Latest / The Bobbsey Twins at Cherry Corners / In the Mud Hole

Transcript

In the Mud Hole · The Bobbsey Twins at Cherry Corners

• 0:01
  Chapter seventeen of The Bobbsey Twins at Cherry Corners by Laura Lee Hope. The
• 0:07
  sleebrivox recording is in the public domain, read by Martha Heaton. In the
• 0:13
  mud Hole, Bert's silver watch had been a birthday present, and he thought
• 0:19
  a great deal of it. So when he found it was missing from his
• 0:23
  bureau, though it had been there earlier in the day, he was angry.
• 0:28
  I'm going to tell Dad about it, he declared to Nan, who
• 0:31
  met him in the hall. That is, unless you hid my watch for
• 0:35
  fun. And he looked at his sister. I wouldn't do a thing like
• 0:39
  that, declared Nan. No, I guess you wouldn't, answered Bert.
• 0:43
  I wonder if Freddy took it. What would he want of your watch,
• 0:47
  Bert Bobbsey. He might think he could take some of the wheels out to
• 0:51
  use in his fire engine. Bert Bobbsey cried, Nan, Freddy wouldn't do
• 0:57
  such a thing. I know it. I was only joking when I said
• 1:02
  that. Bert went on, But maybe Freddie did see my watch. However,
• 1:07
  when the little fireman was questioned, he said he had not been in
• 1:11
  Bert's room all day, nor had Dinah, nor had mister or Missus Bobbsey
• 1:15
  seen that silver time piece. Perhaps you mislaid it, suggested Bert's mother.
• 1:22
  More than once you have said you couldn't find a clean handkerchief or a pair
• 1:25
  of stockings. When I told you just where they were, you would say
• 1:30
  they weren't in the drawer when they were there all the while. Perhaps your
• 1:34
  watch is on your bureau, under the cover, or hidden behind your comb
• 1:38
  and brush. No, mother, it isn't, I looked, declared Bert.
• 1:42
  I'll go up and help you, offered Nan, But her bright eyes
• 1:46
  were of no avail. The watch was not to be found, and finally
• 1:49
  Missus Bobbsey had to admit that it was not in the room. Bert's father
• 1:55
  suggested his son might have worn the watch while picking cherries and have drypped it
• 2:00
  from his pocket. No, I didn't have it on today, declared the
• 2:04
  boy. And I saw it on his bureau when I went in to open
• 2:07
  his bed for the night, said Nan again, which made it certain that
• 2:12
  the silver watch had disappeared that afternoon. Nick must have taken it, insisted
• 2:19
  Bert again. He could easily have climbed by the rain water pipe to the
• 2:23
  shed roof and have gotten in my window that way. The bureau is close
• 2:28
  to the window, and he could reach his hand in and take my watch.
• 2:32
  This is a serious matter, remarked mister Bobbsey, more serious than throwing
• 2:38
  mud balls or sticks, or even upsetting Dinah's kitchen. We must not accuse
• 2:43
  a boy of stealing unless we know for sure Hadn't We better tell the police,
• 2:49
  asked Bert, I want to get my watch back. I think I
• 2:53
  will make a report of it, decided mister Bobbsey. They have no regular
• 2:57
  police here in Cherry Corners, but there is a con I'll tell him and
• 3:00
  see what he says about it. I will also speak of Bert's watch to
• 3:06
  the owners of the three other cherry farms around here, and have them keep
• 3:09
  their eyes open to see if any of the pickers has a new silver watch.
• 3:15
  But though his father was thus proceeding in an orderly way, Bert decided
• 3:20
  he would do something himself. This was to keep a careful lookout over Nick
• 3:24
  Dodge to see if the lad showed any of his chums the missing watch.
• 3:30
  By this time Bert had picked enough cherries to earn the money to buy the
• 3:32
  fishing rod he wanted, and he was not quite so eager to gather the
• 3:37
  fruit as he had been at first. Mister Bobbsey had plenty of regular pickers
• 3:42
  and did not really need the services of his son. He had only let
• 3:46
  him pick to give him an idea of business and to know what it felt
• 3:50
  like to really earn money. So, without saying anything to his parents,
• 3:54
  Bert decided to play amateur detective. He told none of his plans and her
• 4:00
  promise not to tell. I'll just hang around mister Winton's orchard, decided Bert.
• 4:05
  And when I see Nick stopping his work, I'll follow him and see
• 4:10
  where he goes. Maybe i'll see him take my watch out to look at
• 4:14
  it. What will you do, then, Nan wanted to know, I'll
• 4:17
  take it away from him. Maybe he won't let you. Then he'll have
• 4:21
  a fight on his hands, declared Bert fiercely. I'm not going to let
• 4:27
  him keep my birthday watch. Maybe he won't let you follow him, went
• 4:30
  on Nan, who, though anxious to have her brother get back his time
• 4:34
  piece, wanted him to understand all the troubles he might meet. I won't
• 4:40
  let him know I'm following him, whispered Bert. I'll sneak along through the
• 4:44
  bushes behind him, just as we do when we play scout in Indians.
• 4:47
  He'll never know I'm following him. If he does, there will be a
• 4:51
  fuss, declared Nan, And that is just what happened. Carrying out his
• 4:58
  plan, Bert gave up for a time his cherry picking and found a place
• 5:01
  at the side of the road near the particular trees where mister Winton's fruit was
• 5:05
  being gathered. At this time, Nick and the other helpers were up in
• 5:11
  the trees there, and Bert, by scouting around, as he called it,
• 5:15
  found the very tree which Nick Dodge was in. About the middle of
• 5:19
  the afternoon, Bert saw Nick take his big pail of cherries to the sorting
• 5:24
  shed to be measured, and then he heard the lad say I'm going to
• 5:28
  quit for the day. I'm going fishing. All right, you've done pretty
• 5:31
  well, said the man in charge of the orchard. Will you be here
• 5:34
  tomorrow? Oh sure, I'm going to stick here until there aren't any more
• 5:39
  cherries to pick. I like this better than peddling vegetables, went on Nick.
• 5:45
  This is my chance, whispered Bert to himself. I'll follow him when
• 5:48
  he goes fishing. A little later, Nick came out of the shack where
• 5:54
  he and the other men pickers on mister Winton's farm lived during the busy season.
• 6:00
  Nick had a pole over his shoulder. I hope he doesn't go to
• 6:04
  my fishing hole, thought Bert. He'd only spoil it. But I guess
• 6:09
  he won't find it. Bert had a special little nook of his own where
• 6:14
  he went to fish, and he was anxious to keep it secret. However,
• 6:18
  Nick did not appear to know about it, for he headed in the
• 6:20
  opposite direction, and Bert followed, though at a distance. He doesn't know
• 6:26
  I'm after him, murmured NaN's brother. It's a good thing I practiced being
• 6:30
  an Indian, because now I can walk through the woods without making any noise.
• 6:35
  This is not exactly true, but Bert did manage to slip along back
• 6:40
  of Nick without it would seem the lad knowing anything about it. Nick crossed
• 6:46
  through a patch of woods and was soon nearing the small river, which lazily
• 6:49
  wended its way about cheery corners in a big half circle. If he's got
• 6:55
  my watch with him, reasoned Bert, as he slipped from one tree to
• 6:59
  another in the chain. He'll take it out after a while to see what
• 7:01
  time it is. Then I'll rush up and grab it. For half an
• 7:06
  hour, Nick trudged on without taking out any watch. By this time he
• 7:12
  was close to the river, and Bert was wondering what would happen when he
• 7:15
  got to the open fields on the edge of the stream. I can't stand
• 7:19
  up and walk, then decided the Bobbsey boy, I'll have to crawl on
• 7:24
  my hands and knees in the tall grass. Nick reached the end of the
• 7:28
  woods and began to cross the field, beyond which lay the little river.
• 7:32
  Bert hesitated a moment, and then, dropping to his hands and knees,
• 7:36
  followed. Whether it was some noise made by Bert or whether Nick turned and
• 7:43
  saw the waving grass as Bert crawled through, it does not matter. What
• 7:47
  happened was that suddenly Bert heard him cry, who's there? Who's following me?
• 7:54
  Before Bert could answer, a stick sailed through the air, thrown by
• 7:58
  Nick and struck the Bobbsey lad on the back. Take that, cried Nick.
• 8:05
  At this Bert lost his temper, for the blow was a smart one,
• 8:09
  and leaping to his feet, he rushed forward, shouting, I'm following
• 8:13
  you, and you know what for give it up, give it back to
• 8:16
  me. Without stopping to say what it was he wanted, Bert rushed at
• 8:20
  the surprised Nick. At that moment, the other lad was standing on the
• 8:24
  edge of the river at a low place where there were several mud holes.
• 8:28
  Hardly knowing what he was doing, Bert reached the side of his enemy and
• 8:33
  with a vigorous shove, pushed him down the bank into the slimy mud and
• 8:39
  water. Into this Nick fell with a great splash. End of Chapter seventeen,
• 8:46
  read by Martha Heaton, September twenty twenty three.