Christmas Tales by Blyton Enid

Author:Blyton, Enid
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781444931143
Publisher: Hachette Children's
Published: 2016-09-08T00:00:00+00:00

He Belonged to the Family

‘YOU CLEAR away the tea for me, Janet,’ said Mother. ‘Daddy and I have something important to settle.’

Janet pricked up her ears. ‘What is it, Mother? May I listen – or is it secret?’

‘Oh no – it’s not secret,’ said her mother. ‘But it’s rather exciting. Daddy’s going to buy a lorry!’

‘A lorry!’ said Janet. ‘Whatever for?’

‘To take round the logs, of course,’ said Mother. ‘Old Brownie’s slow, now – and can only pull a small load of logs. Daddy wants to take three times as many out at a time, and so he thinks he’ll buy a lorry.’

‘Brownie will be pleased,’ said Janet. ‘He will have a nice rest in the field.’

‘Oh, I shall sell him,’ said Daddy, raising his head from the advertisements he was looking at.

Janet stared in horror. ‘DADDY! Sell Brownie – our dear old horse! Why – I never remember a time without him. Daddy, you can’t sell Brownie!’

‘I’ve had a very good offer for him already,’ said Daddy. ‘From Mr Lucas, down at the farm.’

Janet stared at her father and mother as if she couldn’t believe her ears. ‘You can’t sell old Brownie,’ she said again, with tears in her eyes. ‘Mother – he’s one of the family. He really is. I love him. So does Paul.’

‘Well, we’re fond of him, too,’ said her father. ‘But we have to be sensible about things, Janet. I need a lorry – Mr Lucas will buy Brownie. It all fits nicely.’

‘It doesn’t, it doesn’t,’ cried Janet. ‘You know Mr Lucas is horrid. Oh, Daddy – I can’t believe it. Does Paul know?’

Paul was her brother. He was out shutting up the hens, and having a word with Brownie in his old stable.

‘No – Paul doesn’t know yet,’ said Mother. Janet put down the cups she was carrying and rushed to the door. ‘I’m going to tell him,’ she said. ‘He’ll beg and beg you not to sell dear old Brownie.’

The door slammed behind her. She ran out into the cold night. ‘Paul! Paul! Where are you?’

‘Here. With Brownie,’ shouted Paul. In half a minute his sister was flying in at the stable door. She caught his arm.

‘Paul! Did you know Daddy was buying a lorry – and selling Brownie to Mr Lucas?’

Paul whistled. ‘No! He can’t do that! Sell our Brownie! Why, he’d be absolutely miserable! He loves us.’

‘Just at Christmas-time, too,’ said Janet, sniffing her tears away. ‘Can’t you beg Daddy not to do such a dreadful thing?’

Paul rubbed Brownie’s velvety nose, and the horse nuzzled against him, pushing gently. He loved this boy and girl. The were always good to him, always kind. They had often ridden on him on the way to school when their father had taken his loaded cart of logs to deliver round the town. They were his friends.

Daddy wouldn’t alter his mind. ‘NO,’ he said. ‘And please don’t be silly over this. I’m not going to turn down a good offer for Brownie. And I do want that lorry.

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