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Nick's Trick · The Bobbsey Twins at Cherry Corners

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  Chapter eighteen of The Bobbsey Twins at Cherry Corners by Laura Lee Hope. This
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  LibriVox recording is in the public domain Nick's trick. Surprised at the unexpected success
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  of his attack on the larger boy, Bert Bobbsey stood for a moment on
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  the edge of the bank, looking down at the struggling Nick Dodge. For
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  Nick splashed about and struggled as he fell. I guess that wasn't a very
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  good thing to do. If Nick has my watch in his pocket, thought
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  Bert, it'll be all mud and water and rust. I wish i'd taken
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  the watch out before I pushed him in. But there was no time to
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  think about this now, for Nick was very angry, and Bert knew his
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  enemy would rush at him as soon as he could emerge from the mud hole.
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  Never had Nick Dodge been so furious. He fairly glared up at Bert
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  and yelled, I'll fix you for this. You'll to catch me first,
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  taunted Bert. What do you mean shoving me into a mud hole like this?
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  Went on Nick, as he wiped some of the dirt off his face
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  and started to wade out. He had dropped his fishing pole in his fall,
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  give me back my watch you took, and I won't shove you down
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  any more holes, said Bert, What do you mean your watch? I
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  haven't got it. You have, so I have not. Didn't you climb
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  up our shed roof and get in my window and take my silver watch off
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  my bureau, asked Bert. No, I didn't. I never saw your
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  old watch. But some of your friends will see a black eye on you
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  as soon as I get out, threatened Nick. He spoke so earnestly about
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  the watch that Bert thought perhaps, after all, he might be mistaken in
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  thinking the truck peddler's boy had been guilty. Well, anyhow, went on
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  Bert, you threw a mud ball at me, and you dropped a stick
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  on me in the woods the other day. This pays back for those tricks.
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  I never dropped to stick on you in the woods, declared Nick.
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  You did, and you plopped the mud ball at me too. Well,
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  I didn't hit you with any stick, went on Nick, which was almost
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  as much as admitting that he had thrown the mud. The only time I
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  hit you with a stick was just now, when I threw one in the
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  grass, and I didn't know you were there, went on Nick, and
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  I'm coming out now, and black your eye and hit your nose, he
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  declared. I'm not afraid of you, announced Burt, and he watched while
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  the larger boys scrambled up the muddy bank. Bert did not want to run,
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  yet he knew he would get considerably mussed up if he fought with Nick.
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  Now not only was Nick somewhat larger than Bert, but he was covered
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  with water, mud, and green scum from the puddle into which he had
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  been knocked, and Bert felt that much of this would rub off on his
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  clothes if he got into a tussle with Nick. But I can't run away,
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  thought the bobbsey lad. However, the matter was solved for him.
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  As Nick was climbing up the side of the river bank to come at Bert,
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  the larger lad stepped in a wet and slippery place and went down again
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  into the mud. In he went deeper than before, and he gave a
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  howl of rage and disappointment. This is my chance to get away, decided
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  Bert. I won't have to run either, he added to himself. So
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  he called down to the sputtering and splashing lad, I'm going home now.
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  If you didn't take my watch, you messed up Dinah's kitchen, and you
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  took NaN's chocolate cake, and you daubed me with mud, and now we're
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  square. Hey, wait a minute, You wait and I'll fight you,
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  offered Nick. And I never was in your kitchen, and I don't know
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  anything about your sister's chocolate cake. If you aren't afraid, you'll wait until
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  I get out, and I'll fight you. I don't have time to wait
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  now, said Bert. You might slip in again again. I'm going home,
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  and you want to keep away from our house too? What Nick answered?
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  Bert did not hear. For the Bobbsey lad turned and started back toward
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  Cherry Corners, quite satisfied with what he had done to his enemy. It
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  was not the right way to act, but Bert was human, and,
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  like many other boys, impulsive. If Nick didn't take my watch, who
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  did, mused Bert to himself as he trudged along. He listened now and
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  then to see if he was being pursued, but no sounds came to his
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  ears. And if he didn't mess up Dinah's kitchen and take NaN's cake,
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  who did? These were questions Bert very much wanted to have answered, but
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  there seemed no way of finding out some very queer things were happening at Redgate
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  Farm, and if Nick Dodge was not doing the tricks, who was thinking
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  over these matters? Wondering what would happen next, thinking of the new fishing
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  he was going to buy with his cherry money, and rather worrying over what
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  would take place when he next met Nick Dodge. Bert hurried back to the
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  farmhouse. Why Bert, what's the matter, asked his mother, who was
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  going for a walk with Flossie and Freddy. Nothing is the matter, replied
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  the boy. Yes there is too, exclaimed Nan, who was coming along
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  the path behind her mother. I can tell by your face, Bert Bobbsey,
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  that something happened. Did you catch a big fish? And did it
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  get away? She laughed? Nothing like that, murmured Bert, and wondering
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  how his mother and sister could tell that something out of the ordinary had occurred.
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  Have you been fighting, asked missus Bobbsey. If he has it was
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  with that Nick Dodge, declared Nan. I didn't exactly fight with him,
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  admitted Bert, knowing it was best to tell the truth as he always did.
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  I just pushed him into a mud hole after he hit me with a
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  stick. Oh dear, I wish you hadn't murmured his mother. It's going
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  to make matters very unpleasant. I guess it wasn't very pleasant for him to
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  be in the mud, but he deserved it. He threw a mud ball
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  at me, declared Bert. Then he told the story just as it had
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  happened, how he had followed Nick to see if the other boy had the
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  missing watch. I guess he didn't take it after all, concluded NaN's brother,
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  while Missus Bobbsey advised her son to go and tell his father all about
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  it, since mister Bobbsey had begun to make some inquiries of the police about
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  what had happened at Redgate Farm. Are you going to pick any more cherries
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  to day? Bert asked Freddy, as his brother moved off toward the house.
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  If you are, I'll come and help you. Thanks, but I
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  guess I won't pick any more until tomorrow, was the answer. Where are
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  you going? Mother? Just for a walk with the children. You may
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  come if you like, after you tell Daddy what happened. No, thank
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  you, answered Bert. After a moment's thought, I guess I'll stay here
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  until you come back. He imagined he might meet Nick Wet and muddy coming
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  along the road and would not be a very pleasant meeting. I'll let him
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  have time to cool off, decided Bert. However, nothing happened that night
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  nor the next day. If Nick was anxious to meet Bert and fight with
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  him, the boy gave no sign of it, but kept out of the
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  way. Bert had an idea that Nick must have had to go in swimming
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  with all his clothes on to get cleaned of the mud. It was Missus
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  Bobbsey who gave the next alarm about something happening in the farmhouse. She came
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  downstairs one morning after breakfast, having gone up to dress in order to drive
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  the auto to the village to buy some groceries. Did you take my cameo,
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  pin Nan, asked the girl's mother. Why no, Mother, Nan
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  answered, I haven't been in your room. My en is gone, went
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  on Missus Bobbsey. I saw it on my dresser when I went down to
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  breakfast, and I thought I would leave it out of my box as I
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  was going to wear it later. Now I can't find it. I didn't
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  take it, volunteered Flossie, who thought she would be next, asked,
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  and Freddie didn't neither, did you? She turned to her brother. No,
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  I haven't been in your room at all, not since you got the
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  sliver out of my finger yesterday, said the little fireman. It is very
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  strange, murmured the children's mother. First Bert's watch is taken, and now
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  my pen. I really think we have a very unpleasant sort of person in
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  the neighborhood who slips in and takes things when we are not looking. My
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  cameo pin was not very valuable, nor was Bert's watch, but it isn't
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  nice to lose things. I hope they don't take my bracelet, exclaimed Nan.
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  I think I'll hide it, and she looked around apprehensively. I'm going
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  to hide my best doll, too, added Flossie. My my fire engine,
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  gasped Freddie. If anybody takes that, I'll I'll squirt water on'em,
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  he threatened. How can you if they take your engune asked Bert,
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  who sometimes liked to tease his little brother. I'll throw water on him out
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  of a pail and make em tell me where my engine is, declared Freddie.
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  I wish I could do that about my watch, said Bert. Something
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  will have to be done if things keep on like this, maybe, suggested
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  Freddie. That funny dog I saw in my room the other night took your
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  pen, mother, or the cat I saw, added Flossie. Their mother
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  shook her head. This was the first time the children had spoken of the
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  animals that had alarmed them. I really don't believe you saw anything, missus.
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  Bobbsey said, Yes, I did, insisted Freddie. So did,
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  I added his twin sister. Mister Bob could not account for what was happening,
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  But then he was very busy attending to the cherries, and had so
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  many other things about which to think that he might be excused. But Bert
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  and Nann wondered a great deal. It was a day later that Dinah missed
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  a bright new pan from her kitchen, a pan she intended to use in
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  making a pudding. Freddie called out the fat black cook. Do yo take
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  my pan to make mud pies? No, Dinah, I didn't, He
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  answered, I haven't made any mud pies? Where am i? Utt?
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  Honey lamb went on Dinah, meaning Flossy, maybe she done took my pan.
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  She's mighty welcome to have it, and so is you, Freddie.
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  But Dinah wants to use it a bit now. Flossie knew nothing of the
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  missing pan, and it was added to the other mysteries of Redgate Farm.
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  The work of picking the cherries was still going on full swing. For the
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  sooner the fruit was gotten to market, the better the prices the growers would
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  get. One night, mister Winton called on mister Bobbsey and asked, can
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  you lend me some of your pickers tomorrow? I need to clean up two
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  or three big trees in a hurry, and I haven't enough workers. I'll
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  lend you half a dozen. Mister Bobbsey said, I'm over my rush.
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  I'd like to pick cherries for you. Mister Winton said Bert. I can't
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  do it as fast as some, but I'll try. Bert is a pretty
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  good little helper, said his father. I'll lend him to you with the
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  others. I'll pay the regular prices went on mister Winton, and so it
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  was arranged. Do you want to pick for mister Winton too? Nan asked
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  her twin. No, was the reply, We're going to make cookies in
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  the morning. The next day, Bert went to work in the orchard opposite
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  his father's place. What if you meet Nick Dodge, asked Nan as her
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  brother was leaving the house in the morning. I guess mister Winton will make
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  him behave was the answer. Anyhow, we're even and it wasn't my fault.
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  Nick fell in the mud hole the second time. I guess he won't
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  do anything. In truth, Nick did not seem inclined that way. He
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  did not notice s Burt, who reported at the Winton orchard with the other
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  pickers, and Bert soon got over a little feeling of nervousness. He climbed
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  into a tree that was laden with cherries, and in a short time had
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  a big tin pail full. He took this down to the ground and was
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  about to pick it up and carry it to the sorting shed when Nick came
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  along carrying a ladder out of the way. Cried the peddler's boy, and
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  the next instant he did a mean trick, for he swung his ladder about,
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  hitting Bert's pail and sending the cherries scattering all over the ground. Hey
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  quit, that, yelled Bert, but it was too late. The damage
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  had been done. End of Chapter eighteen, read by Martha Heaton, September
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  twenty twenty three.