In the days that followed the experience of Flossie and Freddie with the “bear,” the children often visited the orchards, where they helped pick the red and yellow fruit. At other times they would help sort it in the barn, and once they rode with Zeek to the canning factory with a load of soft peaches which must quickly be made up into marmalade lest they spoil.
One day, when a lull came in the hard-and-fast work of picking and sorting the peaches, Nan, passing through the kitchen, saw Mrs. Watson getting ready to make some biscuits.
“Oh, may I do that?” begged Nan. “I know how! Mother showed me! Didn’t you?” she asked Mrs. Bobbsey who just then came into the kitchen.
“Yes, Nan bakes very good biscuits,” was the answer.
“I’d be glad to let her bake mine,” returned Mrs. Watson. “The baby is so fretful to-day she doesn’t want me to leave her. So go ahead, Nan; and I wish you luck.”
“You’d better wish her something else,” put in Bert, with a laugh.
“What do you mean?” asked Jenny’s mother.
“I mean you’d better wish that Flossie doesn’t sit down in the batch of biscuits,” Bert went on. “Flossie did that to Nan’s biscuits the time we were keeping house last winter,” and he explained what had taken place, as has been related in the book before this one.
“That will never happen again!” said Nan. “I’ll watch where I put the pan of biscuits, and I’ll watch Flossie. She won’t sit in any more of them!”
“Well, in that case, I’ll let you do the baking,” promised Mrs. Watson, and soon Nan was in her element. She loved to cook and she really knew how to make very good biscuits. And as Flossie and Freddie were playing at sailing boats down in the brook, the little twin girl and boy did not appear on the scene to cause trouble.