The Bobbsey Twins Keeping House by Laura Lee Hope : A Great Crash

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter sixteen 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.
The Bopsey Twins Keeping House. I lurlee hope a great crash.

(00:22):
Waiting until some of the men had moved aside from
the delivery window, Bert made his way to it. Mister
Anderson knew the Bopsey boy, for in the summer Bert
had often gone to his father's lumber office, and more
than once had been allowed to go down to the
post office for the mail. No letters for the lumber
company to day, Bert, the postmaster said, with a smile.

(00:45):
There were a couple yesterday, but mister Jones got them.
I didn't come for the office mail, mister Anderson explained
the boy. But the postman hasn't been in our house
for two or three days, and I thought maybe there'd
be some mail here for my sister or me. Oh look,
but I don't believe there is any, Bert, said mister Anderson.

(01:05):
None of the men went out yesterday on account of
the heavy storm. He went back to the long table
where the mail was sorted, but when he again approached
the window, there were no letters in his hands. Sorry, Bert,
nothing for you folks, said mister Anderson. You see, everything
is upset. The trains are late, and some are stuck

(01:26):
in deep snow up further north, I hear, and the
worst of it is that a lot of wires have
been blown down, so we can't get any word. Tell
your mother. The man will go out with the mail
as soon as any comes in. I can't tell my mother, that,
stated Bert. Why not? Is she sick? No? But missus

(01:46):
Prye is She came to keep house for us while
mother and dad went away. Then she got sick, and
Dina and Sam went away. And you don't mean to
tell me You Bobsey twins are keeping house all by yourselves,
interrupted the postmaster, in astonishment. That's what we're doing, answered Bert.
That's why I wanted to get a letter to hear

(02:08):
if my father and mother were all right. Oh, I
guess they're all right. Bert, said mister Anderson kindly, when
he had heard the story of the trip. Mister missus
Bobbsey had to take It's only that the mails are late.
Probably your folks have written you, but you won't get
the letters for a few days yet, Nan and I
wrote to them telling about Sam and Dina going away,

(02:29):
explained Bert. But I guess our letters didn't get to
them either, No, agreed the man at the letter window.
I don't believe they did. And you can't telegraph or
telephone them either, Bert, on account of the wires being down.
But I guess things will be better in a few days,
I hope, so, murmured Bert as he turned away from

(02:50):
the window. Others were coming in to make inquiries. Nan
will feel sad about not getting a letter, thought the boy. However,
there was nothing here you do, so he left the
post office and went to the store to get the
things Nan had said. We're needed a loaf of bread,
some condensed milk since the milkman had left no bottles,

(03:11):
and half a dozen other things. Now that the snow
had stopped, at least for a time, the streets of
Lakeport were filling with people who had not been able
to get out of their houses during the storm. Many
others besides the Bopsey twads, needed to buy things to eat. Well,
you've got quite a bundle to carry, Bert remarked mister Fink.
The grocer as he did up the things the boy

(03:34):
had bought. Think you can manage it all. Oh, yes,
was the answer. I've got to get the stuff home.
Don't want to go hungry, you know. And it looks
as if it was going to snow some more. On
his way home with a bundle of food, Bert saw
Danny rugg just ahead of him. Danny also had his
arms filled with bundles, for he too had been to

(03:56):
the store. Seeing Bert, Danny stopped and grinned plenty of
snow for a snowball fight now, Danny said, I haven't
any time to fight, answered Bert in no very friendly tones.
He more than half suspected Danny had suggested to Sam
the idea that Bert had broken the church window. Arn't mad,

(04:17):
are you? Danny wanted to know. Bert was going to
answer and say he was not exactly mad, when Sam,
coming along the street, called to Danny, and the latter
hastened off to join his crony. I'd just like to
find out why he went into the church that time.
I fell down the trap door, mused Bert as he
struggled along, for it was hard going. It had something

(04:40):
to do with the broken window. I'm sure the wind
was rising again, and it was very cold. The gale
whipped snowflakes from the ground into Bert's face with stinging force.
Maybe we'll have another blizzard, he thought. It sure does
look like more snow, and he glanced up at the
great clouds. It reached home at last and found Nan

(05:02):
trying to amuse Flossie and Freddy in the house. It
was hard work for the small twins. Now that they
could look out and see that the fall of snow
had stopped at least for a time, wanted to go
outside and play in the drifts. I think it will
be all right for them to come out with me
for a little while, suggested Bert, when he saw how

(05:22):
Flossi and Freddy were pestering Nan. They can put on
their boots, dress warmly, and I'll take care of them.
Well all right, agreed Nan. But they mustn't stay out
too long. Mother wouldn't let them if she were here.
At the mention of her absent mother, Nan felt her
eyes filling with tears, so she quickly turned her head away. Hooray, hooray,

(05:43):
we can go out, shouted Freddie, capering about the room
like a pony in a pasture, and I'm going to
make snowballs, declared Flossie. But don't you dare wash my face?
Freddie Bobbsey, all right, I won't, he promised on his
good behavior for a time lest Nan changed her mind
about letting him out. Did you get any letters from

(06:04):
Daddy or mother? Asked Nan as Bert put his bundles
on the kitchen table. No mail, and the wires are down,
he said. But I guess we'll get a letter tomorrow.
I hope so, sighed Nan. Did you get missus price Lindaman. Yes,
here it is. I'm glad you got it, went on Nan.
She's asked for it two or three times. Her lumbago

(06:27):
seems to be getting worse. Maybe we'll have to get
the doctor for her, suggested Bert. Oh I hope not,
exclaimed Nan. If she got very sick, I don't know
how I could wait on her and look after the house.
It would be hard, agreed Bert. But maybe everything will
be all right. Now. I'll take Flossy and Freddy out
for a while. It will make them sleep better to night,

(06:50):
to have some fresh air, He and the small twins
had some jolly fun in the snow well wrapped up
and with rubber boots which kept their feet and legs dry.
Flossy and Freddy raced about, made snowballs and tossed them
to and fro, and even began to make a snow man,
but it was so cold that the snow did not
pack well or stick together. Snow must be a trifle

(07:12):
wet to roll big balls, or build snow forks and
construct snow men to guard them. However, Flossi and Freddy
had lots of fun, and Bert was a good brother.
He let them throw snowballs at him, though it must
be said that Flossian Freddy did not hit him often,
for they could not throw very straight, and when they
did hit Bert, the balls did not hurt. Then Bert

(07:35):
pretended he was a horse and raced about with them
through the drifts until Mary laughs. The Flosci and Freddy
could be heard by Nan, who was taking Missus Pryant's
more tea toast and preserves, well, I'm glad they're having
a good time, sighed Nan. They'll be easier to manage
after they've had some fun. Poor Nan was not having

(07:56):
much fun herself, but she was a brave girl, and
she she and Bert must keep house until mother and
Daddy returned, or at least until Sam or Dina got back.
No word had been received from either of the faithful
colored servants since they had gone, but this would not
have been surprising even if the mail trains had been running,

(08:16):
since neither of them knew much about writing letters. Panting
and laughing with rosy red cheeks, Flossy and Freddy came
into the house with Bert stamping and brushing the snow
off her feet on the side porch from which Bert
had shoveled most of the big drift. Oh we had
lots of fun, panted Freddy. Lots of fun, echoed FLOSSI

(08:37):
we're going out again after we eat, went on Freddy.
I'll see about that was all man with promise, And
after she had given the small twins something to eat
and had gotten something for herself and Bert, the latter,
going to the window, exclaimed, it's snowing again, and so
it was. Oh can't we go out, cried Flossie. Just

(09:00):
for a little while, begged Freddy, for they seemed to
know that with the white flakes again falling, their outdoor
fun would end. I'll take them out for just a
little while, said Bert. They'll be easier to manage when
they get good and tired, he whispered to Nan. So
once again the small twins were bundled up, and Bert
took them out in the snow. They played about for

(09:22):
a time, but the storm grew worse quickly, the wind
being cold and the snowflakes staying in the faces of
Flossy and Freddy, so that soon they were glad to
go in again. Just as Bert had thought, letting Flossie
and Freddy play out of doors made the small twins sleepy,
and they were ready for bed much earlier than usual
that evening. Bert and Nan were also tired, so about

(09:45):
ten o'clock the Bopsey house was quiet and dark, every
one being in bed. The lapsing Bert remembered hearing was
the howl of the wind outside, and the tinkle of
snow flakes against the window. It's storming hard again, he
said to him, And the first thing he heard when
he awakened in a dim gray light of morning, was
still the noise of the storm. It kept up all night,

(10:09):
thought Bert. Mine. But the snow will be deep, and
how that wind blows it shakes the house. He was
aware of a furious blast howling outside, and really at
times the house trembled. Oh Bert called Dan from a room.
Are you awake? Yes, I'm going to get right up.

(10:31):
Oh it's a terrible storm, isn't it. Yes, I guess
it's pretty bad, admitted her brother. But we'll be all right.
Hardly had he spoken than the wind howled louder than ever,
and to the ears of the Boxy Twins came the
sound of a great crash. It was the noise of
breaking wood and shattered glass. What's that? Cried Dan? End

(10:52):
of Chapter six, read by Nancy Cochwan Gerkin, Gilbert, Arizona,
August nineteen, two thousand, TWE twenty three.