“No, I’d rather not. You see, I haven’t had any accidents to-day, and I don’t want one to happen at the last minute. I might step on you, you see. I wouldn’t want to, of course, but look there,” and the man held up one of his big feet.
“It’s big, and I’m heavy,” he went on, “and when I do step on anything, I just naturally squash it! Can’t seem to help it,” he added. “Now, I haven’t stepped on anybody during this moving, and I don’t want to. So, if it’s just the same to you, I’d rather you wouldn’t get in the way. It’s hard to look where I’m stepping when I’m carrying things in front of me, and I surely wouldn’t step on you on purpose, but—well, look out! You’d better trot along and play ball until I get out of the way.”
“All right,” agreed Tommy, with a laugh. “I’ll go in the house and see if I can help my mother.”
He found both his mother and father very busy, and a woman had been hired to come in and help, so that Tommy’s aid was not needed.
“Go out and play,” advised his father, “but stay within call. I’ll want you to go to the store and get something for supper pretty soon. Nellie, you go out and play, too.”
“No, I’m going up to my room,” said Tommy’s sister. “Oh, I’ve got the loveliest room!” she went on to her brother. “I can see away over the fields to the school. At least, it looks like a school.”
“Where’s my room?” demanded Tommy, thinking of the apartment for the first time. “Have I got a good one?”
“You can have your choice of two,” put in his mother. “There is a small one on the second floor, or a big one in the attic, and——”
“I want the one in the attic!” said Tommy, quickly. “I’m going to make a den of it, and sometimes can I have the boys up there?”
“Boys? Have you met some boys already?” asked his father, with a laugh.