"MabelCHawley-FourLittleBlossomsOnAppleTreeIsland" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hawley Mabel C)

"And Jud! And Peter Apgar!" shrieked Bobby.
"My darling lambs!" babbled Aunt Polly, almost beside herself with pleasure. "I
never was so glad to see any one in all my life! Margaret, you look positively
beautiful! Ralph, Jud will show you where to drive the car in. Oh, isn't this
the nicest thing that ever happened to us, Linda?"
Linda smiled happily and nodded. She had grown taller since the four little
Blossoms had seen her and she wore her hair pinned up in a pretty knot on top of
her head.
Still laughing and talking, Aunt Polly marshaled her guests into the house. The
twins were so sleepy from the long ride that they could hardly keep their eyes
open, but they insisted on coming to the supper table. Linda and Aunt Polly had
spent hours over that supper, and Father Blossom declared that he would drive
fifty miles any day to get a slice of Linda's homemade bread.
"Mother," whispered Meg, pulling her mother's sleeve half-way through the meal,
"Dot's crying!"
Sure enough, Dot was crying, big, slow, salty tears running down her pink cheeks
and dropping off into her bowl of rich milk and bread.
"Why darling!" said Mother Blossom in alarm. "Don't you feel well? Are you
tired? Here, come sit in Mother's lap and tell her what the trouble is."
Dot put down her spoon and ran to her mother, who lifted her up. The little girl
buried her face in Mother Blossom's frilly collar and began to sob.
"P-oor Mr. Harley!" she choked. "We're having such a nice time, and he can't
find his two little boys! I kn-ow he'd like to eat supper wif 'em!"
Dot seldom used "baby talk" but to-night she was tired and excited.
"Bless the child, what is she talking about?" demanded Aunt Polly curiously.
"And look at this battery of solemn round eyes! What ever ails these lambs,
Margaret?"
Mother Blossom, holding Dot close, explained about Mr. Harley.
"Didn't his wife stop here, Polly?" she asked. "Can you recall whether she said
where she was going? Just a word might give him something definite to work on."
Aunt Polly shook her head.
"I remember seeing her very well," she said. "She had the two boys with her and
I wanted her to spend the night. But no, she insisted she must 'go to the city'.
Then I suggested that she leave the boys with me until she found work, if that
was what she wanted, and that, I think, frightened her. I couldn't coax her to
stay for supper after that. I certainly am sorry for Mr. Harley. Tell him his
wife spoke most kindly of him and evidently believed that he was not in his
right mind when he left her and the children."
Twaddles being discovered asleep with a cake in one hand and a piece of bread
and butter in the other, the four little Blossoms were swept away to hot baths
and bed a few minutes after Aunt Polly finished. And the next thing they knew it
was bright daylight and Jud was whistling on his way to the milking.
"I'm going, too!" Bobby hopped out of bed and began to dress hastily.
"So'm I!" Dot sat up and shook Meg. The troubles of Mr. Harley had fled with
Dot's dreams and she was her usual merry self. "Come on, Meg, we haven't seen
Carlotta yet."
Meg was ready to get up and Twaddles woke before Bobby had tied one shoe, so the
four little Blossoms, helping each other, managed to be dressed and downstairs
before Jud had started to milk.
"Well, if this doesn't seem like old times!" he exclaimed grinning at them as