“Do you go to our school?” asked Freddie, during a pause in his mother’s questions. “We’ve a nice school, and our teacher’s name is Miss Snell, and——”
“And Freddie locked a boy up in the tool shed ’cause he pulled my hair—I mean the bad boy pulled my hair,” broke in Flossie.
“We don’t go to school—our clothes is too ragged,” said Mary, in a low voice.
“Never mind, my dear. Perhaps I can find some clothes for you that aren’t quite so full of holes,” offered Mrs. Bobbsey kindly. “Clothes with holes in are fine for summer,” she said, with a laugh, “but not so good for winter. I’ll see what I can find.”
She found some good, half-worn garments belonging to the twins, and Dick and Mary took the clothes home. The result was that they appeared at school the following Monday. But neither Flossie nor Freddie spoke of their mother having given the two fatherless children clothes to wear.
“Now we’ll be happy for Thanksgiving; won’t we, Freddie?” asked Flossie, when it was settled that Dick and Mary were to be taken care of.
“Yes,” Freddie agreed. “And I hope we have a big turkey!”
“An’ cranberry sauce!” added his sister.
There was a fine Thanksgiving dinner at the Bobbsey home, but the mother of the four twins did not forget the poor. She helped Miss Pompret with that lady’s Thanksgiving feast for those who were not fortunate enough to have one of their own, and Mr. Bobbsey and some other good-hearted men of Lakeport provided money so that the Salvation Army could feed a number of hungry men who were out of work.
Still there was one reason why at least Flossie and Freddie, of the Bobbsey family, were not quite happy that Thanksgiving day. And the reason was because there was no snow. The children had polished their sleds, had wiped the rust off the runners, and were all ready for a coast. But without snow there can be no sleigh riding, and though the weather was cold, the sun shone from a cloudless sky, and Flossie and Freddie were much disappointed.