The Dutch Twins Page 3

  III

  MOTHER'S DAY

  "Yesterday was a very long day," said Vrouw Vedder on the morning afterMarket Day. "You were gone such a long time."

  Kat gave her mother a great hug.

  "We'll stay with you all day to-day, Mother," she said. "Won't we, Kit?"

  "Yes," said Kit; and he hugged her too.

  "And we'll help you just as much as we helped Father yesterday. Won'twe, Kit?"

  "More," said Kit.

  "I shouldn't wonder!" said Father.

  "I shall be glad of help," said Vrouw Vedder, "because Grandma iscoming, and I want everything to be very clean and tidy when she comes.I'm going first to the pasture to milk the cow. You can go with me andkeep the flies away. That will be a great help."

  Vrouw Vedder put a yoke across her shoulders, with hooks hanging fromeach end of it. Then she hung a large pail on one of the hooks, and abrass milk can on the other. She gave Kat a little pail to carry, andKit took some switches from the willow tree in the yard, with which todrive away the flies. Then they all three started down the road to thepasture.

  Pretty soon they came to a little bridge over the canal, which they hadto cross.

  "Oh, dear," said Kat, looking down at the water, "I'm scared!" You see,there was no railing at all to take hold of, and the bridge was quitenarrow.

  "Ho! 'Fraidy cat!" said Kit. "I'll go first and show you how."

  "And I'll walk behind you," said Vrouw Vedder.

  Kat walked very slowly and held on hard to her pail, and so she gotover the bridge safely.

  "When I'm four feet and a half high, I'm going to jump over the canalon a jumping pole," said Kit.

  "O how brave you are!" said Kat. "I should be scared. And besides I'mafraid I should drop my shoes in the water."

  "Well, of course," said Kit, "boys can do a great many things thatgirls can't do."

  When they reached the pasture, there was Mevrouw Holstein waiting forthem. Mevrouw Holstein was the cow's name. Kit and Kat named her.

  Vrouw Vedder tucked up her skirts--and that was quite a task, for shewore a great many of them--and sat down on a little stool. Kit and Katstood beside her and waved their willow wands and said "Shoo!" to theflies; and Vrouw Vedder began to milk.

  Mevrouw Holstein had eaten so much of the green meadow grass that VrouwVedder filled both the big pail and the brass can, and the little pailtoo, with rich milk.

  "I shall have milk enough to make butter and cheese," said VrouwVedder. "There are no cows like our Dutch cows in all the world, Ibelieve."

  "O Mother, are you going to churn to-day?" asked Kat.

  "Yes," said the Vrouw, "I have cream enough at home to make a good rollof butter, and you may help me if you will be very careful and worksteadily."

  "I will be very steady," said Kat. "I'm big enough now to learn."

  "All Dutch girls must know how to make good butter and cheese," saidVrouw Vedder.

  "And boys can drink the buttermilk," said Kit.

  "I'll drink some too," said Kat.

  "There'll be plenty for both," said their mother.

  When she had finished milking, Vrouw Vedder shook out her skirts, putthe yoke across her shoulders again and lifted the large pail of milk.She hung it on one of the hook and the brass milk can on the other. Kattook the small pail, and they started back home. The milk was quiteheavy, so they walked slowly.

  They had crossed the bridge and were just turning down the road, whenwhat should they see but their old goose and gander walking along theroad, followed by six little goslings!

  "O Mother, Mother," screamed Kat; "there is the old goose that wehaven't seen for so long! She has stolen her nest and hatched out sixlittle geese all her own! They are taking them to the canal to swim."

  "Quick, Kit, quick!" said Vrouw Vedder. "Don't let them go into thecanal! We must drive them home."

  Kit ran boldly forward in front of them, and Kat ran too. She spilledsome of the milk; but she was in such a hurry that she never knew it,until afterwards, when she found some in her wooden shoes!

  "K-s-s-s!" said the old goose; and she ran straight for the Twins withher mouth open and her wings spread! The old gander ran at them too. Ican't begin to tell you how scared Kat was then! She stood right stilland screamed.

  Kit was scared too; but he stood by Kat, like a brave boy, and shookhis willow switches at the geese, and shouted "Shoo! Shoo!" just as hedid at the flies.

  Vrouw Vedder set her pails down in the road and came up behind,flapping her apron. Then the old goose and the gander and all thelittle goslings started slowly along the road for home, saying crosswords in Goose talk all the way!

  Father Vedder was working in the garden, when the procession came downthe road. First came the geese, looking very indignant, and thegoslings. Then came Kit with the leaves all whipped off his willowswitches. Then came Kat with her pail; and, last of all, Vrouw Vedderand the milk!

  When the new family of geese had been taken care of, and the fresh milkhad been put away to cool, Vrouw Vedder got out her churn and scaldedit well. Then she put in her cream, and put the cover down over thehandle of the dasher.

  "Now, Kit and Kat, you may take turns," she said, "and see which one ofyou can bring the butter, but be sure you work the dasher very evenlyor the butter will not be good."

  "Me first!" said Kat, and she began. Kit sat on a little stool andwatched for the butter.

  Kat worked the dasher up and down, up and down. The cream splashed andsplashed inside the churn, and a little white ring of spatters came uparound the dasher. Kat worked until her arms ached.

  "Now it's my turn," said Kit. Then he poked the dasher, and the creamsplashed and splashed for quite a long time; but still the butter didnot come.

  "Ho!" said Kat. "You're nothing but a boy. Of course you don't know howto churn. Let me try." And she took her turn.

  Dash! Splash! Splash, dash! She worked away; and very soon, around thedasher, there was a ring of little specks of butter.

  "Come, butter, come! Come, butter, come! Some for a honey cake, and some for a bun,"

  she sang in time to the dasher; and truly, when Vrouw Vedder opened thechurn, there was a large cake of yellow butter!

  Vrouw Vedder took out the butter and worked it into a nice roll. Thenshe gave each of the Twins a cup of buttermilk to drink.

  While the Twins drank the buttermilk, their mother washed the churn andput it away. When she was all through, it was still quite early in themorning, because they had gotten up with the sun.

  "Now we must clean the house," she said.

  So she got out her scrubbing-brushes, and mops, and pails, and dusters,and began.

  First she shook out the pillows of the best bed, that nobody ever sleptin, and pushed back the curtains so that the embroidered coverlet couldbe seen. Then she put the other beds in order and drew the curtains infront of them.

  She dusted the linen press and left it open just a little, so that herbeautiful rolls of white linen, tied with ribbons, would show. Katdusted the chairs, and Kit carried the big brass jugs outside thekitchen door to be polished.

  Then they all three rubbed and scoured and polished them until theyshone like the sun.

  "Now it is time to cook the dinner," said Vrouw Vedder. "We will havepork and potatoes and some cabbage. Kit, run to the garden and bring acabbage; and Kat, you may get the fire ready to cook it, when Kitbrings it in."

  Kat went to the stove--but it was such a funny stove! It wasn't a stoveat all, really.

  There was a sort of table built up against the chimney. It was allcovered with pretty blue tiles, with pictures of boats on them. Overthis table, there was a shelf, like a mantel shelf. There were plateson it, and from the bottom of the shelf hung some chains with hooks onthem. The coals were right out on the little table.

  Kat took the bellows and--puff, puff, puff!--made the coals burnbrighter. She peeped in the kettle to see that there was water in it.Then she put some more charcoal on the fire.

  Kit brought in the cabbage, and Vrouw Vedder cut it up and put it intothe pot of water hanging over the fire. She put the pork and potatoesin too.

  In a little while the pot was bubbling away merrily; and Father Vedder,who was in the garden, sniffed the air and said,

  "I know what we are going to have for dinner."

  While the pot boiled, Vrouw Vedder scrubbed the floor and wiped thewindow. Then she took her brooms and scrubbing-brush outside.

  She scrubbed the door and the outside of the house. She scrubbed thelittle pig with soap. The little pig squealed, because she got somesoap in its eyes. She scrubbed the steps--and even the trunk of thepoplar tree in the yard! She scrubbed everything in sight, exceptFather Vedder and the Twins! By and by she came to the door and called,

  "Come to dinner! Only be sure to leave your wooden shoes outside, whenyou come into my clean kitchen."

  Here are the shoes, just as they left them, all in a row. And as it wasSaturday, the shoes were scrubbed too, that night.

  When the dinner was cleared away, Vrouw Vedder said to the Twins,

  "It is almost time for Grandmother to come. Let's walk out to meet her."

  They walked clear to the edge of the town before they saw her coming.They walked on top of the dyke, so they could look right down into thestreet, and see all the houses in a row. Grandmother was coming up thestreet with a basket on her arm.

  "What do you think is in that basket?" Vrouw Vedder asked the Twins.

  "Honey cake!" said Kit; and Kat said, "Candy!"

  And Kit and Kat were both right. There was a large honey cake and anisecandies, and some currant buns besides!

  Grandmother let them peep in and see. They were very polite and did notask for any--Vrouw Vedder was proud of the Twins' good man
ners.Grandmother said,

  "This afternoon, when we have tea, you shall have some."

  "I'm glad I ate such a lot of dinner," said Kit to Kat, as they walkedalong; "or else I'd just have to have a bun this minute!"

  "Yes," said Kat, "it's much easier to be polite when you aren't hungry."

  When they got home, Kit and Kat took their Grandmother to see the newgoslings, and to see the ducklings too. And Vrouw Vedder showed her thebutter that Kit and Kat had helped to churn; and Grandmother said,

  "My, my! What helpers they are getting to be!" Then she said, "Howclean the house is!" and then, "How the brasses shine!"

  "Yes," said Vrouw Vedder; "the Twins helped me make everything cleanand tidy to show to you."

  "I guess it's time for honey cake," said Grandmother.

  Then Vrouw Vedder stirred up the fire again and boiled the kettle andmade tea. She took down her best china cups and put them out on theround table.

  Then Grandmother opened her basket and took out the honey cake and bunsand the candy; and Vrouw Vedder brought out her fresh butter.

  "I can't stay polite much longer," said Kit to Kat.

  Grandmother gave them each a thin slice of honey cake and a bun; andVrouw Vedder spread some of the butter on the buns--and oh, how goodthey were!

  "Some for a honey cake, And some for a bun,"

  sang Kat. It didn't take the Twins long to finish them.

  When they had drunk their tea, Grandmother brought out her knitting,and Mother Vedder began to spin.

  "How many rolls of linen have you ready for Kat when she marries?"Grandmother asked.

  "I try to make at least one roll each year; so she has four now and Iam working on the fifth one," said Vrouw Vedder. "She shall be aswell-to-do as any farmer's daughter near here, when she marries. See,this is the last one," and Vrouw Vedder took from the press a roll ofbeautiful white linen tied with blue ribbons.

  "Is that for me, Mother?" asked Kat.

  "Yes," said Vrouw Vedder. "When you marry, we shall have a fine pressfull of linen for you."

  "Isn't Kit going to have some too?" asked Kat.

  Grandmother laughed.

  "The mother of the little girl who will some day marry Kit, is workingnow on her linen, no doubt; so Kit won't need any of yours."

  The Twins looked very solemn and went out into the yard. They sat downon the bench by the kitchen door together. Then Kat said,

  "Kit, do you suppose we've got to be married?"

  "It looks like it," said Kit.

  Things seemed very dark indeed to the Twins.

  "Well," said Kat, "I just tell you I'm not going to do it. I'm going tostay at home with Mother and Father, and you and the ducks andeverything!"

  "What will they do with the linen then?" said Kit. "I guess you'll haveto be married."

  Kat began to cry.

  "I'll just go and ask Mother," she said.

  "I'll go with you," said Kit. "I don't want to any more than you do."

  So the Twins got down from the bench and went into the kitchen whereGrandmother and Vrouw Vedder were.

  Their mother was spinning flax to make linen thread.

  "Mother," said the Twins, "will you please excuse us from beingmarried."

  "O my soul!" said Vrouw Vedder. She seemed surprised.

  "We don't want to at all," said Kat. "We'd rather stay with you."

  "You shan't be married until after you are four feet and a half highand are called Christopher and Katrina anyway," said Vrouw Vedder. "Ipromise you that."

  The Twins were much relieved. They went out and fed their ducklings.They felt so much better that they gave them an extra handful of grain,and they carried a bun to Father Vedder, who was hoeing in the farthestcorner of the garden. He ate it, leaning on his hoe.

  When they went back to the house, it was late in the afternoon.Grandmother was rolling up her knitting.

  "I must go home to Grandfather;" she said. "He'll be wanting hissupper."

  The Twins walked down the road as far as the first bridge withGrandmother. There she kissed them good-bye and sent them home.

  When their mother put them to bed that night, Kat said,

  "Has this been a short day, Mother?"

  "Oh, very short!" said Vrouw Vedder, "because you helped me so much."

  Then she kissed them good-night and went out to feed the pigs, and shutup the chickens for the night.

  When she was gone, Kit said,

  "I don't see how they got along before we came. We help so much!"

  "No," said Kat; "I don't think--" But what she didn't think, no onewill ever know, because just then she popped off to sleep.