Their Mother heard them and came to the door. “Sure, I thought I’d let you sleep as late as ever you liked,” she said, “for there’s no school to-day, but you’re awake and clacking, so how would you like to go with your Dada to the bog to cut turf? Himself will put a bit of bread in his pocket for you, and you can take a sup of milk along.”
“Oh, wirra!” cried Eileen. “What have we done but left the milk-jug at Grannie Malone’s!”
“You can take the milk in the old brown jug, then,” said the Mother, “and come along home by way of Grannie’s, and get the jug itself. I’d like your Father to get a sight of the Tinkers’ Camp, and maybe of that thief of the world that stole the geese on us.”
It didn’t take the Twins long to dress. They wore few clothes, and no shoes and stockings, and their breakfast of bread and potatoes was soon eaten. The Mother had already milked the cow, and when they had had a drink of fresh milk they were ready to start.
Mr McQueen was at the door with “Colleen,” the donkey, and when Larry and Eileen came out, he put them both on
Colleen’s back, and they started down the road toward the bog.
When they came to the place where the Tinkers’ Camp should be, there was no camp there at all! They looked east and west, but no sign of the Tinkers did they see.
“If it were not for the two geese gone, I’d think you had been dreaming!” said Mr McQueen to the Twins.
“Look there, then,” said Larry. “Sure, there’s the black mark on the ground where their fire was!”