bells rang a trifle mournfully as they drove away—
without
the large dark object upon which Nero was sitting. Nero was still barking but quite sociably now, with his muzzle turned up pleasantly toward the moon.
“Good old Nero,” Caddie said as she climbed back, shivering, into bed. “I guess Tom and I did well to leave it to him.”
First thing in the morning she scratched another clear place on the windowpane and looked out. Nero was still there, curled up comfortably on the something large and dark. Tom and Caddie raced out before breakfast, across the snowy pasture to look at Nero’s prize. Nero greeted them with wagging tail and a general air of pride.
“By golly!” cried Tom. “It’s Charley’s buffalo robe! They must have thrown it out at him, and Nero wouldn’t let them have it back.”
Chuckling with delight, Tom and Caddie pointed out the tracks in the snow where the unfortunate party had stood, just out of Nero’s reach, imploring him to give themback the buffalo rug. Finally they had had to abandon it, and drive away without it.
Nero was delighted to surrender his prize to Caddie and Tom. He pranced along beside them, wagging his tail, as they carried the buffalo robe up to the house.
“Say, Tom,” Caddie said just before they reached the house, “I’ll bet Charley Carey will come back to get this thing today.”
“I figured on that, too,” said Tom. “Let’s make sure that the coast is clear, and that Clara goes to the door.”
It took some careful managing to get Hetty and Minnie out of the back door on their way to the barn just as Charles Carey came up the front driveway and stopped at the front door. They had taken Warren into their confidence, and posted him as lookout on the rail fence at the corner of the road. When he saw the high-stepping blacks drawing Charley’s small sleigh, he had signaled to Tom, who was mending harness on the back step, and he in turn had given the signal to Caddie, who got the little sisters out the back door.
At the first sound of the knocker on the front door Mother had begun taking off her apron; but somehow Caddie and baby Joe had managed to upset his milk at that very moment, and Caddie had cried, “Mother, look at the baby! Come here quick!” At the same time, she shoved Clara into the front hall and shut the door after her.
It was nice that today Clara happened to have on her light blue linsey-woolsey dress that went so well with her pink cheeks when she blushed.
Caddie, helping Mother to wipe up baby Joe’s milk,could hear that Clara had taken Charley into the parlor. He was staying ever so much longer than it would have taken to get the buffalo robe and go right away again.
“Oh, dear!” thought Caddie to herself. “I hope she’s being civil to him.”
“How tiresome!” Mrs. Woodlawn was saying aloud. “Someone at the door, and the baby
would
choose that moment to spill his milk! Whoever can it be?”
She repeated her question to Clara after the front door had opened and closed again, and Clara had come back into the kitchen. Clara just stood there a moment, her eyes very bright and shining and her mouth smiling a little shyly.
“Who was it, Clara?” Mother repeated.
“Why, it was Charles Carey,” said Clara in a small, clear voice. “He came to get his buffalo robe.”
“I hope you apologized for Nero,” said Mother. “I hope to goodness you made yourself agreeable.”
“I tried to,” Clara said.
“He didn’t find the robe damaged in any way, did he?” asked Mother.
“I don’t—think—so,” said Clara.
At that moment Hetty came bursting into the kitchen.
“Mama! I just saw that Carey boy driving his black horses through our place again. Father’s going to have to put a
No Traipsing
sign to keep him out.”
“He came,” explained Clara, smiling to herself again, “to get his buffalo robe.”
“He did?” cried Hetty incredulously. “But look! There it is, right in the hall, and Nero’s lying
without
the large dark object upon which Nero was sitting. Nero was still barking but quite sociably now, with his muzzle turned up pleasantly toward the moon.
“Good old Nero,” Caddie said as she climbed back, shivering, into bed. “I guess Tom and I did well to leave it to him.”
First thing in the morning she scratched another clear place on the windowpane and looked out. Nero was still there, curled up comfortably on the something large and dark. Tom and Caddie raced out before breakfast, across the snowy pasture to look at Nero’s prize. Nero greeted them with wagging tail and a general air of pride.
“By golly!” cried Tom. “It’s Charley’s buffalo robe! They must have thrown it out at him, and Nero wouldn’t let them have it back.”
Chuckling with delight, Tom and Caddie pointed out the tracks in the snow where the unfortunate party had stood, just out of Nero’s reach, imploring him to give themback the buffalo rug. Finally they had had to abandon it, and drive away without it.
Nero was delighted to surrender his prize to Caddie and Tom. He pranced along beside them, wagging his tail, as they carried the buffalo robe up to the house.
“Say, Tom,” Caddie said just before they reached the house, “I’ll bet Charley Carey will come back to get this thing today.”
“I figured on that, too,” said Tom. “Let’s make sure that the coast is clear, and that Clara goes to the door.”
It took some careful managing to get Hetty and Minnie out of the back door on their way to the barn just as Charles Carey came up the front driveway and stopped at the front door. They had taken Warren into their confidence, and posted him as lookout on the rail fence at the corner of the road. When he saw the high-stepping blacks drawing Charley’s small sleigh, he had signaled to Tom, who was mending harness on the back step, and he in turn had given the signal to Caddie, who got the little sisters out the back door.
At the first sound of the knocker on the front door Mother had begun taking off her apron; but somehow Caddie and baby Joe had managed to upset his milk at that very moment, and Caddie had cried, “Mother, look at the baby! Come here quick!” At the same time, she shoved Clara into the front hall and shut the door after her.
It was nice that today Clara happened to have on her light blue linsey-woolsey dress that went so well with her pink cheeks when she blushed.
Caddie, helping Mother to wipe up baby Joe’s milk,could hear that Clara had taken Charley into the parlor. He was staying ever so much longer than it would have taken to get the buffalo robe and go right away again.
“Oh, dear!” thought Caddie to herself. “I hope she’s being civil to him.”
“How tiresome!” Mrs. Woodlawn was saying aloud. “Someone at the door, and the baby
would
choose that moment to spill his milk! Whoever can it be?”
She repeated her question to Clara after the front door had opened and closed again, and Clara had come back into the kitchen. Clara just stood there a moment, her eyes very bright and shining and her mouth smiling a little shyly.
“Who was it, Clara?” Mother repeated.
“Why, it was Charles Carey,” said Clara in a small, clear voice. “He came to get his buffalo robe.”
“I hope you apologized for Nero,” said Mother. “I hope to goodness you made yourself agreeable.”
“I tried to,” Clara said.
“He didn’t find the robe damaged in any way, did he?” asked Mother.
“I don’t—think—so,” said Clara.
At that moment Hetty came bursting into the kitchen.
“Mama! I just saw that Carey boy driving his black horses through our place again. Father’s going to have to put a
No Traipsing
sign to keep him out.”
“He came,” explained Clara, smiling to herself again, “to get his buffalo robe.”
“He did?” cried Hetty incredulously. “But look! There it is, right in the hall, and Nero’s lying
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