Twins -- Juvenile fiction; World War, 1914-1918 -- France -- Juvenile fiction
"No," laughed Mademoiselle, "we must find another way to take care of
them. The cows can stay out of doors now, and there is grass to feed
them and the goats. They can all be tethered by ropes, if necessary,
but we must find a secure place to keep the pigs and the rabbits, and
the chicken-house must be mended and put in order for the fowls."
"But Madame Corbeille now resides in the chicken-house. What will
become of her and her children?" cried Mother Meraut.
"Easy enough," said Mademoiselle; "there is still room in your stable,
is there not? For example, there is the granary! It will do excellently
for the Corbeilles. Pierre and Pierrette will help build the
rabbit-hutch, I know, and there we are, all provided for!"
So it was arranged, and that afternoon another family came to live
under the same roof with the Merauts. Grandpere, with his new hammer
and some nails, mended the chicken-house, and then helped Pierre and
Pierrette build enclosures for the rabbits and pigs out of stones and
rubble from the fallen walls.
At last the day came when all the creatures were to arrive, and
Mademoiselle arranged that the Twins, Mother Meraut, and four of her
own party of young women should go to the railroad station to get them.
The great truck was brought out, ropes were then thrown in, and all the
people who composed what Mademoiselle called the "Reception Committee"
climbed in and sat on the floor, while Mademoiselle and the Doctor
occupied the driver's seat. The soldiers had done some work on the
roads, so they were not as bad as they had been earlier in the spring;
but they were still bad enough, and the people in the truck were
bounced about like kernels of corn in a popper.
"Now," said Mademoiselle, when they arrived at the station, "the fowls
and the rabbits will have to go back in the truck. That will be easy,
for they came in crates; but the cows, the goats, and the pigs must be
either led or driven."
"It sounds simple enough," said the Doctor, "but have any of you ever
known any cows or pigs? Do you know how to manage them?"
"I have an acquaintance with cows," said Mother Meraut, "but to goats
and pigs I am a stranger."
"Very well," said Mademoiselle, "Mother Meraut shall lead the way with
the cows. You, Kathleen and Louise," she said, turning to two of the
gray-uniformed girls, "you shall attend the goats. Mary and Martha may
tackle the pigs. Pierre and Pierrette will serve excellently as
short-stops in case any of our live-stock gets away, and the Doctor and
I will bring up the rear."
"It's going to be a regular circus!" said Kathleen. "I feel as if we
ought to wear spangles and be led by a band."
"We haven't any clown, though," said Martha.
"I shouldn't wonder," said Mary, "if we'd all look like clowns in this
parade."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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