"Now be careful," warned Mrs.Bobbsey, as she held out the cup."Hold on to the seats as you walk along.""I'll carry the cup," said Freddie."I'm the biggest.""You are not!" declared his sister quickly."I'm just as big.""Well, anyhow, I'm a boy," went on Freddie, and Flossie could not deny this."And boys always carries things," her brother went on."I'll carry the cup.""Very well, but be careful of it," said his mother with a smile, as she handed it to him.The two children went down the aisle of the car.They stopped for a moment at the seat where Dinah was.
"Is Snoop all right?" asked Freddie, peering into a box that was made of slats, with spaces between them for air.
"'Deed an' he am, honey," said Dinah with a smile, laughing so that she shook all over her big, fleshy body.
"I 'specs he's lonesome; aren't you, Snoop?" asked Flossie, poking her finger in one of the cracks, to caress, as well as she could, a fat, black cat.The cat, like Dinah the cook, went with the Bobbseys on all their summer outings.
"Well, maybe he am lonesome," admitted Dinah, with another laugh, "but he's been real good.He hadn't yowled once - not once!""He'll soon be out of his cage; won't you, Snoop?" said Freddie, and then he and his sister went on to the water cooler.Near it they saw something else to look at.This was the sight of a very, very fat lady who occupied nearly all of one seat in the end of the car.She was so large that only a very little baby could have found room beside her.
"Look - look at her," whispered Flossie to Freddie, as they paused.The fat woman's back was toward them, and she seemed to be much interested in looking out of the window.
"She is fat," admitted Freddie."Did you ever see one so big before?" "Only in a circus," said Flossie.
"She'd make make two of Dinah," went on her brother.
"She would not," contradicted Flossie quickly."'Cause Dinah's black,and this lady is white."
"That's so," admitted Freddie, with smile."I didn't think of that."A sway of the train nearly made Flossic fall, and she caught quickly at her brother.
"Look out!" he cried."You 'mos knocked the cup down." "I didn't mean to," spoke Flossie."Oh, there goes my hat! Get it, Freddie, before someone steps on it!"Her brother managed to get the hat just as it was sliding under the seat where the fat lady sat.
After some confusion the hat was placed on Flossie's head, and once more she and her brother moved on toward the water cooler.It was getting dusk now, and some of the lamps in the car had been lighted.
Freddie, carrying the cup, filled it with water at the little faucet, and, very politely, offered it to his sister first.Freddie was no better than most boys of his age, but he did not forget some of the little polite ways his mamma was continually teaching him.One of these was "ladies first," though Freddie did not always carry it out, especially when he was in a hurry.
"Do you want any more?" he asked, before he would get himself a drink.
"Just a little," said Flossie."The silver cup doesn't hold much.""No, I guess it's 'cause there's so much silver in it," replied her brother."It's worth a lot of money, mamma said.""Yes, and it's all ours.When I grow up I'm going to have my half made into a bracelet.""You are?" said Freddie slowly."If you do there won't be enough left for me to drink out of." "Well, you can have your share of it made into a watch, and drink out of a glass.""That's so," agreed Freddie, his face brightening.He gave his sister more water, and then took some himself.As he drank his eyes were constantly looking at the very fat lady who filled so much of her seat.She turned from the window and looked at the two children, smiling broadly.Freddie was somewhat confused, and looked down quickly.Just then the train gave another lurch and Freddie suddenly spilled someofthe water on his coat.
