Part 12 (1/2)
The children were delighted to talk to a real live man that had been up in a balloon, and the balloonist was indeed very pleasant with the little ones. He took Freddie up in his arms and told him all about how it felt to be up in the sky.
”You're a truly fireman!” Freddie said, after listening to all the dangers there are so far above ground. ”I'm a real fireman too!”
Just then the balloon that had been tossing about in the air came down in the other end of the orchard.
”Well, there!” exclaimed the man. ”That's good luck. Now, whichever one of you boys gets that balloon first will get ten dollars. That's what we pay for bringing it back!”
With a dash every boy started for the spot where the balloon had landed. There were quite a few others besides the Bobbseys, and they tumbled over each other trying to get there first. Ned Prentice, Nettie's brother, was one of the best runners, and he cut across the orchard to get a clear way out of the crowd.
”Go it, Bert!” called John.
”Keep it up, Harry!” yelled someone else.
”You'd get it, Tom!” came another voice.
But Ned was not in the regular race, and n.o.body noticed him.
”They've got it,” called the excited girls.
”It's Harry!”
”No, it's Bert!”
”'Tisn't either--it's Ned!” called John, as the only poor boy in the crowd proudly touched the big empty gas-bag!
”Three cheers for Ned!” called Uncle Daniel, for he and Mr. Bobbsey had joined in the crowd.
”Hurrah! hurrah! hurrah!” shouted all the boys good-naturedly, for Ned was a favorite companion, besides being one who really needed the money.
”Suppose we drive down,” Uncle Daniel suggested. ”Then we can bring Ned back with his ten dollars.”
This was agreed upon as a good plan, and as quickly as John had hitched up the big wagon ail the boys piled in with the aeronaut and started for the grove.
CHAPTER XI
THE LITTLE GARDENERS
When little Ned Prentice put the ten-dollar bill in his mother's hand, on that pleasant Fourth of July evening, he felt like a man. His mother could hardly believe the story of Ned's getting the money just for finding a balloon, but when it was explained how valuable the balloon was, and how it sometimes takes days of searching in the woods to find one after the balloonist lets go and drops down with his parachute, she was finally convinced that the money rightfully belonged to Ned.
”No one needs it more than I do,” Mrs. Prentice told Mr. Bobbsey, who had brought Ned home in the wagon, ”for since the baby was sick we have hardly been able to meet our bills, it cost so much for medicine.”
”We were all glad when Ned got there first,”
Harry said politely, ”because we knew he deserved the reward most.”
As Ned was a poor boy, and had to work on farms during vacation, his father being dead and only one brother being old enough to go to work, the reward turned out a great blessing, for ten dollars is a good deal of money for a little boy to earn at one time.
”Be sure to come up to our fireworks tonight,” Harry called, as they drove away, and Ned promptly accepted the invitation.