Bonnets and Bugles Series Books 6-10 by Gilbert Morris

Author:Gilbert Morris [Morris, Gilbert L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-8024-8368-3
Publisher: Moody Publishers
Published: 1996-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

6

Boys Are Pretty Silly

Esther whirled across the floor, holding her arms out to keep her balance. Her chubby arms and legs were dimpled, and her blonde hair fell around her face in ringlets. She tripped suddenly and fell on her face.

Leah dropped her sewing and crossed the room to pick up the little girl, saying, “Be careful! You’ll hurt yourself.”

Esther said, “No, not hurt!” and grinned happily, showing bright new teeth. “Outside!” she said, pulling vigorously at Leah’s dress.

“No, we can’t go outside now. I’ve got to start fixing supper.” She gave Esther a squeeze. “You always want to go outside. Maybe after supper I’ll take you out for a walk. Maybe we’ll see a bird.”

“See bird!” Esther echoed. She had taken to repeating everything she heard and was rapidly learning to put sentences together. “Esther go see bird!”

“That’s right, but after supper.”

The child seemed satisfied, and she toddled into the kitchen after Leah, generally making a pest out of herself as Leah began to pull the materials together for the evening meal. Then she said, “Horses!” and ran out of the room.

Startled, Leah put down the sifter on the table and went into the hallway. She saw Esther push against the screen door and was glad it was locked. “Wait a minute, Esther!” she cried.

When she reached the door, Leah saw that it was Jeff, riding a horse with a Confederate cavalry saddle. Unlocking the screen, she grabbed Esther and stepped outside. “Jeff!” she cried. “What are you doing here?”

Jeff slipped off the horse expertly and tied the animal to the hitching post. “I came to see my baby sister. How are you, Esther?”

“Jeff! Jeff!” Esther ran across the porch and would have fallen down the steps if he had not leaped forward and caught her.

“Hold on there, sister!” he said. “You’re gonna skin your nose.”

He spun her around, and the child laughed with delight. She pulled at his hair, demanding that he play horsey with her as he always did.

“Can you stay for supper, Jeff?”

Jeff held Esther in his arms and looked over at Leah as though he never knew how to take her. “I guess so, if it won’t be any trouble. I’ll go down and fish in the pond while you’re cooking.”

“Take Esther with you, but be sure she doesn’t fall in.”

“Why, I wouldn’t allow a thing like that!” Jeff threw Esther up in the air, and she squealed.

“Again! Again, Jeff!” she said.

“If I finish, I’ll come down and watch you,” Leah said.

“Sure. I’ll take your pole too, in case you have time to fish a little.”

Jeff went by the barn, leading Esther by the hand. She would have stumbled, but he kept pulling her up and laughing at her. “Come on now—you can walk better than that!”

Ten minutes later they were at the small pond behind the house. It was no more than thirty feet across, but it was filled with plump, small panfish. Jeff put Esther down and said, “Now, don’t you fall in the water.

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