Part 26 (2/2)
Freddie and Sandy had joined the sightseers now, and Freddie was much interested in the brigade.
”Who is the captain?” he asked of Mrs. Manily.
”Oh, we appoint a new captain each week from the very best boys we have. We only let a very good boy be captain,” the matron told him.
In the dormitory were rows and rows of small white cots. They looked very clean and comfortable, and the door of this tent was closed with a big green mosquito netting.
”How old are your babies?” asked Aunt Sarah.
”Sandy is our baby!” replied the matrons patting the little boy fondly, ”and he is four years old. We cannot take them any younger without their mothers.”
”Freddie is four also,” said Mrs. Bobbsey. ”What a dear sweet child Sandy is!”
”Yes,” said Mrs. Manily, ”he has just lost a good mother and his father cannot care for him--that is, he cannot afford to pay his board or hire a housekeeper, so he brought him to the Aid Society. He is the pet of the camp, and you can see he has been well trained.”
”No mother and no home!” exclaimed Mrs. Bobbsey. ”Dear little fellow!
Think of our Freddie being alone in the world like that!”
Mrs. Bobbsey could hardly keep her tears back. She stooped over and kissed Sandy.
”Do you know my mamma?” he asked, looking straight into the lady's kind face.
”Mrs. Manily is your mamma, isn't she?” said Mrs. Bobbsey.
”Yes, she's my number two mamma, but I mean number one that used to sleep with me.”
”Come now, Sandy,” laughed Mrs. Manily. ”Didn't you tell me last night I was the best mamma in the whole world?” and she hugged the little fellow to make him happy again.
”So you are,” he laughed, forgetting all his loneliness now. ”When I get to be a big man I'm goin' to take you out carriage riding.”
”Can't Sandy cone home with us?” asked Freddie. ”He can sleep in my bed.”
”You are very good,” said the matron. ”But we cannot let any of our children go visiting without special permission from the Society.”
”Well,” said Aunt Sarah, ”if you get the permission we will be very glad to have Sandy pay us a visit. We have a large place, and would really like to have some good poor child enjoy it. We have company now, but they will leave us soon, and then perhaps we could have a little fresh-air camp of our own.”
”The managers have asked us to look for a few private homes that could accommodate some special cases,” replied Mrs. Manily, ”and I am sure I can arrange it to have Sandy go.”
”Oh, let him come now,” pleaded Freddie, as Sandy held tight to his hand. ”See, we have room in the wagon.”
”Well, he might have a ride,” consented the matron, and before anyone had a chance to speak again Freddie and Sandy had climbed into the wagon.
Nan and Mildred had been talking to some of the older girls, who were very nice and polite for girls who had no one to teach them at home, and Nan declared that she was coming over to the camp to play with them some whole day.
”We can bring our lunch,” said Mildred, ”and you can show us all the pleasant play-places you have fixed up in stones over the mountain-side.”
One girl, Nellie by name, seemed very smart and bright, and she brought to Mrs. Bobbsey a bunch of ferns and wild flowers she had just gathered while showing Nan and Mildred around.
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