Pretty soon the schoolmaster came in and went up into the pulpit. He
read a chapter from the Bible, and then the Dominie stood up in the
pulpit and began to preach. He preached a long time.
Kit and Kat tried very hard to sit still, just as Grandmother had said;
but pretty soon their heads began to nod.
Grandmother gave them each a peppermint.
They waked up for a minute. But the Dominie kept right on preaching,
until they were both sound asleep with their heads on Grandmother's
shoulders, one on each side; and if they had been awake to see, they
might have thought that Grandmother took a nap too.
The sermon was so very long that a great many people went to sleep. So,
by and by, the Dominie said,
"We will all sing the Ninety-first Psalm."
Everybody woke up.
Grandmother opened the great golden clasps of her psalm book, and stood
up with all the rest of the people. She stood up quickly, so that no
one would think she had been asleep. She forgot that the Twins were
asleep too, with their heads on her shoulders. That was why, when she
got up, Kit and Kat fell against each other and bumped their heads!
They forgot that they were in church. They said "Ow!" both together,
and Kat began to cry. But Grandmother said "Sh! sh!" and gave them each
a peppermint; and that made them feel much better.
Pretty soon the schoolmaster came along with a little bag on the end of
a long stick. He passed it to each person. Kit and Kat each put in a
penny, though Kit had a hard time to get his out of his pocket. But
Grandmother was so upset about the Twins getting bumped, that she
forgot and put in a peppermint instead.
When church was over and they were out on the street again, Grandmother
said,
"Now you are coming home with me to stay all night."
"Really and truly?" said the Twins. "And may we go with Grandfather to
carry the milk in the morning?"
"Yes," said Grandfather, "and Kit may drive the dogs."
Kit jumped right up and down, he was so happy, even if it was Sunday.
"May I too? May I too?" asked Kat.
"You are a girl," said Grandfather. "You may ride in the wagon."
"Oh, I wish to-morrow would come right away," said Kat.
Then Kit and Kat said good-bye to Father Vedder and went home with
Grandmother and Grandfather.
They lived on a little street in the town, where the houses stood in a
row close together. The houses were built of brick and had wooden
shutters at the windows, and they were so clean they shone in the sun.
This is a picture of Grandmother's house and of Grandmother and Kit and
Kat going in. The door opened right into the kitchen.
Grandmother put away her shawl and psalm book and scent bottle as soon
as she was home. Then she put on a big apron and drew out the round
table.
She boiled the kettle and made coffee; and, when it was done, she set
the coffee pot on a pretty little porcelain stove on the table to keep
hot. She got out bread and cheese and smoked beef and, best of all, a
plate of little cakes.
Then they all four sat down to eat. I will not tell you how many cakes
Kit and Kat ate, but it was a good many.
After dinner, Grandmother put away the things, and Kat helped her.
Kit sat beside Grandfather in the doorway while he smoked. Pretty soon
Grandfather said,
"Bring me my accordeon, Kit."
Kit ran to the press in the corner. He knew where the accordeon was
kept.
Then Grandfather took the accordeon, tipped his head back, shut his
eyes and began to play, beating time with one foot. Kat heard the music
and came out too.
She and Kit sat down on the doorstep, one on each side of Grandfather,
to listen.
Grandfather played six tunes.
Then Grandmother said,
"Why don't we go to the woods to hear the band play?"
"No reason at all," said Grandfather. So very soon they were on their
way to a grove on the edge of the town.
In the grove a band was playing; and just as the Twins and Grandfather
and Grandmother came up, it began to play the national hymn of Holland.
All the people began to sing. There were a great many people in the
grove, and they all sang as aloud as they could; so there was a great
sound. Grandfather and Grandmother and Kit and Kat all sang too; for
they all knew every word of the hymn.
This is what they sang:
Let him in whom old Dutch blood flows,
Untainted, free and strong;
Whose heart for Prince and Country glows,
Now join us in our song;
Let him with us lift up his voice,
And sing in patriot band,
The song at which all hearts rejoice,
For Prince and Fatherland,
For Prince and Fatherland.
We brothers, true unto a man,
Will sing the old song yet;
Away with him who ever can
His Prince or Land forget!
A human heart glowed in him ne'er,
We turn from him our hand,
Who callous hears the song and prayer,
For Prince and Fatherland,
For Prince and Fatherland.
Preserve, O God, the dear old ground
Thou to our fathers gave;
The land where we a cradle found,
And where we'll find a grave!
We call, O Lord, to Thee on high,
As near death's door we stand,
Oh! Safety, blessing to our cry
For Prince and Fatherland,
For Prince and Fatherland.
Loud ring thro' all rejoicings here,
Our prayer, O Lord, to Thee;
Preserve our Prince, his house so dear
To Holland great and free!
From youth thro' life, be this our song,
Till near to death we stand:
O God, preserve our sov'reign long,
Our Prince and Fatherland,
Our Prince and Fatherland.
Now, while the people were singing with all their might, and the band
was playing, and Kit and Kat were having the most beautiful time they
had ever had in their whole lives, what do you think happened?
Down the long drive through the trees came a great, splendid carriage,
drawn by a pair of beautiful white horses with wavy white tails and
manes. There were two soldiers on horseback riding in front of the
carriage, and the driver of the carriage was dressed in blue and orange
livery.
The carriage was open, and in it sat a beautiful, smiling young lady.
Beside her sat her husband; and a nurse, in the other seat, held a baby
in her arms.
When the people saw the carriage and the lady, they waved their caps
and shouted, "Long live the Queen!"
"Look! Look! Kit and Kat," said Grandfather. "It is your dear Queen
Wilhelmina, and Prince Henry and the little Princess! Wave your hands!"
Kit and Kat waved with all their might, but they were so short, and the
people crowded beside the driveway so, that neither of them could see.
Then Grandfather caught Kit and lifted him up high, and Grandmother did
the same with Kat.
It was fine to be up so high. Kit and Kat could see everything better
than anyone else there. And when the carriage came by, the queen saw
Kit and Kat! She smiled at them, and the nurse held the little Princess
up high for them to see! Kit and Kat threw kisses to the little
Princess; and the Princess waved her baby hand to Kit and Kat; and then
they were all gone, like a bright dream.
But the soldiers were better to see even than queens, Kit thought. Kat
thought the baby, any baby, was nicer than either.
When the carriage was out of sight, Grandfather and Grandmother set the
Twins down on the ground. Everyone began to talk about the Queen, about
how sweet she was, and how good; and the band played, and everybody was
as happy as they could possibly be.
By and by it was time to go home; for, Grandfather said, "Dutch girls
and boys must learn to get up early in the morning, especially Twins
that are going out with the milk cart."
So they went back to Grandfather Winkle's house; and Grandmother put
them to bed in a little cupboard like their own at home, after they had
had some supper. And the last thing Kat said that night was,
"O Kit, just to think that to-day we saw the Queen and the soldiers,
and the Queen's baby, and to-morrow we are going to drive in the milk
cart! What a beautiful world it is!"
Just as they were dropping off to sleep, they heard a great noise in
the street.
"Clap, clap, clap," it sounded, eight times.
"There goes the Klapper man," said Grandmother Winkle. "Eight o'clock,
and time all honest folk were abed."
V
THE DAY THEY DROVE THE MILK CART
The next morning Kit and Kat woke up very early, without any one's
calling them. You see, they were afraid they would be too late to go
with the milk cart.
But Grandfather Winkle had only just gone out to get the milk ready,
and they had plenty of time to dress while Grandmother got breakfast.
Grandmother helped with the buttons and the hard parts.
Grandmother Winkle's kitchen was quite like the kitchen at home, only a
little nicer. It had red tiles on the floor; and it had ever so many
blue plates hanging around on the walls, and standing on edge in a row
on the shelves. There was a warming-pan with a bright brass cover,
hanging on the wall; and I wish you could have seen the pillows and the
coverlet on the best bed!
Grandmother Winkle had embroidered those all herself, and she was very
proud of them. When she had company, she always drew the curtains back
so that her beautiful bed would be seen. She said that Kit and Kat were
company, and she always left the curtains open when they came to visit
her.
When the Twins were all dressed, Grandmother said,
"Mercy sakes! You have on your best clothes! Now that's just like a man
to promise to take you out in your best clothes in a milk wagon!
Whatever was Grandfather thinking about!"
Kit and Kat thought she was going to say that they couldn't go, so they
dug their knuckles in their eyes and began to cry. But they hadn't got
farther than the first whimper when Grandmother said,
"Well, well, we must fix it somehow. Don't cry now, that's a good Kit
and Kat." So the Twins took their knuckles out of their eyes and began
to smile.
Grandmother went to the press and brought out two aprons. One was a
very small apron. It wouldn't reach to Kit's knees. But she put it on
him and tied it around his waist.
"This was your Uncle Jan's when he was a little boy," she said. "It's
pretty small, but it will help some."
Kit wished that Uncle Jan had taken it with him when he went to
America. But he didn't say so.
Then Grandmother took another apron out of the press. It looked as if
it had been there a long time.
"Kat, you must wear this," she said. "It was your mother's when she was
a little girl."
Now, this apron was all faded, and it had patches on it of different
kinds of cloth. Kat looked at her best dress. Then she looked at the
apron. Then she thought about the milk cart. She wondered if she wanted
to go in the milk cart badly enough to wear that apron over her Sunday
dress! She stuck her finger in her mouth and looked sidewise at
Grandmother Winkle.
Grandmother didn't say a word. She just looked firm and held up the
apron.
Very soon Kat came slowly--very slowly--and Grandmother buttoned the
apron up behind, and that was the end of that.
The Twins could hardly eat any breakfast, they were in such a hurry to
go. As soon as they had taken the last spoonful, and Grandfather Winkle
had finished his coffee, they ran out into the place where the dogs
were kept, to help Grandfather harness them.
There were two black and white dogs. Their names were Peter and Paul.
The wagon was small, just the right size for the dogs; and it was
painted blue. The bright brass cans full of milk were already in; and
there was a little seat for Kat to sit on.
When the last strap was fastened, Grandfather lifted Kat up and set her
on the seat. She held on with both hands.
Then Grandfather gave the lines to Kit, and a little stick for a whip,
and told him to walk slowly along beside the dogs. He told him to be
sure not to let go of the lines.
Grandfather walked behind, carrying some milk cans.
Grandmother stood in the door to see them off; and, as they started
away, Kat took one hand off the cart long enough to wave it to her.
Then she held on again; for the bricks in the pavement made the cart
joggle a good deal.
"We must go first to Vrouw de Vet," Grandfather called out. "She takes
one quart of milk. Go slowly."
At first Kit went slowly. But pretty soon there was a great rattling
behind him; and Hans Hite, a boy he knew, drove right past him with his
dog cart! He drove fast; and, as he passed Kit, he stuck out his tongue
and called out,
"Milk for sale! Milk for sale!
A milk cart drawn by a pair of snails!"
Kit forgot all about going slowly.
"Get up!" he said to the dogs, and he touched them with his long stick.
Peter and Paul "got up." They jumped forward and began to run!
Kit ran as fast as his legs would go beside the dogs, holding the
lines. But the dogs had four legs apiece, and Kit had only two; so you
see he couldn't keep up very well.
Kat began to scream the moment that Peter and Paul began to run. The
dogs thought that something that made a dreadful noise was after them,
and they ran faster than ever. You see, Grandfather Winkle never in the
world screamed like that, and Peter and Paul didn't know what to make
of it. So they ran and ran and ran.
Kat held on the best she could, but she bounced up ever so far in the
air every time the cart struck a bump in the street. So did the milk
cans; and when they came down again, the milk splashed out.
Kat didn't always come down in the same spot. All the spots were hard,
so it didn't really matter much which one she struck as she came down.
But Kat didn't think about that; she just screamed. And Peter and Paul
ran and ran, and Kit ran and ran, until he couldn't run any more; he
just sat down hard on the pavement and slid along. But he didn't let go
of the lines!
When Kit sat down, it jerked the dogs so hard that they stopped
suddenly. But Kat didn't stop; she went right on. She flew out over the
front of the cart and landed on the ground, among all of Peter and
Paul's legs! Then she stopped going, but she didn't stop screaming.
And, though Kit was a boy, he screamed some too. Then Peter and Paul
pointed their noses up in the air and began to howl.
Way back, ever so far, Grandfather was coming along as fast as he
could; but that wasn't very fast.
All the doors on the street flew open, and all the good housewives came
clattering out to see what was the matter. They picked Kat up and told
her not to cry, and wiped her eyes with their aprons, and stood Kit on
his feet, and patted the dogs; and pretty soon Peter and Paul stopped
barking, and Kit and Kat stopped screaming, and then it was time to
find out what had really happened.
Neither of the Twins had any broken bones; the good housewives wiggled
all their arms and legs, and felt of their bones to see. But shocking
things had happened, nevertheless! Kat had torn a great hole in the
front of her best dress; and Kit had worn two round holes in the seat
of his Sunday clothes, where he slid along on the pavement; and,
besides that, the milk was slopped all over the bottom of the cart!
Just then Grandfather came up. If it hadn't been that his pipe was
still in his mouth, I really don't know what he might not have said! He
looked at the cart, and he looked at the Twins. Then he took his pipe
out of his mouth and said sternly to Kit,
"Why didn't you do as I told you?"
"I did," said Kit, very much scared. "You told me to be sure to hold
tight to the lines, and I did! I never let go once."
"Yes, and look at his clothes," said one of the women. She turned him
around and showed Grandfather the holes.
"I told you to go slowly," said Grandfather. "Now look at the cart, and
see what you've done by not minding, spoiled your best clothes and
Kat's, and spilled the milk! Go back to Grandmother."
"But I couldn't mind twice at one time," said Kit. "I was minding about
not letting go."
"Oh dear," sobbed Kat, "I wish we were four and a half feet high now!
If we were, this never would have happened."
Grandfather took the dogs and went on to Vrouw de Vet's, without
another word.
The Twins took each other's hands, and walked back to Grandmother's
house. Quite a number of little boys and girls in wooden shoes
clattered along with them. Grandmother heard all the noise, and ran to
the door to see what was the matter.
"Laws a mercy me, I told you so!" she cried, the moment she saw them.
"Look at your clothes! See how you've torn them!"
"I can't see the holes in mine," said Kit.
"But I can," said Kat. And then all the children talked at once; and
what with wooden shoes and the tongues all going, Grandmother clapped
her hands over her ears to shut out the noise. Then she took Kit and
Kat into the kitchen and shut the door. She put on her glasses and got
down on the floor so she could see better.
Then she turned Kit and Kat all around and looked at the holes. "O! my
soul!" she said. She took off the aprons and the torn clothes and put
the Twins to bed while she mended.
She got out a pair of Grandfather's oldest velveteen breeches that had
been patched a great deal, and found a good piece to patch with. Then
she patched the holes in Kit's breeches so neatly that one had to look
very carefully indeed to see that there had ever been any holes there
at all.
Then she patched Kat's dress; and, when it was all done, she shook it
out and said to herself,
"Seems to me those Twins have been quiet for a long time."
She went over to the cupboard bed; and there were Kit and Kat fast
asleep; with their cheeks all stained with tears and dirt. Grandmother
Winkle kissed them. Kit and Kat woke up, and Grandmother dressed them
in their Sunday clothes again, and washed their faces and made them
feel as good as new.
By and by Grandfather Winkle came home from going about with the milk.
Grandmother Winkle scrubbed the cart and made it all clean again; and
by noon you would never have known, unless you had looked very, very
closely--much more closely than would be polite--that anything had
happened to the Twins or the milk cart, or their clothes or anything.
After they had eaten their dinner, and the dogs were rested and
Grandfather had smoked his pipe he said,
"Kit, if you think you can mind, I will take you and Kat both home in
the dog cart." Kit and Kat both nodded their heads very hard. "Only,
I'll do the driving myself," said Grandfather Winkle. And he did.
He put Kit and Kat both on the seat, and he walked slowly beside the
cart. They went out on the road beside the canal toward home. They got
there just as the sun was getting low in the west, and Vrouw Vedder was
going out to feed her chickens.
VI
THE DAY THEY GOT THEIR SKATES
One morning, when Kit and Kat ran out early to feed their ducklings,
the frost nipped their noses and ears.
"It's getting colder every day. Very soon winter will come," Kat said.
They ran down to the canal. The old goose and the gander and the
goslings--now half grown--were standing on the bank, looking unhappy:
there was a thin sheet of ice all over the canal, and they could not go
swimming.
Kit took a stick and broke the ice. Thin sheets of it, like pieces of
broken glass, were soon floating about; and the old goose, the gander,
and all the goslings went down the bank in a procession into the water.
They swam about among the pieces of ice for a while, but it was so cold
that they soon came up on the bank into the sun again and wiggled their
tails to shake out the water. Then they all sat down in the sun to get
their feet warm.
Kit and Kat ran up and down the road and played tag until their cheeks
were red and they were warm as toast. Then they ran into Vrouw Vedder's
warm kitchen.
The kettle was singing on the fire, and there was a smell of coffee in
the air. Vrouw Vedder gave the Twins some in a large cup. She put in a
good deal of milk and gave them each a piece of sugar to sweeten it
with.
"Is it Sunday?" asked Kat. On Sundays they sometimes had coffee. On
other days they had milk.
"No," said Vrouw Vedder; "but it is cold, and I thought a cup of coffee
would warm us all up."
While they were drinking their coffee, Kit and Kat talked about the
ice, and what fun they would have with their sleds on the canals when
winter came.
"I tell you what it is, Kat," said Kit; "I think we're big enough to
have skates. Hans Hite isn't much bigger than I am, and he had skates
last winter. I mean to ask Father this very day."
"Yah," said Kat--that is the way Dutch Twins always say yes--"Yah, and
let us be very good and help mother all we can. I think maybe they will
give skates to good Twins quite soon, even if we aren't very big
yet--not big enough to be called Christopher and Katrina."
Vrouw Vedder was heating water and getting out her scrubbing brushes,
so Kit and Kat knew that she was going to clean something.
"What are you going to scrub to-day, Mother?" asked Kit.
"I'm going to scrub the stable," said Vrouw Vedder. "It is getting too
cold for the cows to stay all night in the pastures. Father means to
bring Mevrouw Holstein in to-night, and I want her stable to be nice
and clean for her."
"We'll help you," said Kit and Kat very politely.
"Good children!" their mother said. "You may carry the brushes." So
they opened a door beside the fireplace, and walked right into the
stable.
The stable was really a part of the house. There were two stalls in the
stable. Vrouw Vedder took her pails of water and her brushes and began
to scrub. She scrubbed the walls, and the sides of the stalls, and the
floor. The Twins scrubbed, too, until they were tired; and the stable
was so clean, you would have liked to live there yourself.
"Let's play out here," said Kat. "Let's play house."
"All right," said Kit. "I'll be the father, and you be the mother."
"But who will be Twins?" said Kat.
"Let's get the ducklings," said Kit.
"They can be Twins, of course," said Kat. "They are, anyway."
So Kit ran out and brought in the ducklings. They were so tame they
always ran to Kit and Kat, when they saw them coming. They were almost
ducks now, they had grown so big.
"Let's give the Twins their dinner," said Kat. So she got some grain,
and they both sat down on a little box and held the ducks in their laps
and fed them from their hands. The ducks ate greedily.
"You have very bad manners," said Kat. "You will get your clothes all
dirty." She took two rags and tied them around the ducks' necks for
bibs. The ducks did not like bibs. They quacked.
"Now don't say anything like that," said Kat. "You must do just as you
are told and not spill your food."
Then Kit got some water and a spoon and gave the Twins a drink, but
they did not like the drink either.
"Now we must put them to sleep," said Kat. They rocked the ducks in
their arms, but the ducks squawked dreadfully.
"What bad children to cry so!" said Kit. "You can have both the Twins";
and he gave his duck to Kat.
"You fix a bed for them," said Kat. So Kit turned up the box they had
been sitting on, and put some hay in it; and they put the ducks in on
the hay.
Pretty soon the ducks went to sleep. Kit and Kat ran away to play out
of doors and forgot all about them.
They didn't think about them again until Father Vedder came home at
night with Mevrouw Holstein. When he put the cow into the stall, he
stumbled over the box. It was rather dark in the stable.
"Quack, quack!" said the ducks.
Kit and Kat were helping Father put the cow into the stall and get some
hay for her. When the ducks quacked, Father Vedder said,
"What in the world is this?"
"Oh, our Twins! our Twins!" cried Kit and Kat. "Don't let Mevrouw
Holstein step on the Twins!"
Father Vedder pulled out the box. Kit and Kat each took a duck and
carried it out to the poultry house.
"Twins are a great care," said Kit and Kat.
"Now is the time to ask," whispered Kat to Kit, that night, when Father
Vedder had finished his supper and was lighting his pipe. "You must ask
very politely, just the very politest way you can."
They went and stood before their father. They put their feet together.
Kit made a bow, and Kat bobbed a curtsy.
"Dear parent," said Kit.
"That's a good start," whispered Kat. "Go on."
"Well, well, what now?" said Father Vedder.
"Dear parent, Kat and I are quite big now. I think we must be nearly
four feet and a half high. Don't you think we are big enough to have
skates this winter?"
"So that's it!" said Father Vedder. Then he smoked his pipe again.
"There was ice on the canal this morning," said Kat.
"So you think you are big enough to skate, do you?" said Father Vedder,
at last. Mother Vedder was clearing away the supper. "What do you think
about it, Mother?" said Father Vedder.
"They have been very good children," said the Vrouw. "There are the
skates you and I had when we were children. We might try them on and
see if they are big enough to wear them. They are in the bag hanging
back of the press."
Kit and Kat almost screamed with joy.
"Our feet are quite large. I'm sure we can wear them," they said.