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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Chapter fifteen of The Bobbsey Twins Keeping House. This is
a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
Read by Martha Heaton, August twenty twenty three. The Bobbsey
Twins Keeping House by Laura Lee Hope Broken Wires. Nan
(00:25):
jumped so because of Freddy's shouts and Flossy screams that
she almost dropped the batch of biscuits she was just
then putting into the oven, but she managed to get
them in and close the door. Then she turned and
said to Freddy, you shouldn't fool me that way. Oh,
how you startled me. He isn't fooling you, said Bert.
Flossie did really sit in the biscuits. By this time,
(00:49):
the little girl herself had come to know that something
was wrong. She felt something soft in the chair where
she had been sitting, something soft with a hard rim
around it that had not been in it when she
got up to watch Nan use the biscuit cutter. Oh oh,
screamed Flossie. What is it? Don't yell? So you aren't hurt,
(01:11):
said Nan. But the buskets are hurt, yelled Freddy. They're
all squashed flat, look at em. This was quite true.
Flossie had sat down rather hard on the biscuits and
they were squashed, as Freddy said, But you can roll
em out again, Nan suggested Bert. They aren't spoiled. Flossi's
dress is clean. I mean it was clean before she
(01:32):
sat in the biscuits. Is my dress now? Is it dirty?
Asked Flossi, trying to turn herself around to look at
the back of her garment. It's all sticky dough and flour,
stated Freddie. You look like a busket yourself. Flossy, Oh dear,
sighed the little girl, and she would have burst into
tears but for Nan, who put her arms around her
(01:54):
and kindly said, never mind. Your dress will wash, and
the biscuits aren't hurt much. I can roll them out again,
and I'll give you two with sugar on. Oh all right,
agreed Flossie, and her face brightened. Then, as Freddy said,
she squeezed back her tears and they all laughed at
(02:14):
the funny accident. Bert picked most of the dough off
Flossy's dress, while Nan took the squashed biscuits from the pan,
rolled the dough out again on the molding board and
made that batch over. Soon they were baking in the
oven with the others. They smell good, declared Freddie when
his sister opened the oven door to see how the
(02:34):
biscuits were browning. They'll taste a lot better, laughed Bert,
while Nan took Flossy upstairs to put a clean dress
on her. In spite of the accident, NaN's biscuits turned
out very well, only a few of them being burned,
and the children ate many of them for supper. Has
Dinah come back? Asked Missus Prye, when Nan took her
(02:57):
up a tray with her supper on it. Dinah, can
it come back now? What makes you ask that? Inquired
Nan in surprise. Well, I see you have hot biscuits,
went on Missus Prye with twinkles in her eyes. I
thought Dinah had come back to make them. No, I
did it, exclaimed Nan, and she felt very proud that
(03:17):
Missus Price should think the biscuits as good as those
which Dinah would make. You made these biscuits, my, that's wonderful,
said Aunt Sally, tasting one. You certainly are a good
little housekeeper. This pleased Nan more than ever, and the
lonesome feeling that was coming over her again as night
began to fall, seemed to pass away for a time.
(03:40):
After supper or dinner as it was called, when mister
and Missus Bobbsey were at home, Bert and Nan washed
and dried the dishes. Flossy begged so hard to be
allowed to help that Nan let her dry a few.
But you must be careful and not drop any or
they'll break, cautioned Nan. I'll be careful, promised Flossie. But
alas she was wiping a saucer when Freddy, who was
(04:03):
playing on the floor with his train of cars, made
a sudden movement. Look out, cried Flossie. Don't jiggle me.
But her small brother must have jiggled her or done
something for the saucer slipped from Flossie's hands. Crash. It
fell to the floor, breaking into half a dozen pieces.
For a moment, Flossie stood there looking at it with
(04:24):
open mouth. Then, as she realized what had happened, she
burst into tears and gasped, Freddy made me do it.
This is all your fault, Freddy Bobbsey is your fault.
Oh it isn't, cried Freddie. I wasn't wiping the dish.
But you you, now you've jiggled me, sobbed Flossie. That's
(04:44):
what he did, declared Bert, who had seen what happened.
Never mind, my dear soothed Nan. It was an old
saucer anyhow, and it was cracked. Was was it faltered, Flossie?
Yes it was, Nan replied, And this was true. It
was an old dish which had had a fall before.
But this was the end of it. Dinah often said
(05:07):
she was going to throw that old saucer away, went
on Nan, Now I'll do it. It made Flossie feel
better to know that she had not broken a good dish,
so she dried her tears. But Nan decided she would
take no more chances with letting the little girl dry dishes.
You two go in the other room with Bert and popcorn,
she suggested, looking straight at Bert to tell him to
(05:29):
get the small twins out of the way. I'll finish
the dishes, Nan whispered to him. Oh popcorn, popcorn, cried Freddy,
dancing around. How I love popcorn, so do, I echoed Flossie.
I'm going to have some popcorn, ain't I she asked? Sure,
said Bert. A little later, when Nan had finished the dishes,
(05:50):
she joined Bert and the small twins in the living room,
where Bert popped corn over the gas log. Flossie and
Freddy laughed as the Colonel's cracked with the heat bursting
out into queerly shaved, big white objects. They looked like
crooked snowflakes, was Freddy's comment. But they taste better'n snowflakes,
said Flossie. Bert wanted to melt some sugar and pour
(06:14):
over the corn so he could make balls out of it,
but Nan said this would be too sticky, so they
melted some butter, poured that into the pan of popped corn,
and then sprinkled on some salt. Oh you, it's good,
mumbled Bert as he filled his mouth with the crisp corn. Yes,
agreed Nan, it is, and it would be jolly fun
(06:34):
here if only the storm would stop. It's snowing yet,
remarked Bert, as they grew quiet a moment and listened
to the flakes striking against the windows. Though the older
Bobbsey twins were a bit worried over keeping house all
by themselves with Aunt Sally, Prye ill in bed. Flossy
and Freddy were not at all alarmed. It was a
perpetual picnic for them, as they had so much fun
(06:57):
playing about the room, eating popcorn and playing they were
sailors shipwrecked on a desert island and rushing to the
door or window to see the storm. That Nan had
hard work to get them to go to bed, but
at last they were tucked in, and then Nan came
down to sit for a while, with Bert having first
gone in to see if missus Prye needed anything. We'll
(07:18):
have to get her some more liniment in the morning.
Bert Nan told her brother. Yes, I'll go to the store,
he agreed. I don't mind the snow. Then you can
bring in some bread, added Nan. And I'll see if
there's any mail for us at the post office, added
her brother. The Bobbsey twins were rather surprised the next
morning when they looked out and found that the storm
(07:39):
had stopped. At least the snow had ceased falling, though
a mass of gray clouds in the sky seemed to
tell of more to come. I can get out to
the store now, cried Bert as he quickly dressed. And
I'll get the mail too. I'm coming with you, shouted Freddie.
So am I echoed Flossy. Not much, you aren't, exclaimed
(07:59):
burtert you'll freeze your ears off. It's cold out. He
could tell this even though he had not been out
of doors by listening to the squeak of the snow
as wagons were drawn along the street in front of
the house. For the snowfall had been so sudden that
few slaves were out as yet. Well, I don't want
to freeze my ears, said Freddie. I don't either, agreed Flossie.
(08:22):
So they no longer teased to be allowed to go
out and play. Nan got breakfast and then gave Bert
missus Priye's liniment bottle to have filled at the drug store.
She also told her brother what to bring from the
store besides bread. Then, well wrapped up and wearing his
rubber boots, Bert started out. The snow was steep and
(08:43):
it was cold, as he had said, but he did
not mind, even though it took his breath away to
plow through it. He stopped in the drug store first
and handed mister Rennerd the bottle to fill with liniment.
How's everybody up at your house? Bert asked the druggist,
where all right? What there is of us? Bert answered,
My father and mother are away, and so are Sam
(09:06):
and Dinah, and missus Pry is in bed with lumbago.
The liniment is for her. That's too bad, said mister Renner.
Winter isn't the best time to have lumbago. In fact,
I don't know when it is a good time to
have it. Quite a storm. We had lot of trains stalled,
wires down, and all that I hear trains stalled, exclaimed
(09:26):
Burt quickly. When, oh, that happened yesterday, when the storm
was at its worst, the druggist said, and Bert felt easier,
for he thought his mother and father had reached Uncle
Rossitur's before they could have been snowed in. And are
the wires down? Bert asked, yes, a lot of telephone
and telegraph wires are broken. My telephone is out of order,
(09:49):
and I don't know when they'll get it fixed. Bert
took the liniment and went on to the post office.
There he found a number of men gathered about the
letter window. Mister Anderson, the postmaster, was speaking to them,
and Bert listened. There isn't any mail in hasn't been
for a couple of days, said the postmaster. I don't
(10:10):
know when there will be any A lot of mail
trains are stuck in the drifts, and the wires are
down to a lot of places, so I can't get
any word as to when the mail will arrive. You'll
just have to wait. That's all. Blame it on the storm.
Bert felt a sinking feeling around his heart. Still, he
made up his mind he was going to ask if
(10:30):
there was any letter from his father or mother. End
of Chapter eleven read by Martha Heaton
Chapter fifteen of The Bobbsey Twins Keeping House. This is
a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
Read by Martha Heaton, August twenty twenty three. The Bobbsey
Twins Keeping House by Laura Lee Hope Broken Wires. Nan
(00:25):
jumped so because of Freddy's shouts and Flossy screams that
she almost dropped the batch of biscuits she was just
then putting into the oven, but she managed to get
them in and close the door. Then she turned and
said to Freddy, you shouldn't fool me that way. Oh,
how you startled me. He isn't fooling you, said Bert.
Flossie did really sit in the biscuits. By this time,
(00:49):
the little girl herself had come to know that something
was wrong. She felt something soft in the chair where
she had been sitting, something soft with a hard rim
around it that had not been in it when she
got up to watch Nan use the biscuit cutter. Oh oh,
screamed Flossie. What is it? Don't yell? So you aren't hurt,
(01:11):
said Nan. But the buskets are hurt, yelled Freddy. They're
all squashed flat, look at em. This was quite true.
Flossie had sat down rather hard on the biscuits and
they were squashed, as Freddy said, But you can roll
em out again, Nan suggested Bert. They aren't spoiled. Flossi's
dress is clean. I mean it was clean before she
(01:32):
sat in the biscuits. Is my dress now? Is it dirty?
Asked Flossi, trying to turn herself around to look at
the back of her garment. It's all sticky dough and flour,
stated Freddie. You look like a busket yourself. Flossy, Oh dear,
sighed the little girl, and she would have burst into
tears but for Nan, who put her arms around her
(01:54):
and kindly said, never mind. Your dress will wash, and
the biscuits aren't hurt much. I can roll them out again,
and I'll give you two with sugar on. Oh all right,
agreed Flossie, and her face brightened. Then, as Freddy said,
she squeezed back her tears and they all laughed at
(02:14):
the funny accident. Bert picked most of the dough off
Flossy's dress, while Nan took the squashed biscuits from the pan,
rolled the dough out again on the molding board and
made that batch over. Soon they were baking in the
oven with the others. They smell good, declared Freddie when
his sister opened the oven door to see how the
(02:34):
biscuits were browning. They'll taste a lot better, laughed Bert,
while Nan took Flossy upstairs to put a clean dress
on her. In spite of the accident, NaN's biscuits turned
out very well, only a few of them being burned,
and the children ate many of them for supper. Has
Dinah come back? Asked Missus Prye, when Nan took her
(02:57):
up a tray with her supper on it. Dinah, can
it come back now? What makes you ask that? Inquired
Nan in surprise. Well, I see you have hot biscuits,
went on Missus Prye with twinkles in her eyes. I
thought Dinah had come back to make them. No, I
did it, exclaimed Nan, and she felt very proud that
(03:17):
Missus Price should think the biscuits as good as those
which Dinah would make. You made these biscuits, my, that's wonderful,
said Aunt Sally, tasting one. You certainly are a good
little housekeeper. This pleased Nan more than ever, and the
lonesome feeling that was coming over her again as night
began to fall, seemed to pass away for a time.
(03:40):
After supper or dinner as it was called, when mister
and Missus Bobbsey were at home, Bert and Nan washed
and dried the dishes. Flossy begged so hard to be
allowed to help that Nan let her dry a few.
But you must be careful and not drop any or
they'll break, cautioned Nan. I'll be careful, promised Flossie. But
alas she was wiping a saucer when Freddy, who was
(04:03):
playing on the floor with his train of cars, made
a sudden movement. Look out, cried Flossie. Don't jiggle me.
But her small brother must have jiggled her or done
something for the saucer slipped from Flossie's hands. Crash. It
fell to the floor, breaking into half a dozen pieces.
For a moment, Flossie stood there looking at it with
(04:24):
open mouth. Then, as she realized what had happened, she
burst into tears and gasped, Freddy made me do it.
This is all your fault, Freddy Bobbsey is your fault.
Oh it isn't, cried Freddie. I wasn't wiping the dish.
But you you, now you've jiggled me, sobbed Flossie. That's
(04:44):
what he did, declared Bert, who had seen what happened.
Never mind, my dear soothed Nan. It was an old
saucer anyhow, and it was cracked. Was was it faltered, Flossie?
Yes it was, Nan replied, And this was true. It
was an old dish which had had a fall before.
But this was the end of it. Dinah often said
(05:07):
she was going to throw that old saucer away, went
on Nan, Now I'll do it. It made Flossie feel
better to know that she had not broken a good dish,
so she dried her tears. But Nan decided she would
take no more chances with letting the little girl dry dishes.
You two go in the other room with Bert and popcorn,
she suggested, looking straight at Bert to tell him to
(05:29):
get the small twins out of the way. I'll finish
the dishes, Nan whispered to him. Oh popcorn, popcorn, cried Freddy,
dancing around. How I love popcorn, so do, I echoed Flossie.
I'm going to have some popcorn, ain't I she asked? Sure,
said Bert. A little later, when Nan had finished the dishes,
(05:50):
she joined Bert and the small twins in the living room,
where Bert popped corn over the gas log. Flossie and
Freddy laughed as the Colonel's cracked with the heat bursting
out into queerly shaved, big white objects. They looked like
crooked snowflakes, was Freddy's comment. But they taste better'n snowflakes,
said Flossie. Bert wanted to melt some sugar and pour
(06:14):
over the corn so he could make balls out of it,
but Nan said this would be too sticky, so they
melted some butter, poured that into the pan of popped corn,
and then sprinkled on some salt. Oh you, it's good,
mumbled Bert as he filled his mouth with the crisp corn. Yes,
agreed Nan, it is, and it would be jolly fun
(06:34):
here if only the storm would stop. It's snowing yet,
remarked Bert, as they grew quiet a moment and listened
to the flakes striking against the windows. Though the older
Bobbsey twins were a bit worried over keeping house all
by themselves with Aunt Sally, Prye ill in bed. Flossy
and Freddy were not at all alarmed. It was a
perpetual picnic for them, as they had so much fun
(06:57):
playing about the room, eating popcorn and playing they were
sailors shipwrecked on a desert island and rushing to the
door or window to see the storm. That Nan had
hard work to get them to go to bed, but
at last they were tucked in, and then Nan came
down to sit for a while, with Bert having first
gone in to see if missus Prye needed anything. We'll
(07:18):
have to get her some more liniment in the morning.
Bert Nan told her brother. Yes, I'll go to the store,
he agreed. I don't mind the snow. Then you can
bring in some bread, added Nan. And I'll see if
there's any mail for us at the post office, added
her brother. The Bobbsey twins were rather surprised the next
morning when they looked out and found that the storm
(07:39):
had stopped. At least the snow had ceased falling, though
a mass of gray clouds in the sky seemed to
tell of more to come. I can get out to
the store now, cried Bert as he quickly dressed. And
I'll get the mail too. I'm coming with you, shouted Freddie.
So am I echoed Flossy. Not much, you aren't, exclaimed
(07:59):
burtert you'll freeze your ears off. It's cold out. He
could tell this even though he had not been out
of doors by listening to the squeak of the snow
as wagons were drawn along the street in front of
the house. For the snowfall had been so sudden that
few slaves were out as yet. Well, I don't want
to freeze my ears, said Freddie. I don't either, agreed Flossie.
(08:22):
So they no longer teased to be allowed to go
out and play. Nan got breakfast and then gave Bert
missus Priye's liniment bottle to have filled at the drug store.
She also told her brother what to bring from the
store besides bread. Then, well wrapped up and wearing his
rubber boots, Bert started out. The snow was steep and
(08:43):
it was cold, as he had said, but he did
not mind, even though it took his breath away to
plow through it. He stopped in the drug store first
and handed mister Rennerd the bottle to fill with liniment.
How's everybody up at your house? Bert asked the druggist,
where all right? What there is of us? Bert answered,
My father and mother are away, and so are Sam
(09:06):
and Dinah, and missus Pry is in bed with lumbago.
The liniment is for her. That's too bad, said mister Renner.
Winter isn't the best time to have lumbago. In fact,
I don't know when it is a good time to
have it. Quite a storm. We had lot of trains stalled,
wires down, and all that I hear trains stalled, exclaimed
(09:26):
Burt quickly. When, oh, that happened yesterday, when the storm
was at its worst, the druggist said, and Bert felt easier,
for he thought his mother and father had reached Uncle
Rossitur's before they could have been snowed in. And are
the wires down? Bert asked, yes, a lot of telephone
and telegraph wires are broken. My telephone is out of order,
(09:49):
and I don't know when they'll get it fixed. Bert
took the liniment and went on to the post office.
There he found a number of men gathered about the
letter window. Mister Anderson, the postmaster, was speaking to them,
and Bert listened. There isn't any mail in hasn't been
for a couple of days, said the postmaster. I don't
(10:10):
know when there will be any A lot of mail
trains are stuck in the drifts, and the wires are
down to a lot of places, so I can't get
any word as to when the mail will arrive. You'll
just have to wait. That's all. Blame it on the storm.
Bert felt a sinking feeling around his heart. Still, he
made up his mind he was going to ask if
(10:30):
there was any letter from his father or mother. End
of Chapter eleven read by Martha Heaton
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