"I thought you might be getting hungry," he said, "so I stopped at the market on my way up, and took what I could get. Hope you aren't particular."
"Not a bit," declared Bess. "We are starved until we will eat anything."
"All the better," said Rob. "Here, Fred, catch hold of these." And he piled into his arms two bologna sausages, a can of potted chicken, a slice of round steak, a can of condensed milk, two pounds of zoölogical crackers, a sheet of baker's gingerbread, and a bag of raisins.
"Oh, Rob! Rob!" said Bess, laughing until she cried, as she saw the motley collection, so evidently selected by the boy himself. "Your warning was needed. We surely ought not to be particular."
Rob laughed, but his color came and he looked rather annoyed, so Bess hastened to add,—
"But it was so good of you to think of us, for we are dreadfully tired of codfish, and this will be a welcome relief. And now tell us how you all are, and what the news is—if you know any."
"Everybody is snowed up," answered Rob, as he helped Fred to lay down his pile of provisions. "No trains, no street-cars. We went to school Monday morning, but they sent us home about ten, and I didn't go out again till last night. Some men in front of our house were trying to plough a path, and I asked them if I mightn't borrow their horse to ride down after some milk. They said I might, so I hopped on and started. He went very well till I was down in front of the church, but there he stopped, so I just hit him with my heels to make him go. He just swung up his hind feet and pitched me off, head first, into a tremendous drift. I went in all over, and all I could do was to kick. A man saw me go, and took hold of my feet to pull me out; but off came my rubber boots, and over he went backwards, with one in each hand. I guess he was scared, and thought he had pulled me in two. But pretty soon I felt him grip my feet again, and that time he got me out. The horse had walked off, back to his master, and I had a sweet time getting home. This morning I saw that man go by the house on his shoes, and I called to him and asked him to let me see what they were like. He was awfully nice, and told me just how to make them, and I'm going to make you a pair, cousin Bess. It's lots of fun to walk on them, only when you turn round you get them crossed, they are so long, and first thing you know you're standing on your own heel. But what about that game of tennis?"
CHAPTER IX.
THE I.I.'S.
"Come, Fuzzy, come!" said Bess, opening the front door an inch, and speaking in a tone of gentle persuasion.