"No," agreed Mr. Bobbsey with a smile. "We don't. I'll go see about it,"
and off he went, followed by Bert. Nan, with Flossie and Freddie, had
already joined the group of children down near the road that extended
along one edge of the picnic grove.
As Bert and his father neared the place, a loud, hissing sound was heard
and a white cloud of steam shot into the air, while the little ones
screamed and scattered.
"What's that?" cried Bert.
"I hope those youngsters don't go too near!" murmured Mr. Bobbsey. "The
safety valve of his steam engine is blowing off. He's got too much
pressure on. It may be dangerous," and Mr. Bobbsey broke into a run,
which Bert imitated as well as he could with his shorter legs.
However, there was no great danger. As Mr. Bobbsey had said, the safety
valve of a steam engine, on one of the trucks which carried the
merry-go-round outfit, was blowing off, and a short, stout man, with a
very red face, and a lanky boy, wearing ragged clothes, were working
about the engine.
"Keep back, children! Keep back!" called Mr. Bobbsey, as he reached the
road. "This merry-go-round isn't going to be set up here. Keep back out
of danger!"
"That's what I wish they'd do, mister!" said the red-faced man in no
very friendly voice. "They're under foot, and some of 'em may get
stepped on. I've got trouble enough without a bunch of kids getting in
the way."
He did not speak very nicely of children, Bert thought, and Nan was
evidently of the same opinion from the way in which she looked at her
brother. Flossie and Freddie thought nothing of this. They were too
excited in looking at the merry-go-round outfit.
This fun-making machine was loaded on four large trucks, hauled by four
sturdy horses each. On one truck was an engine, with a fire in it and
smoke and steam coming from it. It was this that seemed to be causing
the trouble which the red-faced man and the lanky boy were trying to
make better.
Behind the engine truck, which was in the lead, were three other trucks,
and the drivers of the horses kept to their seats, not offering to help
the red-faced man.
The three trucks were piled high with the frame and roof of the
merry-go-round. There were posts, boards, long iron rods, greasy cog
wheels and all sorts of queer things. But what interested the children
most were the wooden animals that made up the more showy part of the
merry-go-round. There were horses, lions, tigers, camels, elephants,
zebras, an ostrich and a cow.
"Oh, I want to ride on the cow!" cried Freddie.
"I'm going to get on the lion's back!" exclaimed Flossie.
"No, I want the lion, you can have the cow!" yelled Freddie. "I want the
lion!"
"I had him first! I choosed him first an' he's mine! Daddy, can't I have
the lion?" begged Flossie.
"Hush, children!" said Mr. Bobbsey, as Freddie opened his mouth to wail
that he wanted the king of beasts. "The merry-go-round isn't going to be
set up here. No one is going to get a ride."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account