Rufus M by Eleanor Estes

Author:Eleanor Estes
Language: eng
Format: mobi
ISBN: 0152025715
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Published: 2012-10-09T07:53:59+00:00

Mama and Joey and Jane thought about the pipes. If only they had not burst! It was dreadful to have pipes burst. The Moffats would have to call a plumber perhaps, and that cost a great deal of money. "Gee," Joey chided himself. "How did I forget?"

"We were all so excited about goin' to the play, we all forgot," said Jane.

"Well, maybe they didn't burst," said Joe. "I stoked the stoves good. That should've kep' the house warm enough."

"Ordinarily it would have," said Mama. "But this is bitter weather. And you know that kind of coal that we get nowadays isn't very good for our stoves."

Soft coal! Bituminous coal! That's the kind of coal they had to burn this year, for the good, hard nut kind was scarce. When Mama started a fire with this coal what a time she had! "By-two-minutes coal," she called it. "By two minutes the house will be full of smoke," she always said, making a joke of it.

The Moffats hated to get off the trolley where it was so warm. "Why couldn't we live on a trolley?" asked Jane, laughing.

"Sure. We could stretch out on the long seats and sleep," said Joe. "Rufe's practically asleep now."

"I'm not!" denied Rufus, sitting up straight with a jerk. "Just thinkin'. Where are we?"

"Goin' over the Cumberland Avenue bridge," said Jane. They all looked out over the snowy marshes. The sun had set but there was still a wan wintry glow behind the heavy clouds in the west. "Those clouds look like mountains," said Jane. "You could think we were livin' in the mountains."

"That's night comin'," said Joe.

Now the trolley was swaying and sailing up Elm Street. Soon they would have to get off. In the town the streets seemed darker, for the great elm trees and the houses shadowed the sky. Just two more blocks and then they'd be at Ashbellows Place. Rufus was wide awake now and he was the one who pushed the bell. The trolley stopped and the Moffats stepped out into the cold.

"Br-r-r," said Mama.

The three children raced ahead. They would soon see whether or not the pipes had frozen. They slid up the street on the smooth icy stretches in the gutters, and then they turned into the narrow walk of their own yard. Both sides of the pavement leading to their porch were piled high with great banks of hard snow. "The Grand Canyon!" yelled Jane, her mind on mountains.

Joey opened the door. The three children stood in the doorway and listened. They didn't hear one thing. This was encouraging, Rufus thought, for if the pipes had burst, surely they would hear water rushing in the cellar. But Joey said no, the pipes might have burst and the water frozen over the break. Or they might have frozen and not burst yet. That would not be quite so bad though, for he and Mama could thaw the pipes themselves with warm cloths and they need not call the plumber.

Joey led the way into the kitchen.

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