began Nan.

Mr. Tetlow looked at her kindly, for he half expected what was coming.

"What is it, Nan?" he asked.

"I--I--oh, Mr. Tetlow, won't you please let Bert off this time? He only
did it because Danny said such things about me; said I was afraid of the
ghost, and made all the boys call out that we had a ghost at our house.
I--I--think, somehow, that I ought to be punished if he is."

There, it was out, and Nan felt the better for it. Her deep brown eyes
looked squarely into the eyes of the principal.

In spite of himself Mr. Tetlow was compelled to smile. He knew something
of how the Bobbsey twins were devoted to each other.

"So you think you ought to be punished," he said slowly.

"Yes, if Bert is, for you see, he did it mostly for me."

"You are a brave sister to come in his behalf, Nan. I shall not punish
him very severely."

"Oh, thank you for saying that, Mr. Tetlow."

"It was very wrong for him to fight----"

"Yes, I told him that."

"But Danny Rugg did wrong to provoke him. I sincerely trust that both
boys forgive each other for what was done. Now you can go."

With a lighter heart Nan left the office. She felt that Bert would not
be expelled. And he was not. Instead, Mr. Tetlow made him stay in an
hour after school each day that week and write on his slate the
sentence, "Fighting is wrong," a hundred times. Danny was also kept in
and was made to write the sentence just twice as many times. Then Mr.
Tetlow made the two boys shake hands and promise to do better in the
future.

The punishment was nothing to what Bert had expected, and he stayed in
after school willingly. But Danny was very sulky and plotted all manner
of evil things against the Bobbseys.

"He is a very bad boy," said Nan. "If I were you, Bert, I'd have nothing
more to do with him."

"I don't intend to have anything to do with him," answered her twin
brother. "But, Nan, what do you think he meant when he said he'd make
trouble about Mr. Ringley's broken window? Do you imagine he'll tell Mr.
Ringley I broke it?"

"How would he dare, when he broke it himself?" burst out Nan.

"I'm sure I don't know. But if he did, what do you suppose Mr. Ringley
would do?"

"I'm sure I don't know," came helplessly from Nan. "You can't prove
that Danny did it, can you?"

"No."

"It's too bad. I wish the window hadn't been broken."

"So do I," said Bert; and there the talk came to an end, for there
seemed nothing more to say.

CHAPTER XX

ST. VALENTINE'S DAY

St. Valentine's Day was now close at hand, and all of the children of
the neighborhood were saving their money with which to buy valentines.

"I know just the ones I am going to get," said Nan.

"I want some big red hearts," put in Freddie. "Just love hearts, I do!"

"I want the kind you can look into," came from Flossie. "Don't you know,
the kind that fold up?"

Two days before St. Valentine's Day the children gathered around the
sitting-room table and began to make valentines. They had paper of
various colors and pictures cut from old magazines. They worked very
hard, and some of the valentines thus manufactured were as good as many
that could be bought.

"Oh, I saw just the valentine for Freddie," whispered Nan to Bert. "It
had a fireman running to a fire on it."

There were a great many mysterious little packages brought into the
house on the afternoon before St. Valentine's Day, and Mr. Bobbsey had
to supply quite a few postage stamps.

"My, my, but the postman will have a lot to do to-morrow," said Mr.
Bobbsey. "If this keeps on he'll want his wages increased, I am afraid."

The fun began early in the morning. On coming down to breakfast each of
the children found a valentine under his or her plate. They were all
very pretty.

"Where in the world did they come from?" cried Nan. "Oh, mamma, did you
put them there?"

"No, Nan," said Mrs. Bobbsey.

"Then it must have been Dinah!" said Nan, and rushed into the kitchen.
"Oh, Dinah, how good of you!"

"'Spect da is from St. Valentine," said the cook, smiling broadly.

"Oh, I know you!" said Nan.

"It's just lubby!" cried Freddie, breaking out into his baby talk. "Just
lubby, Dinah! Such a big red heart, too!"

The postman came just before it was time to start for school. He brought
six valentines, three for Flossie, two for Freddie and one for Bert.

"Oh, Nan, where is yours?" cried Bert.

"I--I guess he forgot me," said Nan rather soberly.

"Oh, he has made some mistake," said Bert and ran after the letter man.
But it was of no use--all the mail for the Bobbseys had been delivered.

"Never mind, he'll come again this afternoon," said Mrs. Bobbsey, who
saw how keenly Nan was disappointed.

On her desk in school Nan found two valentines from her schoolmates. One
was very pretty, but the other was home-made and represented a girl
running away from a figure labeled GHOST. Nan put this out of
sight as soon as she saw it.

All that day valentines were being delivered in various ways. Freddie
found one in his cap, and Bert one between the leaves of his geography.
Flossie found one pinned to her cloak, and Nan received another in a
pasteboard box labeled Breakfast Food. This last was made of paper roses
and was very pretty.

The letter man came that afternoon just as they arrived home from
school. This time he had three valentines for Nan and several for the
others. Some were comical, but the most of them were beautiful and
contained very tender verses. There was much guessing as to who had sent
each.

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