Surprise Island by Gertrude Warner

Author:Gertrude Warner
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
Published: 2010-06-14T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 11

Apple Pie

The next morning was very cold. Benny did not want to get up at all.

“No,” he said, “it is so cold that I’m not going to get out of bed.”

Henry looked out at the ocean. “I have an idea,” he said. “It’s too cold outside today. Let’s all stay inside and paint our birds.”

“Fine!” agreed Jessie. “I’ll light the stove and we’ll shut the barn door. It will soon be warm.”

In spite of what he had said earlier about staying in bed, Benny opened the swinging door of his room, and came out wearing his red sweater. He was carrying the little toy boat which was in the package his grandfather had given him.

“I like my new boat,” said Benny, proudly. “Let’s make it go, Henry.”

“Put it in that pail of water, Benny,” said Henry. “You play with your boat while we get ready to work.”

The girls helped Henry put the table in the corner under the window. Then Jessie brought the bird books and some heavy paper.

“I’m going to use my new pen,” said Violet. “Grandfather knew I needed a new one.”

“He knew I wanted a set of things like this, to fix cuts,” said Henry. “It will be handy to have when we go on picnics or exploring.”

Grandfather had given Jessie a set of six cooking spoons.

“Are you going to use your new spoons today, Jessie?” asked Violet.

“I might,” said Jessie. “I have a good idea for dinner this noon. I think you’ll like it, but I won’t tell you what it is until we have finished painting the birds.”

“Let’s get to work, then!” cried Henry. “I’ll cut out paper birds and you girls color them.”

“Cut out a picture of every bird we have seen,” said Jessie. “The bird book tells all the names.”

The children worked all morning. Suddenly Benny said, “Henry, I think Joe ought to have stayed here to see Grandfather.”

“I think so, too,” said Henry.

“It seems very strange,” said Violet, “for him to go off without telling us.”

“We’ll ask him when he comes back,” said Jessie. “And now, I’ll tell you my surprise for dinner. I am going to make an apple pie.”

“But you never made a pie,” said Henry, looking up.

“No,” said Jessie, “but I’m going to now.”

She took a pan of very small green apples out of the cupboard.

“Where did you get them?” asked Benny.

“Near the yellow house,” said Jessie. “There are two apple trees there.”

“I’ll get them ready,” said Violet.

“Good! And Henry, won’t you smooth off one of those boards for a pie-board?”

Jessie washed the new board. Then she picked up a big empty green bottle. “This is my rolling pin,” she said. “I am going to try to make some good pie crust.”

So over and over she rolled the crust. She put some butter on it and rolled it out again. But when Jessie put the bottom crust in the pan, the crust was not big enough.

“Put a patch in it,” said Benny.

Jessie took a little more crust and smoothed it over the edge of the pan with her fingers.

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