The Bobbsey Twins Keeping House by Laura Lee Hope : Aunt Sally is Worse

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter eighteen of The Bobbsey Twins Keeping House. This is
a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
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The Bobbsey Twins Keeping House by Laura Lee Hope, Aunt
Sally is Worse. While Nan Bobsey was putting breakfast on

(00:24):
the table for Flossie and Freddy, and also for herself
and Bert, the smaller twins were musing themselves by running
to and fro in the house. They ran into the
front room, up to the windows, out of which they
looked the storm, and then they ran back into the
dining room. Don't make so much noise, begged Nan, while
she wondered how Bert was getting along with cutting off

(00:46):
the tree branch. We're playing horse, explained Freddy. Horses have
to make noise. He's the horse and I'm the driver,
said Flossie. Come on, cried her twin brother. We have
to go to a fire now. Into the front room.
The smaller twins raced again, and as they reached the windows,

(01:06):
they saw Bert fall off the roof. They knew it
was their brother. Oh oh, screamed Flossi look at Bert.
Fretty gazed for a moment. Then he rushed back into
the dining room, where Nan was putting note beyond the table,
and cried, Bert jumped off the roof. Bert jumped off
the roof into a snowdrift in the front yard. Oh, Nan,

(01:29):
you ought to see him. Nan gazed, white eyed at
her small brother. Why should Bert jump off the roof,
especially when he had a sharp patchet? Perhaps something worse
than this had happened. Nan hurried into the front room,
followed by Freddy FLOSSI was still at the window looking
out Bert stuck in a snow drift. She reported, Look,

(01:51):
he can hardly get out. And this was true. So
deep was the snow in front of the house, and
so far down in the drift had plunged when he
toppled off the roof that it was all the boy
could do to scramble out. Still, he was making headway,
floundering about to reach the front steps. Nan ran to

(02:11):
the door and opened it. Bert bopsey. She cried, what
did you want to jump off the roof? For I
didn't jump? Bert said, somewhat out of breath, as at
last he managed to free his legs and reach the porch.
Freddy says, you jumped, went on Nan. No I didn't,
I fell, panted Bert. I cut the tree branch and

(02:35):
then I slipped off the box. I was standing on
a box. I rolled off the roof. But I'm not
hurt because I fell in the snow bank. Oh I'm
glad of that, exclaimed Nan. You are, cried Bert with
a laugh. Well you wouldn't be glad if you had

(02:56):
as much snow down your back as I've got down mine.
Oh I didn't mean that, Nan exclaimed I mean, I'm
glad you didn't get hurt, so my said Bert. Falling
in the snow drift, even off the porch roof was
like landing in a feather bed. The hatchet might have
cut you, went on his sister. I dropped that up

(03:17):
on the rope when I fell, I guess, stated Bert. Well, anyhow,
I cut the branch loose and it won't bang any more.
Now we've got to nail a blanket over the window
so the wind and snow won't blow in. You'd better
have your breakfast first, Nan suggested. No, I'm all snow
now and I might as well finish, decided Bert. But

(03:39):
I guess you'll have to help me put the blanket on. Nan,
I can't hold both sides up at once. I'll do that.
His sister agreed. We'll help too, cried Freddie, speaking for
himself and his twin sister. No, you two get your breakfast,
decided Nan, it's all on the table ready for you.
And be good children. Now we will, promised Flossie. I'll

(04:04):
let Freddy eat out of my oatmeal dish if he
wants to. Each of you has a dish, laughed Nan,
there's no need of sharing them. Now come on, Bert
and we'll fix that window. Nan knew where her mother
kept the extra bedclothes, and from the closet she took
a heavy lump like it. Bert got some big tacks
from his father's tool box down in the cellar, and

(04:26):
then the two older Bopsey twins began work to keep
out the wintry blast, which seemed to howl with glee
as it rushed through the broken window. Bert found where
he had dropped the hatchet in the snow on the
roof before I rolled off. I'll bring that into hammer
with and we can stand on the box, he told Nan. Oh,
what a lot of snow on the carpet and broken

(04:48):
glass too, exclaimed the girl mother would feel badly if
she saw this. I'll clean it up as soon as
we get the blanket tacked on, said Bert. It was
not easy for him and Nan to put up the
heavy blanket and tack it fast to the sides of
the window, for the wind would blow hard every now
and then, spreading the blanket out like a sail of

(05:11):
a boat. But at last they managed to get it
in place, and then the wind could no longer enter,
nor did any more snow sift in. We'll have to
get a glass van to fix the window, said Nan.
Can't get anybody until after this storm was over, was
Bert's opinion. A glass man might fall off the roof

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and break the new pane he brought. I guess this
will be all right for a while. Nobody sleeps in
here anyhow, Yes, agreed Nan, it will be all right.
It doesn't matter if this room is cold. Burke up
brew in dust pan and cleaned up the snow before
it should melt on the carpet. He also picked up
the broken pieces of glass, taking care not to get

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his fingers, and put them in an ash can in
the cellar, and now I guess it's time I have
my breakfast, he decided, when everything had been made as
farly right as possible, I'll eat with you, said Nan.
Haven't you had your breakfast either, asked Bert in surprise,
I haven't had time, exclaimed Nan. I had to look

(06:15):
after Aunt Sally and the twins. She and Bert were
on their way to the dining room when suddenly they
heard the voices of Flossy and Freddy. Stop now you stop,
Freddie Bobbsey. Quit, I'll tell Dina on you, Flossy wailed.
Dina isn't here, retorted Freddie. Guess those two need more

(06:37):
lookin after, laughed Bert to Nan. Oh they're always up
to something, she sighed. As she hurried into the dining room,
Nan and Bert saw Freddie trying to pull away from
Flossy the oatmeal dish the little girl had been using.
Flossy was clinging to one side a bit and at
the same time shouting stop stop, now you stop, Freddie

(07:00):
Bobbsey give me the dish. Let me have it, insisted
the little boy. Stop. Freddy called Nan, why are you
trying to take away Flossy's dish? She's trew with it.
She's eating up all her own meal. Freddy said, I'm
going to take the dish out the kitchen and wash it. No,

(07:20):
you mustn't do that, said Nan. I want to help
you wash the dishes. Thank you, dear, but I don't
need any help this morning, Nan said, And he shan't
have my dish. I haven't eaten all my own meal,
wailed Flossy. Oh you did so eat it all up.
There isn't any left, exclaimed Freddy. There is, so, retorted Flossie,

(07:45):
trying hard to pull the dish away from her brother.
There's sugar and milk in my dish, and I want it,
Freddy bobbsey Bert had a look in the dish over
which there was such a dispute. There was only a
very little milk on the bottom, hardly a spoonful. But
sometimes Flossy could be very fussy over little things, and
this was one of those occasions. Her dish is empty

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and it ought to be washed, Freddy said, And he
would not let go his hold until Bert took his
fingers off, saying, come on, Freddy, I'll let you help
me make the water wheel as soon as I've had
enough to eat. Let the girls do the dishes. Oh
all right, agreed the little boy. Then to Flossy, he cried,

(08:29):
girls are cry babies and they have to wash dishes.
Boys bake things, and I'm going to make a water wheel.
I am not a cry baby, am I? Man, appealed Flossy. No, dear,
you aren't, of course, Nan answered, you mustn't call names Freddy. Well,
then why didn't she let me take her dish out

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when it was empty? The little boy wanted to know,
tisn't empty. I'm going to eat the rest of my oatmeal,
said Flossy, and she began to scrape up with her
spoon what little milk remained. There was hardly enough to show,
but Flossi made as much work over it as though
the dish were half full. You can help me with

(09:11):
the dishes, Flossi, as soon as Bert and I have
our breakfast, Nan said, And this pleased the little girl,
and Freddy forgot about his dispute with Flossie when he
thought of helping Bert with a water wheel. The storm
kept up all that morning, and it was so severe
that though Bert wanted to go to the post office
to inquire if any mail had come in, Nan would

(09:33):
not let him. You might get stuck in a drift
and never get back, She said, Pooh, I guess I
could get out of a drift, laughed Bert. Didn't I
get out of the one I fell into off the roof.
But Nan was so worried over the storm and about
being left alone that Bert said he would stay at home.

(09:54):
It was still snowing at noon when Nan served lunch, though,
as she looked in the pantry, she said to somebody
will have to go to the store tomorrow or will
not have much to eat. I don't believe the stores
will deliver anything, but maybe Bert can get out in
the morning if the snow stops. After Nan had seen
to it that things will put on the table for Bert,

(10:16):
Flossy and Freddy, she carried something up to Aunt Sally,
without waiting to get anything for herself. As Nan entered
the old lady's room, she saw Missus Pride tossing from
side to side in the bed, just as Nan had
once seen Flossy tossed in a fever. Who who is that?
Murmured Missus Prye in a faint voice. As Nan set

(10:38):
the tray of food down on the table near the bed.
Is that the doctor? No, this is Nan, Bobbsey, said
the little girl. Don't you know me, Aunt Sallie, She
feared the old lady was out of her head with fever.
Oh yes, I know you, Nan, was the low answer.
But I thought you were the doctor. When is the

(10:59):
doctor coming? Why? I don't know, And Nan was puzzled.
Did you want me to send for the doctor? Yes, Derry,
I wish you would. I called down to you to
send for it, but I guess you didn't hear me.
Flossie and Freddy were making so much noise. I guess
I didn't hear you, said Nan. But I'll get the

(11:20):
doctor right away. If you think you want him, i'd
better have him, Nan, I'm much worse. I fear. I'm
very sick, and the lumbago is worse. The liniment doesn't
seem to help me any. Send for the doctor. Doctor
Martin is the best one, and he doesn't live far
from here. I'll have Bert telephone for him right away,

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promised Nan. And see I have brought you up something
to eat. I'm too sick to eat, Deary, moaned Aunt Sally.
Get the doctor as soon as you can, Nan hurried,
downstairs and told Bert. He went to the telephone, but
after waiting some time, he heard no voice of the
operator asking what number he wanted. I guess the telephone

(12:05):
wires are broken, Nan, He said, I'll have to go
over to doctor Martin's house to tell him to come.
Oh dear, sighed Nan, and she looked out of the
window at the storm, which was still raging fiercely. End
of Chapter eighteen, read by Nancy Cochran Gergan Gilbert, Arizona,
August twenty two, two thousand, twenty three.