JINGLING BELLS
Dick came running out of the barn.
"What's the matter?" he asked. "Are any of you hurt?"
But as soon as he asked that he could see that none of the three little
Bunker girls was hurt, for they all stood on the hill beside the two
sleds.
"What's the matter?" asked Dick again, for he could see that Margy was
crying, and crying hard.
"She's lost her doll," explained Rose. "I guess it dropped in the snow.
Could you find it for her? It's a Japanese doll, and we got her out of
the ocean."
"Out of the ocean!" exclaimed Dick. "Well, if you got her out of the
ocean I suppose I can get her out of a snow bank. For I guess that's
where your doll is now, Margy. Don't cry! I'll try to find her."
Dick loved children, and, as it was rather lonesome at Great Hedge, he
was very glad the six little Bunkers had come with their father and
mother to stay until Spring.
"Where did you lose your doll, Margy?" asked Dick, stooping down and
leaning over the little girl, who was crying so hard now that she could
hardly see on account of her tears.
"Oh, I--I--don't know," she sobbed. "I--I had her in my arms, and I was
giving her a nice ride and, all of a sudden, I didn't have her any
m-more."
"I guess she slipped out when you went over a bump, or something like
that," said Dick. "But, as I said, if you found her in the ocean, I
guess we can find her when she's only in a snow bank. I never saw the
ocean. Is it very big?"
"Terrible big," answered Rose. "We were down at Cousin Tom's, and a box
was washed up on shore and some Japanese dolls were in it. We each have
one--all except Russ and Laddie, 'cause they're too big to play with
dolls. But now Margy's is lost. But we've two more home, Margy, 'cause
there were half a dozen in the box, and you can have one of them."
"Don't want them!" exclaimed Margy. "I want my own doll that I had on
the sled. Where is she?" And Margy cried harder than ever.
"We'll look," said Dick.
He went into the barn and came out again with a big wooden rake. In
summer the rake was used to clean the lawn. But now it was to be used in
the snow.
"You little girls go up to the top of the hill and sit down on your
sleds," said Dick. "Or, better still, go into the barn, like the robin
in the song, and keep warm. Then I'll look for your doll, Margy."
Then, with the long, wooden rake the man began "combing," as Vi called
it, the snow along the hill. There was no need to look in the middle,
where the sleds slid down, for there the snow was packed hard, and
anything, even smaller than a good-sized Japanese doll, could be seen
easily. But Dick raked on each side in the soft snow.
Pretty soon he cried:
"Hurray!"
"Did you find it?" asked Vi.
"Yes, this time I have it!" replied Dick, and he held up to view Margy's
lost doll. She had fallen into the soft snow, and was not hurt a bit.
"Oh, I'm so glad!" cried Margy.
After the snow had been brushed off the Japanese doll, Margy hugged her
close in her arms.
"I'm never, never, never going to lose you again!" cried the little
girl.
"And we're much obliged to you for finding her," said Rose to Dick.
"Oh, yes, I forgot. Mother said I was always to say thank you, and I
do!" exclaimed Margy. "I could give you a kiss, too, if you wanted it,"
she went on, "and so could my doll."
"Well, I'd rather have one from you," laughed Dick. "But I haven't
shaved to-day, and my face is rather whiskery."
"My father's face is like that lots of times--I don't mind," said Margy,
so she kissed Dick and was very happy.
Then, after some more coasting, during which time the dolls were left in
the barn, the three little Bunker girls went back to the house.
"Ready for bread and jam?" asked Grandma Ford. "That was always what I
used to want when I came in out of the cold, and I think you want the
same.".
"Yes, please, we do," said Rose.
"Oh, yes, please!" added Vi.
"I lost my doll," said Margy, "but Dick raked her up and I did give him
a kiss."
"That was nice!" laughed Grandma Ford.
As she was spreading the bread and jam for Rose, Margy and Vi, in came
Russ, Laddie and Mun Bun, leaving, of course, the snow man outside. And
you can easily guess what the boys wanted.
Bread and jam!
That's just it, and you may go to the head of the class. I wish I had
some bread and jam to give you for guessing right, but I haven't.
The next day when Daddy Bunker, who had come back from business, and
Grandpa Ford went out to the barn to look at one of the horses that had
a cold, Russ and Laddie followed. On the way they passed a small house,
or pen, such as chickens are kept in, and from it came a loud:
"Gobble-obble-obble!"
"What's that?" asked Mun Bun. "Is it a hand-organ monkey?"
"Oh, no!" laughed Grandpa Ford. "That's our prize turkey, and do you
know what he says?"
"Did he say anything?" asked Russ.
"Oh, indeed he did!" said Grandpa Ford with a laugh. "You see I
understand turkey talk, and this bird just said: 'Thanksgiving is
coming, and then I'll be gobbled-obbled-obbled!' That's what he said,
and it's going to come true. That's going to be part of our Thanksgiving
day dinner."
"I like turkey," said Russ. "Is Thanksgiving coming soon?"
"Next week," his father told him. "You want to get up good appetites
between now and then."
"I'm hungry now," said Laddie, though how he could be, having only had
breakfast a little while before, I don't know. But lots of children are
that way.
There was plenty to see and do around Great Hedge Estate, and after the
six little Bunkers had peeped in at the big Thanksgiving turkey, they
played around the barn a bit and then romped in the snow.
In the afternoon Grandpa Ford hitched a team of horses to a big
sled--the same one that had brought them from the station--and took them
all for a long ride, the bells merrily jingling all the way. They
stopped in the city of Tarrington on the way home, and bought some
things Grandma Ford wanted for the Thanksgiving dinner.
Coming home in the afternoon, the children went up to the attic to play
again, taking some apples with them to have a play party.
"Oh, Grandpa Ford's is just a lovely place!" exclaimed Rose that night
as she and the others were going to bed.
"And we didn't hear any more funny ghost noises," said Russ in a low
voice. "I guess the ghost has gone, Rose."
"I guess so, too. I didn't hear Daddy or Mother or Grandpa or Grandma
say any more about it."
That night Mun Bun awakened, and called to his mother to give him a
drink of water. As it happened Rose and Russ were also awake, and Margy,
hearing her brother ask for water, wanted some, too. So there were
several of the Bunkers awake at once.
Just as Mrs. Bunker was giving Mun Bun his drink, there suddenly sounded
through the dim and silent house the loud ringing of a string of sleigh
bells.
"What's that?" called Grandma Ford from across the hall. "Is some one
stopping out in front?"
"I'll look," said Grandpa Ford. It was bright moonlight, and he could
see plainly. "No one there," he said.
The bells jingled again, more loudly.
"They're up in the attic!" cried Russ. "Some one is ringing the bells in
the attic!"