THE ANGRY GOBBLER
"Oh, what is it?" asked Sue.
"Where'd you find it?" Tom questioned.
"It's part of my lost railroad," explained Bunny, answering the first
question. "And I found it hidden under the hay. I must have stuck myself
on one of the sharp corners of the little car as I slid down, and I
stopped right away, 'cause I thought it might be an egg."
"An egg!" exclaimed Tom.
"Yes," answered Bunny. "Once I was sliding down hay, just like now, and
I slid into a hen's nest. It was partly covered over with hay and I
didn't see it. There were thirteen eggs in the nest, and I busted every
one! Didn't I Sue?"
"No you didn't, Bunny Brown! That was me!"
"Oh!" Bunny looked very queer for a moment, then he laughed as he
remembered what really had happened. "Well, Sue got all messed up with
the white and yellow of the eggs. Maybe there weren't just thirteen, but
there was a lot anyway. But I'm glad this wasn't a hen's nest. Maybe
I'll find the rest of my railroad now. Let's look."
"Somebody must have hid the car here in the hay after they took it,"
said Tom. "Who do you s'pose it was?"
"We thought it might be some of the Indians," said Bunny. "But my father
made a search down in their village. He couldn't find anything, though.
Now _we_ have found something."
"You don't s'pose Mr. Bixby would take it, or my Teddy bear with
flashing lights for eyes, do you?" asked Sue of the ragged boy.
"I never saw anything like that around his place, and I was there two or
three weeks," said Tom.
"We didn't see you when we were there," said Bunny.
"No, I was mostly weeding up in the potato patch on the hill. I'd have
my breakfast, take a bit of lunch with me, and then not come home until
'most dark. That's why you didn't see me. But I never took notice of any
electrical trains or toy bears around his place. I don't guess he took
'em."
"Nor I," said Bunny. "But I'm going to look in the hay for more."
He did, the others helping, while even Splash pawed about, though I
don't suppose he knew for what he was searching. More than likely he
thought it was for a bone, for that was about all he ever dug for.
But search as the two Brown children and Tom did, they found no more
parts of the toy railroad.
"The one who took it must have thrown the car away because it was too
heavy to carry," said Bunny. "It was a pretty heavy toy, and I always
carried it in two parts myself. Besides the car wasn't any good to make
the train go. The electric locomotive pulled itself and the cars. I
guess they just threw this car away.
"But I'm going to keep it, for I might find the tracks and the engine
and the other cars, and then I'd be all right again."
"Yes," said Tom, "you would. But it is funny for somebody up in these
big woods to take toy trains and Teddy bears. That's what I can't
understand."
"And I can't understand that man sticking needles into you--a funny kind
of needles he didn't have to pull out and that stopped hurting you so
soon," said Bunny.
"It's all queer!" declared Sue. "Come on, we'll have some more fun
sliding down the hay."
This they did, and even Splash joined in. But though they slid all over
the hay, and kept a sharp lookout for any more parts of Bunny's train,
they found nothing.
"I wish I could find part of my Teddy bear," said Sue.
"If you did that your Sallie Malinda wouldn't be much good," said Bunny.
"For you can take an electrical train apart and put it together again,
and it isn't hurt. You can't do that way with a Teddy bear. If you pull
off one of his legs or his head he's not much good any more."
"That's right," agreed Sue. "I want to find my dear Sallie Malinda all
in one piece."
"And with his eyes blazing," added Bunny.
"Oh, of course, with _her_ eyes going," said Sue. "Now for a last slide,
and then we'll go out and see if daddy has come."
"And I guess I'd better go back to the poorhouse and get a meal," said
Tom. "Mr. Bixby won't give me any dinner 'cause I ran away from him, but
if I tell the superintendent back at the poorhouse how it happened I
know he'll feed me until I get another place.
"And I can get work easy now. I'm good and strong, and the farmers are
beginning to think of getting in their crops. But I'm not going to be
stuck full of needles again."
"You come right along with us," said Bunny. "My mamma and papa will be
glad to see you when they know you helped us look for our lost toys,
even if we didn't find but one car, and I slid over that. But they'll
take care of you until you can get some work to do. My mamma does lots
of that in the city when tramps come to us----
"Of course you're not a tramp," he said quickly, "'cause you have a home
to go to."
"Folks don't ginnerally call it much of a home, but it's better'n
nothing," said Tom. "But I'm thankful to you. I'll come, only maybe your
maw mightn't be expectin' company--leastwise such as I am," and he
looked down at his ragged clothes.
"Never mind that," said Bunny. "You ought to see the picture of my Uncle
Tad when he was in the war, captured by the Confederates as a prisoner.
He had only corn husks for shoes and his coat and trousers were so full
of holes that he didn't know in which ones to put his legs and arms.
He'll give you some of the clothes he don't want. Now come right along."
"What about meeting daddy to go fishing?" asked Sue. "I guess he isn't
going to take us to-day, or he's forgotten about it. Maybe the fish are
biting so good out where he is in his boat that he doesn't want to come
in."
"Maybe," said Bunny. "Anyhow we'll go on back to the camp. It must be
getting near dinner time, for I'm feeling hungry, aren't you?" he asked
Tom.
"Yes, but then I'm 'most allers that way. I never remember when I had
all I wanted to eat."
On the way along the lake road to Camp Rest-a-While they passed a
farmyard where many geese, ducks, turkeys and chickens were kept. Just
as Sue, who happened to be wearing a red dress, came near the yard, a
big turkey gobbler, who seemed to be the king of the barnyard, rushed to
the gate, managed to push his way through the crack, and, a moment
later, was attacking Sue, biting her legs with his strong beak, now
pulling at her red dress, and occasionally flying up from the ground
trying to strike his claws into her face.
"Oh dear!" cried the little girl. "Won't somebody please help me? Drive
him away, Bunny!"
"I will!" cried her little brother, and, catching up a stick, he bravely
rushed at the angry turkey gobbler.