clouds in the west. "Those clouds look like mountains," said Jane. "You could think we were livin' in the mountains."
"That's night comin'," said Joe.
Now the trolley was swaying and sailing up Elm Street. Soon they would have to get off. In the town the streets seemed darker, for the great elm trees and the houses shadowed the sky. Just two more blocks and then they'd be at Ashbellows Place. Rufus was wide awake now and he was the one who pushed the bell. The trolley stopped and the Moffats stepped out into the cold.
"Br-r-r," said Mama.
The three children raced ahead. They would soon see whether or not the pipes had frozen. They slid up the street on the smooth icy stretches in the gutters, and then they turned into the narrow walk of their own yard. Both sides of the pavement leading to their porch were piled high with great banks of hard snow. "The Grand Canyon!" yelled Jane, her mind on mountains.
Joey opened the door. The three children stood in the doorway and listened. They didn't hear one thing. This was encouraging, Rufus thought, for if the pipes had burst, surely they would hear water rushing in the cellar. But Joey said no, the pipes might have burst and the water frozen over the break. Or they might have frozen and not burst yet. That would not be quite so bad though, for he and Mama could thaw the pipes themselves with warm cloths and they need not call the plumber.
Joey led the way into the kitchen. Soon he had the lamps lit. The fire in the stove had gone out! A fire made of this soft coal just did not last and the house was very cold. Catherine-the-cat was sitting right on top of the stove to absorb the last bit of warmth there was in it. Nobody took off his coat or his mittens. And everybody held his breath as Joey went over to the sink. He turned the faucet on. The pipe shuddered but no water came. "Shucks!" said Joe. "It did freeze!" and he quickly turned the spigot off again.
Mama came in now. You could see everybody's breath even though they were in the house. Mama and Joey took the medium-sized lamp and went down to the cellar to investigate. Jane and Rufus stood at the top of the stairs and listened. They could hear Mama and Joey talking in low tones.
"Well," said Rufus, "did they bust?"
There was no answer. Mama and Joey were too busy, tapping the pipes here and feeling them there, to answer. Rufus and Jane stepped cautiously down one or two steps. These stairs did not have any backs to them and were really more like a ladder than a stairway. The unpaved cellar smelled of damp, cold, dirt.
"Did they bust?" Rufus demanded again.
"Yeah," came Joey's muffled voice.
"Bad?" asked Jane.
"No. A little break. Must have just happened," said Mama.
"Is there goin' to be a flood?" asked Rufus, taking his mitten off and limbering up his forefinger.
"Nope," said Joe. "There's just a little water around the break. Jane, get some things to tie around the pipe."
Jane climbed to the head of the stairs where the ragbag hung on a nail. But Rufus felt his way up the stairs and into the kitchen and all the way out of the house. Rufus had a plan in his head. It was cold in the Moffats' house. The fire had gone out and the pipes had frozen. It was not at all nice there, thought Rufus. The first thing to do, of course, was to get the pipes fixed. Mama and Joey were taking care of that. The next thing was to fix the stove, but there wasn't anything in the house to start a fire with. And this was where Rufus's plan entered in. He knew of a certain new house that was being built over on Second Avenue. He figured he could get some shavings there to start a fire.
He first snatched an empty burlap bag from the back entry. Then he picked up his red sled, one of the low flat kind with round steel runners. And with his red plaid mackinaw flapping open he took a good run and then belly flopped across the hard snow that covered the Moffats' lawn and all the way down the street and across the lot to Elm Street.
In
"That's night comin'," said Joe.
Now the trolley was swaying and sailing up Elm Street. Soon they would have to get off. In the town the streets seemed darker, for the great elm trees and the houses shadowed the sky. Just two more blocks and then they'd be at Ashbellows Place. Rufus was wide awake now and he was the one who pushed the bell. The trolley stopped and the Moffats stepped out into the cold.
"Br-r-r," said Mama.
The three children raced ahead. They would soon see whether or not the pipes had frozen. They slid up the street on the smooth icy stretches in the gutters, and then they turned into the narrow walk of their own yard. Both sides of the pavement leading to their porch were piled high with great banks of hard snow. "The Grand Canyon!" yelled Jane, her mind on mountains.
Joey opened the door. The three children stood in the doorway and listened. They didn't hear one thing. This was encouraging, Rufus thought, for if the pipes had burst, surely they would hear water rushing in the cellar. But Joey said no, the pipes might have burst and the water frozen over the break. Or they might have frozen and not burst yet. That would not be quite so bad though, for he and Mama could thaw the pipes themselves with warm cloths and they need not call the plumber.
Joey led the way into the kitchen. Soon he had the lamps lit. The fire in the stove had gone out! A fire made of this soft coal just did not last and the house was very cold. Catherine-the-cat was sitting right on top of the stove to absorb the last bit of warmth there was in it. Nobody took off his coat or his mittens. And everybody held his breath as Joey went over to the sink. He turned the faucet on. The pipe shuddered but no water came. "Shucks!" said Joe. "It did freeze!" and he quickly turned the spigot off again.
Mama came in now. You could see everybody's breath even though they were in the house. Mama and Joey took the medium-sized lamp and went down to the cellar to investigate. Jane and Rufus stood at the top of the stairs and listened. They could hear Mama and Joey talking in low tones.
"Well," said Rufus, "did they bust?"
There was no answer. Mama and Joey were too busy, tapping the pipes here and feeling them there, to answer. Rufus and Jane stepped cautiously down one or two steps. These stairs did not have any backs to them and were really more like a ladder than a stairway. The unpaved cellar smelled of damp, cold, dirt.
"Did they bust?" Rufus demanded again.
"Yeah," came Joey's muffled voice.
"Bad?" asked Jane.
"No. A little break. Must have just happened," said Mama.
"Is there goin' to be a flood?" asked Rufus, taking his mitten off and limbering up his forefinger.
"Nope," said Joe. "There's just a little water around the break. Jane, get some things to tie around the pipe."
Jane climbed to the head of the stairs where the ragbag hung on a nail. But Rufus felt his way up the stairs and into the kitchen and all the way out of the house. Rufus had a plan in his head. It was cold in the Moffats' house. The fire had gone out and the pipes had frozen. It was not at all nice there, thought Rufus. The first thing to do, of course, was to get the pipes fixed. Mama and Joey were taking care of that. The next thing was to fix the stove, but there wasn't anything in the house to start a fire with. And this was where Rufus's plan entered in. He knew of a certain new house that was being built over on Second Avenue. He figured he could get some shavings there to start a fire.
He first snatched an empty burlap bag from the back entry. Then he picked up his red sled, one of the low flat kind with round steel runners. And with his red plaid mackinaw flapping open he took a good run and then belly flopped across the hard snow that covered the Moffats' lawn and all the way down the street and across the lot to Elm Street.
In
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