Bobby and the Big Road  by Maud Lindsay

Letters

D RIP, drop, and splish, splash, the rain came pouring down. Bobby stood at the window and watched it dancing on the porch, and on the walk, and out on the Big Road.

he chanted, though he did not really mind the rain. No, indeed! He liked to hear it pattering on the roof, and to watch it splashing against the windows.

He liked to watch it splashing against the windows.

There was plenty to do indoors. Father made a big cheery fire on the hearth with the wood and the kindling that the ox-wagon man had brought them. Mother popped a great skillet of pop corn; and when they had eaten the corn by the fireside, they all wrote letters. Bobby's letter was to Johnny. Mother really wrote it, but Bobby told her what to say:

"DEAR JOHNNY:

"The farmer who passes our house on his way to town brought me a big yellow pumpkin. Father and I made a Jack-o'-lantern out of it. The Jack-o'-lantern had two funny eyes, and a three-cornered nose, and a big mouth. I will draw you a picture of it. When it was finished, Mother put a lighted candle inside.

"How are Buck and Bright and Towser and the bantie hen and the spotted calf?

"P. S.—Mother wrote this letter but I signed it myself.

"P. S.—I drew the picture, too."

The postman took the letter away that afternoon, and no sooner had it gone, than Bobby began to wonder if Johnny would answer it.

Mother and Father said that he must not be disappointed if he did not get an answer; but Bobby could not keep from expecting one, and, sure enough, an answer came.

It was Tuesday when he sent his letter, and Thursday afternoon the postman brought a letter with BOBBY RANDOLPH nicely printed on it.

"DEAR BOBBY (said the letter):

"Towser is lost. He got lost the day of the circus. I think he is dead.

Bobby's eyes filled with tears when Mother read him the sad news; and he would have gone right out to ask everybody who passed, to keep an eye open for the yellow dog but it was still raining and raining, and very few people were traveling on the Big Road.

"We might write a letter to Florence and tell her about Towser," suggested Mother. "If we try, we may have it ready for the postman when he rides back to town."

And this is what they wrote to Florence.

"DEAR FLORENCE:

"Johnny's dog Towser is lost. He is a yellow dog. He will come when you call him. Please look for him.

"It is right to put your whole name to a letter, Father says, but I think we'd better put 'Bobby,' too, don't you, Mother?" Bobby asked. That is the reason the letter had two names signed to it.

Bobby felt much happier when the letter to Florence had gone.

"Florence found her grandmother's knitting-needle the day of the party," he said, "and yellow dogs are easier to find than knitting-needles, aren't they, Mother?"