Father said to Hobson, "I'm ready for the children now." Hobson lifted Bobby to the foot of the little ladder which is at the front of a hay-rack. Bobby climbed up the ladder and Father reached down and pulled him up to the top of the load. "Here's a safe place for you," said Father, as he put Bobby in the big nest. Then Hobson lifted Baby Betty. "You had better bring her all the way up," said Father. "She is too little to climb the ladder." Hobson carried her up the ladder and put her in the nest. "You may drive," said Father to Hobson. "I'll stay with the children." So there they were in the nest, Father and Bobby and Betty, on top of the big load of hay. All the way up the lane they rode. "We must be close to the sky," said Bobby. "We're on top of the world," said Father. Finally, they came to the Red Barn. The big front doors were open. Very wide and high they were, but the load of hay reached almost to the top. "We must all scooch down," said Father, "or it will strike us." So they all bent over flat on the hay, while Prince and Daisy drew them safely into the big barn. "Now we must climb down the ladder," said Bobby. "Wait a minute," said Father. "Sit quietly until I call you." Father climbed down. "Ready, Hobson," he called. Hobson took Bobby over to the side of the load. There was Father standing below him, waiting with outstretched arms. "Slide down, Bobby; I'll catch you," said Father. Down the side of the load of hay slid Bobby, straight into Father's arms. Then it came Betty's turn. "It's so high," she said. "I'm 'fraid." "Don't be scared; I'll catch you," said Father. "Father'll catch you," called up Bobby. Betty took courage. Down she slid, down the side of the load of hay, straight into Father's arms. After that load was pitched into the hay-mow, they went for another, and then another, all day long. Every time, Bobby and Betty rode in the nest on top of the load of hay. [Illustration: BOBBY FORGETS] IX In a chicken coop in the back yard at Cloverfield Farm, lived Old Speckle with her ten chickens. It was Bobby's duty to feed them. Three times a day--morning, noon and night--he would take the basin of corn meal and water which Mother had stirred up, and would throw it by spoonfuls into the coop for the chickens. Old Speckle would call, "Cluck, cluck, cluck!" and the ten little chicks would come running to eat. He would throw some corn or wheat in for Old Speckle. One morning Mother said, "Here is the breakfast for the chickens, Bobby." "I'll feed them right away," said Bobby. And he meant to. Taking the basin of meal in one hand and the basin of wheat in the other, he started toward the chicken coop. When he was about half way there, he spied his new white rabbit poking her nose out between the slats of the rabbit-pen. Bobby stopped. For a few moments he stood and watched her. Then he set the two basins down on the ground and went over to the rabbit-pen.