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20 - Bobbsey Twins at Cloverbank by Laura Lee Hope · Bobbsey Twins at Cloverbank

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  Speaker 1: At LibriVox dot org. The Bobsey Twins at Cloverbank by
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  Speaker 1: Laura Lee Hope the Pirate's Cave. While the Bobbsey Twins
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  Speaker 1: and Sam standing near Missus Bobbsey watched, the peach grower
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  Speaker 1: suddenly jarred the branch on which had gathered the runaway
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  Speaker 1: bees clustered about their queen like faithful subjects. Down dropped
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  Speaker 1: the buzzing brown masts of honey gatherers into the open
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  Speaker 1: hive box. You got most of them, shouted Jason Stern,
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  Speaker 1: as with a quick motion he clapped the cover on
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  Speaker 1: the hive and started drawing the cart away. Won't the
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  Speaker 1: bees get out the little front door, asked Flossi, for
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  Speaker 1: she had noticed that the hive box had a slit
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  Speaker 1: at the bottom. I stopped that up before I put
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  Speaker 1: the hive on the cart, said mister Stern. The bees
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  Speaker 1: are safely caged now. That is all but a few
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  Speaker 1: that got away. The children could see a few of
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  Speaker 1: the insects which had not fallen into the hive, flying
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  Speaker 1: around the tree and around the white box that now
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  Speaker 1: contained the queen and thousands of workers. Perhaps these stray
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  Speaker 1: bees were wondering where their monarch had disappeared to don't
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  Speaker 1: will your cart over toward the children, mourned mister Watson
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  Speaker 1: as he climbed down out of the tree. Some of
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  Speaker 1: the stray bees may sting them. I'll be careful, said
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  Speaker 1: the bee man. He puffed into the air around the
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  Speaker 1: hive some smoke from the smoker, and this served to
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  Speaker 1: drive away the humming bees that, after circling about for
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  Speaker 1: a while, flew off in the direction of the orchard.
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  Speaker 1: They'll go back to the old hive, mister Watson said,
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  Speaker 1: as he took off his veil and gloves, for there
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  Speaker 1: was no longer need of them. And the bees and
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  Speaker 1: the queen and this new hive will start making the
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  Speaker 1: wax cells into which they will put honey a little later.
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  Speaker 1: I'm glad you saw this swarm and came to tell me, boys,
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  Speaker 1: he said to Sam and Bert. It's worth quite a
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  Speaker 1: few dollars, or will be this fall when the hive
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  Speaker 1: is filled with honey. I like honey, remarked Freddy, looking
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  Speaker 1: carefully at mister Watson to make sure no bees had
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  Speaker 1: followed him, but none had. Well, I'll send you some
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  Speaker 1: when you get back home, promised the peach grower. That
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  Speaker 1: was very interesting, said missus Bobbsey as she turned to
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  Speaker 1: take the path across the field to Cloverbank. Bees are
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  Speaker 1: very smart little creatures, and they'll make you smart if
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  Speaker 1: they sting you, said Bert. Oh that's a good joke,
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  Speaker 1: exclaimed Nan with a laugh. I'm going to put that
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  Speaker 1: in my composition. You can put in about your brother
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  Speaker 1: catching a big fish, too, said Sam. He got the
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  Speaker 1: biggest one of the lot. Oh did you, cried Nan.
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  Speaker 1: I'm glad of that, and I can write about it. Oh,
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  Speaker 1: I do hope I win that prize, she went on.
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  Speaker 1: I hate to write compositions, declared Sam to Bert, don't
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  Speaker 1: you I sure do, was the answer. I'd rather go
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  Speaker 1: fishing any day from a safe distance. When they had
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  Speaker 1: gone back to the little bee farm, the children watched
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  Speaker 1: the hive of runaways and their captive queen set down
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  Speaker 1: amid the rows of other busy insects. The piece of
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  Speaker 1: wood that had blocked the front door was taken away,
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  Speaker 1: and soon the members of the new colony of honey
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  Speaker 1: gatherers were flying out and in. Then mister Stern brought
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  Speaker 1: out some honey from the crop of the previous season
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  Speaker 1: and gave the Bobsy twins and Sam. A treat lots
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  Speaker 1: has happened today, remarked Bert, when Sam had gone home
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  Speaker 1: after getting his string of fish from the cellar, and
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  Speaker 1: the children were sitting on the porch of the farmhouse
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  Speaker 1: waiting for the evening meal, which was almost ready. I'm
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  Speaker 1: glad of it, announced Nan, who was writing with an
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  Speaker 1: old big geography book on her knees. I'm making a
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  Speaker 1: list of the different things, she went on, and I'm
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  Speaker 1: going to put the best of them in my composition.
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  Speaker 1: Tell me how you felt, Bert when you pulled out
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  Speaker 1: the big fish. Oh, I felt fine, he answered, with
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  Speaker 1: a laugh. I wish I could catch a fish, sighed Freddie.
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  Speaker 1: I'm kind of tired of playing with my fire engine.
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  Speaker 1: I'll take a fishing tomorrow, promised Bert. I know a
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  Speaker 1: dandy place now, Sam showed me. I wouldn't go tomorrow,
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  Speaker 1: said missus Bobbsey. Why not, Bert wanted to know, because
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  Speaker 1: that's the day Daddy promised to take you to the
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  Speaker 1: woods for a picnic. Oh so it is, cried Bert.
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  Speaker 1: I forgot about that. We'll go fishing some other time.
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  Speaker 1: Freddy all right, agreed. The little boy picnics are just
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  Speaker 1: as nice as fish nicer. I think, Flossi said, because
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  Speaker 1: you can eat it picnics and he can't eat fish. Sure,
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  Speaker 1: he can eat fish, exclaimed Bert. What did I catch
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  Speaker 1: him for if they aren't to be eaten? Well, I
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  Speaker 1: don't like to eat fish, Flossy went on, So I'd
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  Speaker 1: rather have a picnic. We'll go tomorrow, promised her mother.
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  Speaker 1: Missus Martin came out on the porch, looking from side
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  Speaker 1: to side anxiously. Have you found your glasses yet, asked Nan. No, dearie,
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  Speaker 1: I haven't, was the answer. And I feel quite lost
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  Speaker 1: without them. I can't read a word. You children haven't
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  Speaker 1: seen him anywhere, have you? None of the Bobbsey's had, though.
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  Speaker 1: Led by Nan, Glossy and Freddy gave another search about
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  Speaker 1: the house and the side porch, but the old lady's
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  Speaker 1: glasses seemed to have vanished completely, and she did not
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  Speaker 1: know what to do about getting another pair. I guess
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  Speaker 1: I'll just have to wait until my doctor comes back
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  Speaker 1: in the fall, she said, with a sigh. The next
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  Speaker 1: day proved to be a bright and sunshiny one, just
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  Speaker 1: the best kind for a picnic. Missus Watson decided to
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  Speaker 1: take baby Jenny with them on the outing, and soon
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  Speaker 1: after breakfast, She and the little one joined the Bobbsey
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  Speaker 1: family in Miss Bobbsey's auto. They were to go to
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  Speaker 1: a glen about ten miles away there to spend the day.
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  Speaker 1: In the glen, or little valley between two high rocky places,
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  Speaker 1: was a waterfall much larger than the one in the
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  Speaker 1: brook where Bert had placed his wooden mill. I wish
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  Speaker 1: I had made a bigger paddle so I could fasten
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  Speaker 1: it under the big waterfall we were going to see,
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  Speaker 1: said Bert, when they were almost ready to start. It
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  Speaker 1: would have to be a big paddle, for there is
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  Speaker 1: quite a fall in Buttermilk Glen. Missus Watson said with
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  Speaker 1: a laugh. Why do they call it? That? Asked Nan,
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  Speaker 1: Because someone thought the water falling over the ledge of
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  Speaker 1: rocks looked like buttermilk, I suppose, was the answer. Do
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  Speaker 1: you want to go to Nan? The mother asked baby Jenny,
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  Speaker 1: who was holding out her hands towards Burt's twin sister, Well,
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  Speaker 1: I guess you may so. To her delight, Nan was
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  Speaker 1: allowed to hold the baby during part of the auto
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  Speaker 1: ride to Buttermilk Glen. Baskets of food had been packed
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  Speaker 1: for the picnic was to last all day and they
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  Speaker 1: would eat in the woods, the prospect of which gave
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  Speaker 1: the twins joy and delight. I have more peaches picked
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  Speaker 1: ready for you to sort when you get back, mister
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  Speaker 1: Watson called to the picnic party as they drove away.
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  Speaker 1: I never had such a big crop. We'll help you tomorrow,
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  Speaker 1: promised Bert. Buttermilk Glen was soon reached. It was a
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  Speaker 1: picnic ground well known for miles around, though when those
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  Speaker 1: from Cloverbank arrived they had the place to themselves. I
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  Speaker 1: hear the waterfall, cried Freddie. As soon as they alighted
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  Speaker 1: from the auto at the entrance to the glen. The
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  Speaker 1: road was too rough to drive all the way up
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  Speaker 1: into the place. Yes, that's it, said missus Watson. It's
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  Speaker 1: very pretty when the water is high, and in winter
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  Speaker 1: when it freezes, it is even more beautiful. That I
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  Speaker 1: know someone who is sleepy, she went on in a
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  Speaker 1: singing voice. I'm not quickly, cried Flossie. I didn't come
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  Speaker 1: here to sleep, she means. Jenny whispered nan, And sure enough,
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  Speaker 1: the little one's head was nodding and her eyes were closing.
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  Speaker 1: Her mother wrapped Jenny in a blanket and put her
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  Speaker 1: down under a tree, while mister Bobbsey got out the
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  Speaker 1: lunch baskets, and the boy twins scattered here and there
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  Speaker 1: to play. You may have fun for about two hours,
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  Speaker 1: and then we'll eat, said Missus Bobbsey. After lunch, you
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  Speaker 1: may play about some more before we start for home.
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  Speaker 1: With shouts of delight, the boys and girls began exploring
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  Speaker 1: the picnic ground. They had never been there before, and
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  Speaker 1: there was much to see and admire. We'll climb up
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  Speaker 1: the sides and get to the top of the waterfall
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  Speaker 1: after lunch. Bert decided, maybe I can fish up there.
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  Speaker 1: It's a big fall, too big for my little paddle
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  Speaker 1: wheel in the brook, but maybe I could make a
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  Speaker 1: big wheel that would turn. Here a path led up
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  Speaker 1: one side of the cliff, a little distance below the fall,
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  Speaker 1: and up this, Missus Watson said, the children could make
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  Speaker 1: their way to the top of the fall, but there
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  Speaker 1: was plenty to see down below, and what with exploring,
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  Speaker 1: finding pretty stones and waiting barefooted in little pools, the
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  Speaker 1: four had lots of fun. After a time, Bert and
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  Speaker 1: Freddie found themselves some distance up in the glen, which
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  Speaker 1: divided into two parts, one where the stream ran down
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  Speaker 1: the center and another part where it was dry Fussy
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  Speaker 1: and Nan had gone back to their mother and father,
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  Speaker 1: who sat talking with Missus Watson. Look there's a cave, suddenly,
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  Speaker 1: exclaimed Freddy, pointing to a dark opening in the rocky
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  Speaker 1: side of the gorge. So it is, agreed Bert, a
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  Speaker 1: regular pirate's cave. I'll say, let's go in, Freddy hesitated.
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  Speaker 1: A moment. The place looked dark and not very inviting.
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  Speaker 1: Oh I don't guess I want to, Freddy said, Well,
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  Speaker 1: I'm going in. Bert declared, I want to see what's there.
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  Speaker 1: Nothing can hurt you, he went on, even if a
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  Speaker 1: pirate was there. Once he's gone. Now you go in first,
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  Speaker 1: and then maybe I will, Freddy suggested. So Bert disappeared
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  Speaker 1: into the blackness. Freddy was just going to ask if
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  Speaker 1: everything was all right when Bert suddenly shouted, oh oh,
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  Speaker 1: I'm falling, oh Freddy. Then the older boy's voice died away,
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  Speaker 1: and Freddy was left alone outside the pirate's cave. End
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  Speaker 1: of chapter twenty Kay