“No, dear, we take the boat,” explained Mother Blossom. “If the train is on time we have an hour to wait, which will allow us to have lunch; then we take a steamer that takes us up Lake Tobago to Little Havre. There we take a stage, or a wagon, or whatever they have to 48 meet the boat, and ride to Four Crossways; and there Aunt Polly meets us and drives us over to Brookside.”
“Here comes Twaddles,” announced Dot. “Did you find the kiddie car?” she asked.
“Yes, it’s there,” reported Twaddles, squeezing in past Meg, and climbing into his place beside his twin. “There’s lots of trunks and things there, too.”
During the long stretches when the train hummed steadily along and there was nothing to be seen from the car windows but miles and miles of green fields and woods with here and there a house, the children played a game Mother Blossom had known when she was a little girl.
“My ship is loaded with apples,” Bobby would say.
“My ship is loaded with apricots,” Meg would declare.
Dot usually had to think a minute.
“My ship is loaded with––with ashes,” she might announce finally.
“My ship is loaded with at;” this from Twaddles.