BROOKDALE.
The next morning the air was extremely raw and chilly, and there were
strong indications of rain. Oscar's uncle and aunt advised him so
earnestly not to expose himself to the cold and damp wind, that he did
not extend his rambles any further than to the barn that day. But if
he did not go far, he made many new acquaintances. Having made sure of
Jerry and Mary, he left his other two cousins to "surrender at
discretion," and turned his attention in another direction. His first
performance was to introduce himself to Billy, the horse, who was
eating the breakfast James had just given him. After rubbing and
talking to him awhile, he paid his respects to a pair of oxen and three
or four cows, which he helped James and Jerry to drive into the pasture
near the barn. He next visited the hogs, and then the hens. This
completed the list of life stock on the farm. He then had a frolic
with Jerry in the hay-loft, in the midst of which he suddenly stopped
and inquired:
"Is n't it almost time for you to go to school, Jerry?"
"No," his cousin replied, with a laugh, "it wants just six months of
it."
"Six months!" exclaimed Oscar; "what do you mean? Don't you go to
school?"
"Yes, I go when there is any school; but it does n't commence till next
December," replied Jerry.
"That's a queer idea," said Oscar; "I should like to know how long your
school keeps, after it begins."
"It keeps three months," replied Jerry.
"I should like that first-rate--I wish I lived here," said Oscar; "I
have to go to school all the time. But why does n't your school keep
more than three months?"
"I don't know," replied Jerry; "I guess it's because folks are too
stingy to pay for it. They 've been talking of having a summer school,
but I don't believe it will amount to anything."
"I should hope it would n't if I lived here," said Oscar. "What
capital times you must have!--no school to bother you, and no lessons
to get. But I suppose you have to work some--don't you?"
"No, not much," said Jerry; "I help a little in planting and haying
time, and have a few chores to do about the house,--that's all."
"Do you have many boys to play with?" inquired Oscar.
"There are boys enough," replied his cousin, "but they are scattered
all over town,--that's the worst of it. There is only one fellow of my
age that lives near here, and he's half a mile off."
"If you call that near, I should like to know what you call distant,"
said Oscar. "I 'm afraid I should be lonesome if I lived here."
"Halloo, it rains!" said Jerry, as the big drops began to sound upon
the roof over their heads.
"Then I 'm going in," added Oscar, and they both started for the house.
It proved to be a rainy day, and Oscar was obliged to find his
amusement in-doors through its remaining hours. With his four cousins
to help him, this was not a very difficult matter. When he retired at
night, he felt quite at home in his new quarters.
The sun rose clearly the next morning, and everything looked the more
beautiful for the rain. To Oscar, the fields not only seemed greener,
but the hills looked higher, and the trees more majestic, than they did
the day before.
"Why," he exclaimed, as he stood before the chamber window, "there is a
pond away off there, is n't there? I did n't know that before."
"Yes, that's a pond," replied Jerry, "and we 've got a small river,
too, but you can't see it from here. We 'll go over to the pond, some
warm day, and go into water; it's a real good place to bathe."
"Perhaps we 'll go to-day," said Oscar; "it looks as though it were
going to be real warm."
Mrs. Preston now called to the boys that breakfast was ready, and they
hurriedly finished dressing themselves, and descended to the kitchen.
Having washed his face at the sink, Oscar stepped to the door, and used
his pocket-comb; but Jerry was in too great a hurry to go through this
last operation, and he was about taking his seat at the table, with his
hair standing up in every direction, when his father inquired:
"Jerry, what have you been doing to your head?"
"Nothing," replied Jerry, with a look of surprise.
"Well, I think you had better do something to it, before you come
here," said his father. "Oscar will think you were brought up among
the wild Arabs, if you come to the table with such a mop of hair as
that about your head. Don't you see how nicely he has smoothed his
hair?"
"He's got a comb of his own. I wish you would buy me one, father,"
said Jerry.
"Don't stand there talking--go and comb your hair," said Mr. Preston,
somewhat sharply.
To tell the truth, Jerry did need a lesson in neatness; and in this
respect, Oscar was a very good model for him to imitate. Having
reduced his snarly locks to something like order and smoothness, Jerry
took his seat at the table, much improved in appearance.
"You 'll have a chance to go about some to-day, Oscar," said Mr.
Preston; "it's about twenty-five degrees warmer than it was yesterday."
"Father," said Jerry, "I and Oscar--"
"I and Oscar--where did you learn your manners?" interrupted his mother.
Jerry was for a moment in doubt whether to be offended or not at this
second unexpected lesson in good-breeding; but he finally concluded to
make the best of it, and went on with his story:
"Oscar and I, then--were going over to the pond this forenoon, and I
guess it will be warm enough for us to go into water. Should n't you
think it would?"
"No, indeed," replied Mr. Preston, "you mustn't think of such a thing.
It's only the first of June, and you ought not to go into water for two
or three weeks yet. Besides, Oscar 's an invalid, and I should n't
like to have him go in, even if it was warm enough for you. I would
n't walk about much, either, at first," he continued, addressing Oscar.
"You 're weak, and must look out, and not overdo yourself. This
afternoon, when the horse is at leisure, Jerry shall give you a ride;
so you had better not go far this forenoon."
The river of which Jerry spoke is a small stream that has its source in
the lake Oscar saw from the chamber window. It flows in a
south-westerly direction, crossing the road on which Mr. Preston lived,
not far from his house. A small bridge is thrown over the river at
this point. After breakfast, Jerry and Oscar walked down to this
bridge, and then, leaving the road, followed the river through the
fields and woods, to its fountain-head. Here they found a beautiful
sheet of water, more than half a mile across, in one direction, with an
irregular shore, fringed most of the way with woods. A two-masted
sail-boat was riding at anchor, a little off from the shore, which
Oscar regarded with wishful eye; but as it did not belong to Mr.
Preston, and they could not reach it without going into the water, it
was of no use to think of taking a sail. They now walked along the
edge of the pond, some distance, and after wandering some time in the
woods, they returned home by a circuitous route.
The annexed map of Brookdale will show the location of the pond, river,
&c. Jerry lived in the house numbered 2.
[Illustration: Map of Brookdale.]
Oscar and Jerry spent the rest of the forenoon in the barn and
wood-shed, and in the fields immediately around the house. After
dinner, Mr. Preston told the boys they could have the horse and wagon,
and as the family wanted some groceries, they might ride over to the
store and get them. They accordingly tackled up the team, and were
soon on their way.
The store at which Mr. Preston traded was at the village where the
stage left Oscar, which goes by the name of the "Cross-Roads," from the
fact that two of the principal thoroughfares of that section of country
cross at this point. Though this store was about five miles distant,
there was no other one nearer to Mr. Preston's. The boys had a fine
ride over to the village. Oscar drove, and was quite anxious to put
Billy to a test of his speed; but as his uncle told them not to hurry,
because the horse had been worked some in the forenoon, he did not dare
to make any experiment of this kind. Jerry assured him, however, that
he once drove Billy over to the Cross-Roads in just twenty minutes,
which was the quickest time he had ever been known to make. He thought
this a remarkable feat; but Oscar did not seem much astonished at it,
and said he knew of horses that could go a mile in three minutes, and
even in less time if the road was smooth and level.
After riding about three-quarters of an hour, they arrived at the
Cross-Roads, and drove up to a post and chain for tying horses in front
of the store. The store was kept in a large wooden building. Over the
door was the sign, "J. FLETCHER, VARIETY STORE;" and the shutters were
covered with columns of names of articles sold within, such as "Bacon,"
"Cheese," "Flour," "Grain," "Shoes," "Dry Goods," &c. Another sign in
one of the windows indicated that this was also the post-office of the
village.
The boys went into the store, and while Jerry was ordering the articles
his mother had sent for, Oscar improved the opportunity to look around
the premises. It was to him a queer assortment of goods. There seemed
to be a little of everything for sale. Here you could buy of one
salesman articles that you could obtain in Boston only by visiting a
dozen different shops. Groceries and dry goods, country produce and
hardware, boots, shoes, and hats, confectionary and fancy articles,
stoves and children's toys, were in most neighborly companionship.
Before leaving the store, Oscar invested a few cents in candy and
cigars; for his father had given him a little spare change beyond what
was necessary to defray the expenses of the journey. He shared the
candy with Jerry, and put the cigars in his pocket for future use.
Jerry having finished his business at the store, they set out on their
return, and arrived home in safety and without meeting with any
remarkable adventure. The boys employed themselves the rest of the
afternoon in planning excursions and amusements, and before they got
through, they had laid out "fun" enough to occupy them for several days.
The evenings were now quite short, and as it was the custom to retire
to bed early at Mr. Preston's, it frequently happened that no lamps
were lit in the house for several days in succession. As twilight came
on that evening, Oscar, who began to feel pretty tired, laid down upon
the sofa in the sitting-room, and in a few minutes was fast asleep.
Jerry got a straw, and was about to tickle his ear, when his mother
stopped him. Oscar's nap, however, was a short one, and suddenly
waking up, he began to laugh.
"I guess you had a pleasant dream," said his aunt.
"I had a real funny one," replied Oscar. "I thought you sent me over
to the store to get some things, and when I got there, I had them all
jumbled together in my head, and I told the man I wanted a yard of
molasses, and a pound of calico, and a gallon of shingle-nails, and I
did n't know what else. And I thought the man laughed, and asked me if
I would take them loose, or have them done up in a rag. Then another
boy that was in the store set up a loud laugh, and that woke me up. I
wonder how long I slept--do you know, aunt?"
"Only two or three minutes," replied Mrs. Preston.
"I was real smart, then," replied Oscar; "for you gave me my errand,
and I harnessed the horse and drove away over to the Cross-Roads, and
went through the scene in the store, and woke up again, all in two or
three minutes. I thought I 'd been asleep half an hour."
"I should think you 'd dream about the store," said Jerry; "you 've
made fun enough about it, if that 's all."
"Well, I 'll leave it to aunt if it is n't odd to see such a queer lot
of stuff in one store; I 've heard about country stores, but I never
saw one that would come up to that before. It is almost equal to going
into a fair, to go in there. There was everything you could think of,
from a grindstone to a pop-gun."
"There is n't business enough to support more than one trader, and that
is the reason why Mr. Fletcher keeps such a variety," said Mrs. Preston.
"I know that," said Oscar, "and I suppose the folks are glad to have
him keep all sorts of knick-knacks; but it seems queer to me, to see
groceries and dry goods, and everything else, in the same shop."
"Did you see any babies there?" inquired little Mary, who was amusing
herself by walking around the room backwards.
"What sort of babies--live ones, or rag ones, or wax ones?" inquired
Oscar.
"No, none of them," replied Mary; "I mean crying babies, like Annie
Davenport's."
"O, you mean those little dolls that make a squeaking noise when you
squeeze them. No, I believe I did n't see any," said Oscar.
"No, Mr. Fletcher would n't keep such silly things as them," said
Jerry, who was very fond of teasing his sisters.
"No, they aint silly, either, are they cousin Oscar?" said Mary.
"No," replied Oscar, "seeing it's you, they aint silly."
Mary was continuing her backward walk around the room, and was just at
that moment passing before Jerry, when he suddenly put out his foot,
and stumbling over it, she fell heavily upon the floor, striking her
head against a corner of the sofa. A loud scream immediately followed
this mishap, and as the author of it hastened to raise up his sister,
he was himself a little frightened; but seeing no blood flowing from
her head, he concluded she was "more scared than hurt," and tried to
turn the affair into a joke, saying:
"There, sis, you're a little crying baby yourself, now. Come, stop
your noise; you 've blubbered enough about it. It didn't hurt you, did
it?"
"Come here, dear, what is the matter?" said Mrs. Preston, who had left
the room a moment before, and hurried back on hearing Mary scream.
"Jerry knocked me over," said Mary, sobbing bitterly, as her mother
lifted her up into her lap.
"Where did it hurt you, dear?--there? Well, let mother rub it, and it
will feel better soon. Jerry is a naughty boy to do so. Why need you
torment your little sister so?" Mrs. Preston added, turning to Jerry.
Mr. Preston, who had been sitting upon the door-step, smoking his pipe,
as was his custom in the evening, came in, on hearing the uproar; and
having ascertained what the trouble was, he boxed Jerry's ears pretty
severely, and sent him off to bed. Oscar soon followed him; but Jerry
was so mortified at the rough handling he had received, that he
scarcely spoke again that night.