music.
Grandfather was standing on the front,steps when the car drove up the driveway. He opened the car door and kissed Mother and Betsy and shook hands with Father.
"Grandfather, I counted twenty white cows," said Betsy. "But Ellen won because she counted thirty-two."
"Well, well," said Grandfather. "I am glad to see you, Ellen. I didn't know that such little girls could count."
Betsy and Ellen laughed. "Of course we can count," said Betsy. "We go to school. We got promoted too."
"We are in the second grade now," said Ellen.
"My! My!" said Grandfather. "Now I suppose you will be counting my chickens before they are hatched."
Betsy thought for a moment, then she said, "You can't count the chickens before they're hatched, Grandfather. But we'll help you count them after they're hatched."
Grandfather said that dinner was all ready. The children washed their hands and faces and
ran to the dining room. Linda was standing by the kitchen door. Her face was shining. Betsy rushed up to Linda. "Hello, Linda. This is Ellen," said Betsy. "She is going to stay all summer. Are there any ginger cookies?"
"Well, I shouldn't be surprised if there were a few," said Linda. "I set a table over here in the corner for you children."
Betsy and Ellen sat down at the little table. It was covered with a red-and-white checked tablecloth. In the center of the table was a plate of big, round, ginger cookies. Betsy's eyes danced when she saw the cookies. "Oh, Linda!" she
cried. "Ginger cookies! And we don't have to wait until breakfast!"
"No," said Linda, "this is special."
After dinner, the children went upstairs to their bedroom. It was a big room with two beds, one for Betsy and one for Ellen. While Betsy and Ellen got ready for their naps, Mother put their clothes away in a big high chest.
The little girls lay down and soon they were fast asleep.
When Betsy woke up, she heard Old Ned's voice under the window. He was talking to Grandfather. Betsy ran to the window. "Oh, Ned," she cried, "are you going to the village?"
"Yes," said Old Ned, "goin' into the village fer oats."
"Can we go with you?" asked Betsy.
"Reckon so," said Old Ned.
Betsy and Ellen scrambled into their new overalls and dashed down the stairs.
"Mighty pretty little girls!" said Old Ned as he lifted them into the wagon. Old Ned picked up the reins. "Gee up, Priscilla," he said. The horse started off down the road.
"Well," said Old Ned, "I hear you been goin' to school."
"Yes," said Betsy, "and we got promoted. We're in the second grade. Ned, you were wrong about school. School is nice, Ned. We love our teacher. She's just sweet. And there isn't any switch, Ned. You said there was a switch." Betsy laughed. "Oh, school is fun! Isn't it, Ellen?"
"Yes," said Ellen. "We built a farm out of wooden boxes and we sawed out the doors and the windows."
"And Billy made a chicken coop," said Betsy.
"Christopher and I made a stable with stalls for the horses," said Ellen.
"Yes, and there was a pigsty and window boxes on the windows of the farmhouse," said Betsy. "I painted them green and Miss Grey gave me some little flowers to put in them. Oh, it was fun!"
"And we had a play at Easter," said Ellen. "Kenny Roberts was a bunny rabbit. He was dressed up in a white bunny suit and his ears fell off."
Ellen and Betsy laughed loudly as they remembered how funny Kenny had looked without his ears.
"Please, may I drive Priscilla, Ned?" asked Betsy. Old Ned handed the reins to Betsy.
"So school is fun!" said Old Ned. "You build farmhouses and chicken coops and dress up like bunny rabbits. Well, well," said he, and he stroked his grizzly beard.
"Yes, school is lovely," said Betsy. "Gee up, Priscilla!"
----
Turn the page for a peek at Betsy's adventures in
Betsy and Billy
when Betsy and her friends go into second grade.
----
1 Betsy Goes Back to School
It was September and vacation days were almost over. Soon it would be time for Betsy to go back to school. She had tried
Grandfather was standing on the front,steps when the car drove up the driveway. He opened the car door and kissed Mother and Betsy and shook hands with Father.
"Grandfather, I counted twenty white cows," said Betsy. "But Ellen won because she counted thirty-two."
"Well, well," said Grandfather. "I am glad to see you, Ellen. I didn't know that such little girls could count."
Betsy and Ellen laughed. "Of course we can count," said Betsy. "We go to school. We got promoted too."
"We are in the second grade now," said Ellen.
"My! My!" said Grandfather. "Now I suppose you will be counting my chickens before they are hatched."
Betsy thought for a moment, then she said, "You can't count the chickens before they're hatched, Grandfather. But we'll help you count them after they're hatched."
Grandfather said that dinner was all ready. The children washed their hands and faces and
ran to the dining room. Linda was standing by the kitchen door. Her face was shining. Betsy rushed up to Linda. "Hello, Linda. This is Ellen," said Betsy. "She is going to stay all summer. Are there any ginger cookies?"
"Well, I shouldn't be surprised if there were a few," said Linda. "I set a table over here in the corner for you children."
Betsy and Ellen sat down at the little table. It was covered with a red-and-white checked tablecloth. In the center of the table was a plate of big, round, ginger cookies. Betsy's eyes danced when she saw the cookies. "Oh, Linda!" she
cried. "Ginger cookies! And we don't have to wait until breakfast!"
"No," said Linda, "this is special."
After dinner, the children went upstairs to their bedroom. It was a big room with two beds, one for Betsy and one for Ellen. While Betsy and Ellen got ready for their naps, Mother put their clothes away in a big high chest.
The little girls lay down and soon they were fast asleep.
When Betsy woke up, she heard Old Ned's voice under the window. He was talking to Grandfather. Betsy ran to the window. "Oh, Ned," she cried, "are you going to the village?"
"Yes," said Old Ned, "goin' into the village fer oats."
"Can we go with you?" asked Betsy.
"Reckon so," said Old Ned.
Betsy and Ellen scrambled into their new overalls and dashed down the stairs.
"Mighty pretty little girls!" said Old Ned as he lifted them into the wagon. Old Ned picked up the reins. "Gee up, Priscilla," he said. The horse started off down the road.
"Well," said Old Ned, "I hear you been goin' to school."
"Yes," said Betsy, "and we got promoted. We're in the second grade. Ned, you were wrong about school. School is nice, Ned. We love our teacher. She's just sweet. And there isn't any switch, Ned. You said there was a switch." Betsy laughed. "Oh, school is fun! Isn't it, Ellen?"
"Yes," said Ellen. "We built a farm out of wooden boxes and we sawed out the doors and the windows."
"And Billy made a chicken coop," said Betsy.
"Christopher and I made a stable with stalls for the horses," said Ellen.
"Yes, and there was a pigsty and window boxes on the windows of the farmhouse," said Betsy. "I painted them green and Miss Grey gave me some little flowers to put in them. Oh, it was fun!"
"And we had a play at Easter," said Ellen. "Kenny Roberts was a bunny rabbit. He was dressed up in a white bunny suit and his ears fell off."
Ellen and Betsy laughed loudly as they remembered how funny Kenny had looked without his ears.
"Please, may I drive Priscilla, Ned?" asked Betsy. Old Ned handed the reins to Betsy.
"So school is fun!" said Old Ned. "You build farmhouses and chicken coops and dress up like bunny rabbits. Well, well," said he, and he stroked his grizzly beard.
"Yes, school is lovely," said Betsy. "Gee up, Priscilla!"
----
Turn the page for a peek at Betsy's adventures in
Betsy and Billy
when Betsy and her friends go into second grade.
----
1 Betsy Goes Back to School
It was September and vacation days were almost over. Soon it would be time for Betsy to go back to school. She had tried
Similar Books
