Bobby of Cloverfield Farm Part 13

"That was a grand ride, though," said Bobby.

They went to the barn together and came up to Prince at the watering-trough.

Father took Prince's face in his two hands and in his kindest voice said, "You are a wonderful horse, Prince. Thank you for being careful of my Bobby. You shall have some extra oats to-day."

When Sue was told about it, she found another blue ribbon and tied it on Prince's bridle.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE BIG SOUTH WINDOW]

XIV

Mother's favorite place in all the house was by the big window in the sitting-room. It was on the south side of the house; so they called it the Big South Window.

On bright days the sun shone through it and flooded the sitting-room with golden suns.h.i.+ne. From it Mother could see green fields near by and purple hills in the distance and the blue sky over all.

"I love my Big South Window," she often said.

She sat there to do the sewing and mending. She sat there to read and sometimes just to enjoy the view--orchard and woods, green fields and the big elm tree, purple hills and blue sky.

One day in Autumn, a letter came to Mother from her sister. "Please come and make me a visit," the letter said.

"I do not see how I can go," said Mother. "There are so many things to be done here."

"Oh, yes, you must go," said Father. "You have not had a vacation in a long time. We'll get Aunt Martha to come and keep house."

"I'll look after the chickens and the ducks," said Bobby. "And I'll keep the wood box full for Aunt Martha."

So one day in October Mother said good-by and went away on her long journey. She was to be gone three weeks.

From the very first, Bobby missed her greatly. Most of all he missed her at evening, when she was not there to tell him a good-night story. But for the first week he stood it very well, his extra ch.o.r.es helping to pa.s.s the time away.

After that it seemed such a long time since he _had_ seen her, and such a very long time until he _would_ see her, that he could scarcely wait.

Every morning he counted the days until she would come home. When the second week had pa.s.sed, he could say, "Only seven more days until Mother comes home."

That day, after he had fed the chickens and ducks and filled the wood box, he went into the sitting-room and sat in Mother's rocker and looked out through her favorite window.

Then he noticed how dirty it was.

"That will never do," thought Bobby. "Her window must be as bright and s.h.i.+ny as if she were here to look at it."

Bobby washed the big window on the inside and then he went outside. By standing on the kitchen stool and getting Aunt Martha to push down the upper sash, he could reach the top.

So with feeding the chickens and the ducks, and romping with Rover, and looking after Betty, and watching the men at work, and playing with his blocks and trains, and reading a book which Mother sent him, another week pa.s.sed.

At last came the morning when it was only a few hours before she would come.

Bobby could hardly eat any breakfast for the joy of it.

All the forenoon, he and Sue were sweeping and dusting and putting the house in order.

Sue picked some pansies from Mother's pansy bed and put them in a dish on the dining table.

Bobby went to the fence corners and picked some beautiful red bitter-sweet for the sitting-room. Last of all, they washed the Big Window.

After dinner, to pa.s.s the time away, Bobby took his ball and began to bounce it on the side of the house.

"I'll see whether I can catch it a hundred times," thought he.

Ninety-seven times he caught it. "I'll soon have a hundred," he said.

"Won't that be fine to tell Mother?"

He screwed up his mouth and threw the ball again. But instead of hitting the boards it hit the Big South Window.

Crash went the gla.s.s, in dozens of pieces, to the ground.

"Oh! oh!" moaned Bobby, as he stood looking at the ruined window.

"Why did I do it? Why _did_ I do it?"

Sue heard the crash and came to see what had happened.

"It is too bad," said she.

"I must get another gla.s.s put in before Mother comes home," he said.

"There is not time," said Sue. "And probably there is not so large a pane without going to the city. But we can pick up the pieces and make it look as tidy as possible."

So they picked up the pieces, and Bobby carried them off to the barrel where they kept broken gla.s.s and dishes.

When Bobby had put the broken pieces of gla.s.s in the barrel, he went into the sitting-room. How ugly the Big Window looked now, with the big, jagged hole in it and the gla.s.s cracked in all directions. He felt the chill November air coming in through the broken pane.

"It will never do," thought he. "I must get a new pane put in right away."

He went to his bank, which was standing on the clock-shelf. In it he found four dollars, which he had been saving for a long time to buy a new Express Wagon.

"I hope it will be enough," he said.

There was only one man in the village who kept window gla.s.s--Mr. Barlow, the carpenter. As fast as he could run, Bobby ran to the village, and as he ran, he kept thinking, "Will he be at home? Will he have a big gla.s.s?"

When Bobby reached Mr. Barlow's shop, as soon as he could get his breath, he said, "Oh, Mr. Barlow, have you a big window pane? I've broken our Big South Window."

"Broken your Big South Window, have you? Well, that is too bad. I think I haven't one now, and to-morrow is Sunday; but I'll get you one on Monday when I go to the city."

"Oh, but it must be put in to-day," said Bobby. "I have the money to pay you. Would four dollars be enough?"