Part 19 (1/2)

Mrs. Bobbsey was quite surprised when Tommy brought Freddie home, and she was more surprised when she heard what had happened, and how Freddie had been caught under the lumber.

”Dear me, I am glad they found you, Freddie!” she cried, kissing him.

”And so Tommy found you; did he?” asked Nan, smiling at the boy whom they had met in the train the day the fresh air children came home from the country.

”Yes,” Tommy answered. ”I was going on an errand for my grandmother, and the shortest way was through the lumber yard. I thought it would be a good chance to ask your father for work. And I am to have it--every Sat.u.r.day and on some other days after school.”

”You'll earn a lot of money,” Freddie said, ”and then we can build our s.h.i.+p.”

”He can't get that idea out of his head,” remarked Bert to Nan.

”Oh, he's anxious to help Tommy find his father,” Nan answered. ”I wish it would happen, but I'm afraid he never will be found.”

Having seen that Freddie was safe at home, Tommy hurried back to the lumber yard office. Then he went on a number of errands for Mr. Bobbsey.

The twins' father said, that night, he had seldom met such a bright and willing boy.

”Tommy will grow up to be a fine man, I'm sure,” said Mr. Bobbsey.

One day, a little while after Freddie had been lost under the lumber pile, he and Flossie were standing in the school yard at recess, Alice Boyd came up to them.

”Want some candy?” she asked, holding out some in a paper.

”Thanks,” said Freddie, taking some.

”Where did you get it?” Flossie inquired, as she took a piece.

”My sister and I made it,” answered Alice.

”How do you make candy?” inquired Freddie.

”Oh, you just put some sugar and water on the stove in a tin dish,”

Alice answered, ”and when it boils you pour it out on a b.u.t.tered pan--you b.u.t.ter the pan just as you b.u.t.ter a slice of bread.”

”Why do you b.u.t.ter the pan?” demanded Flossie.

”So the candy won't stick to it. Candy is awful sticky. Our dog got a lump in his mouth, and it stuck to his teeth so he couldn't open his jaws.”

”I wouldn't give a dog candy,” declared Freddie. ”I'd rather eat it myself.”

”Oh, well, we didn't 'zactly _give_ the candy to our dog,” said Alice.

”A lump of it fell on the floor, and he grabbed it up before we could stop him. Anyhow, we didn't want the candy after it had rolled on the floor.”

Flossie and Freddie ate the sweet stuff Alice handed them, and thought it very good. That afternoon when Flossie reached home from school, she marched out into the kitchen and said:

”Dinah, I'm going to make some candy!”

”Make candy, honey lamb! How yo' all gwine t' make candy?”

”Oh, you just put some sugar and water on the stove to boil, and when it boils you b.u.t.ter a pan like a slice of bread, and pour the candy in it so it won't stick. And if a lump falls on the floor--a lump of candy I mean--that belongs to Snap. Though I hope it doesn't make his jaws stick together so they'll never come open, or he can't bark. But I'm going to make some candy.”