of them, and these planks. But I couldn’t get a man around. Lucky you happened by,” Peter Burns answered.
All this time the horse in the ditch moaned as if in pain, but Peter said it was only because he couldn’t get on his feet. Harry, being light in weight, slipped a halter over the poor beast’s head.
“I could get a strap around him!” Harry suggested, moving out cautiously on the plank.
“All right, my lad, go ahead,” Peter told him, passing the big strap over to Bert, who in turn passed it on to Harry.
It was no easy matter to get the strap in place, but with much tugging and splashing of mud Harry succeeded. Then the ropes were attached and everybody pulled vigorously.
“Get up, Ginger! Get up, Ginger!” Peter called lustily, but Ginger only seemed to flop in deeper, through his efforts to raise himself.
“Guess we’ll have to get Billy to pull,” Uncle Daniel suggested, and Mr. Bobbsey hurried back to the road to unhitch the other horse.
“Don’t let Billy fall in!” exclaimed Nan, who was much excited over the accident.
“Can’t I go, papa?” Freddie pleaded. “I’ll stay away from the edge!”
“You better stay in the wagon; the horse might cut up when he gets out,” the father warned Freddie, who reluctantly gave in.
Soon Billy was hitched to the ropes, and with a few kind words from Uncle Daniel the big white horse strained forward, pulling Ginger to his feet as he did so.
“Hurrah!” shouted Freddie from the wagon. “Billy is a circus horse, isn’t he, Uncle Dan?”
“He’s a good boy,” the uncle called back patting Billy affectionately, while Mr. Bobbsey and the boys loosened the straps. The other horse lay on the blankets, and Peter rubbed him with all his might, to save a chill as he told the boys.
Then, after receiving many thanks for the help given, the Bobbseys once more started off toward the farm.
“Hot work,” Uncle Daniel remarked to the ladies, as he mopped his forehead.
“I’m so glad you could help Peter,” Aunt Sarah told him, “for he does seem to have so much trouble.”
“All kinds of things happen in the country,” Harry remarked, as Billy headed off for home.
At each house along the way boys would call out to Harry, asking him about going fishing, or berrying, or some other sport, so that Bert felt a good time was in store for him, as the boys were about his own age and seemed so agreeable.
“Nice fellows,” Harry remarked by way of introducing Bert.
“They seem so,” Bert replied, cordially.
“We’ve made up a lot of sports,” Harry went on, “and we were only waiting for you to come to start out. We’ve planned a picnic for to-morrow.”
“Here we are,” called Uncle Daniel as Billy turned into the pretty driveway in front of the Bobbseys’ country home. On each side of the drive grew straight lines of boxwood, and back of this hedge were beautiful flowers, shining out grandly now in the July sun.
“Hello, Martha!” called the visitors, as the faithful old servant appeared on the broad white veranda. She was not black like Dinah, but looked as if she was just as merry and full of fun as anyone could be.
“Got here at last!” she exclaimed, taking Dinah’s lunch basket.
“Glad to see you, Martha,” Dinah told her. “You see, I had to come along. And Snoop too, our kitty. We fetched him.”
“The more the merrier,” replied the other, “and there’s lots of room for all.”
“Starved to death!” Harry laughed, as the odor of a fine dinner reached him.
“We’ll wash up a bit and join you in a few minutes, ladies,” Uncle Daniel said, in his polite way. The horse accident had given plenty of need for a washing up.
“Got Snoop dis time,” Freddie lisped, knocking the cover off the box and petting the frightened little black cat. “Hungry, Snoopy?” he asked, pressing his baby cheek to the soft fur.
“Bring the poor kitty out to the kitchen,” Martha told him. “I’ll get him a nice saucer of fresh milk.” And so it happened, as usual, Snoop had his meal first, just as he had had on the Pullman car. Soon after this Martha went outside and rang a big dinner bell that all the men and boys could hear. And then the first vacation dinner was served in the long old-fashioned dining room.
CHAPTER VX
Frisky
Although they were tired from their journey, the children had no idea of resting on that beautiful afternoon, so promptly after dinner the baggage was opened, and vacation clothes were put on. Bert, of course, was ready first; and soon he and Harry were running down the road to meet the other boys and perfect their plans for the picnic.
Nan began her pleasures by exploring the flower gardens with Uncle Daniel.
“I pride myself on those zinnias,” the uncle told Nan, “just see those yellows, and those pinks. Some are as big as dahlias, aren’t they?”
“They are just beautiful, uncle,” Nan replied, in real admiration. “I have always loved zinnias. And they last so long?”
“All summer. Then, what do you think of my sweet peas?”
So they went from one flower bed to another, and Nan thought she had never before seen so many pretty plants together.
Flossie and Freddie were out in the barnyard with Aunt Sarah.
“Oh, auntie, what interesting little chickens!” Flossie exclaimed, pointing to a lot of pigeons that were eagerly eating corn with the chickens.
“Those are Harry’s homer pigeons,” the aunt explained. “Some day we must go off to the woods and let the birds fly home with a letter to Dinah and Martha.”
“Oh, please do it now,” Freddie urged, always in a hurry for things.
“We couldn’t today, dear,” Aunt Sarah told him. “Come, let me show you our new little calf.”
“Let me ride her?” Freddie asked, as they reached the animal.
“Calfs aren’t for riding, they’re for milk,” Flossie spoke up.
“Yes, this one drinks plenty of milk,” Aunt Sarah said, while Frisky, the calf, rubbed her head kindly against Aunt Sarah’s skirts.
“Then let me take her for a walk,” Freddie pleaded, much in love with the pretty creature.
“And they don’t walk either,” Flossie persisted. “They mostly run.”
“I could just hold the rope, couldn’t I, Aunt Sarah?”
“If you keep away from the barnyard gate, and hold her very tight,” was the consent given finally, much to Freddie’s delight.
“Nice Frisky,” he told the calf, petting her fondly. “Pretty calf, will you let Snoop play with you?” Frisky was sniffing suspiciously all the time, and Aunt Sarah had taken Flossie in the barn to see the chickens’ nests.
“Come, Frisky, take a walk,” suggested Freddie, and quite obediently the little cow walked along. But suddenly Frisky spied the open gate and the lovely green grass outside.
Without a moment’s warning the calf threw her hind legs up in the air, then bolted straight for the gate, dragging Freddie along after her.
“Whoa, Frisky! whoa!” yelled Freddie, but the calf ran right along.
“Hold tight, Freddie!” called Flossie, as she and Aunt Sarah appeared on the scene.
“Whoa, whoa!” yelled the little boy constantly, but