Part 2

Bobby-sitting

The next day was the day before Thanksgiving, and I had to go into town early to pick up a grocery order for Miss Trask.  While I was there, I visited the local taxidermist and bought a rather scruffy stuffed squirrel and a similarly scruffy stuffed parrot.  I got the taxidermist to help me combine them into a fantastic creature that was neither fur nor feathers.  Actually, I suppose it was both fur and feathers.  I figured it would come in handy for Bobby-sitting – as Diana had called it – this weekend. 

Wednesday was to be the Manor House Thanksgiving feast for Honey and Jim and their friends, since we were all invited to the Beldens’ for Thanksgiving Open House.  I got back from town just as my cousins, Diana, and the Beldens got off the bus.

“Ben, the turkey and pumpkin pie aren’t in these cartons.”  Miss Trask was looking a little harried.  Normally she was unflappable, and I felt a little bit sorry for her.  The cook hadn’t been in a good mood all week, so I had asked the store if they could go ahead and cook the turkey and slice it.  Mom did that one time when our cook got sick right before a holiday.

“I’ll go back to the store after lunch and pick up the turkey and pies.  There just wasn’t room in my car for everything in one trip this time.”  I could keep a secret as well as Honey and Trixie.  I figured it would be a good surprise for Miss Trask and I paid the store the extra money it cost to cook and slice the turkey. 

Lunch was okay.  Of course the food was good, and the others were excited to be out of school for the long weekend.  But as soon as they were finished, Trixie and her brothers hurried home to change.  The guys went to work on the clubhouse and Trixie and Honey were going to patrol early. 

I knew Diana was feeling left out, so I said, “Hey, Diana, do you want to go back into town with me to fetch the turkey and pies?”

“Sure, Ben.  That would be great.  I haven’t had a chance to ride in your car yet.”  She brightened up.

“Ben, I don’t know whether the Lynches would want Diana riding with you – that is, with a teenage driver.  They’re very cautious.  Maybe I should call her house and ask permission,” Miss Trask suggested.

Whatever.  I waited while she made the call.  Diana held up her crossed fingers to me and smiled.

“Mrs. Lynch gave permission for Diana to go with you, Ben.  But please, do be careful.”  Miss Trask was still frowning, but seemed relieved to have the responsibility for the decision taken from her.

So we went on to the store, picked up the turkey and the pies, and delivered them to Miss Trask, who was in the kitchen with the cook. 

“Thank you, Ben.  It was really thoughtful of you to have the turkey prepared for serving.”  Miss Trask smiled, and her blue eyes seemed to twinkle with sincerity.  “I’m sorry if I was out of sorts earlier.  I hate to ask you young people to do another chore, but Trixie said you were going to watch Bobby for her, Diana.  She brought him over when her mother had to go to the supermarket herself this afternoon, but since you were gone when she came back here before she and Honey left to patrol, Regan is watching him now.  Maybe you and Ben could take over.  I think Regan is trying to do some accounts.  He loves the little fellow, but I know how hard it is to concentrate on figures when Bobby is asking questions.”

When Diana and I got to the stables, Bobby had torn up masses of red tissue paper and pretended it was a fire, which he was putting out with his toy fire engine.  The paper was all over the floor of Regan’s office in the stables, and Bobby’s rapid-fire questions were distracting the groom from the accounts he was obviously working on.  Every now and then, he would imitate a fire siren – very convincingly too, if I do say so.

“Bobby, how about coming back to the house with Ben and me?” Diana asked him.

“Don’t want to.  I’m busy fighting a fire here.”  Bobby looked up at her.  The kid looks like a cherub with his blond curls and big blue eyes, but he’s as stubborn as his sister when he doesn’t want to do something.  I decided to try some coaxing.

“Bobby, I’ve discovered a new kind of bird up at the house.  If you come with us, you can help us to catch it.”  Okay, so I’m devious.  Whatever works.  He was wavering, when Regan weighed in with ammunition of his own.

“I bet Miss Trask has a snack ready for you at the house, too,” he suggested.  Regan’s no slouch himself in the devious department – when he wants to be.

“Okey-dokey!”  Bobby was all smiles instantly, and jumped up, forgetting all about his fire-fighting.

“Let’s take your fire engine and your men back to the house, in case there’s a fire on the veranda later,” Diana invited him.  “And maybe we can put some of the old fire in the trash can since you’ve extinct-, um, extinguished it already.”

Bobby was happy enough to comply, and once again I was amazed at the way Diana entered into the playacting of a young kid.  Of course, I suppose she has had a lot of practice.   

While she and Bobby ate a snack with Miss Trask, I went up to my room and fixed my hybrid par-squirrel on a wire.  I had an apparatus fixed up so that I could make it appear to jump around, so after I practiced with it a few times, I set it up to be ready when needed.  I figured we could entertain him for a little while before I pulled out my ace in the hole.

When I got back downstairs, Diana and Bobby were sitting in front of the television.  Bobby was yawning, although he was insisting he wasn’t a bit tired.

“King Kong is showing this afternoon,” Diana said.  “I thought you and Bobby might want to watch.”  She winked at me and closed her eyes, tilting her head over on one side.

“Sure.  I’ve always liked that movie.”  I sat down and Bobby insisted on getting in between his two favorite babysitters.  He was asleep in about five minutes, after curling up and putting his head in my lap.  I nudged Diana and pointed to our sleeping charge.  She grinned back at me.  I suddenly realized I hadn’t thought about Tracey all afternoon.  

She and I watched the movie for another half-hour or so, when Bobby woke up again.

Although he said he wanted to watch it too, I could tell he was bored in just a few minutes.  I tried to think of a game to play with him, because I was really trying to save my “zoological curiosity” for Thanksgiving morning.  Diana had already told me we would be watching him then, since Mrs. Belden and Trixie would be busy putting the finishing touches on their preparations for the Beldens’ Open House.

“Bobby, do you want to practice firefighting again?” I asked him.

“No.  I’m tired of that.  Want to play with Terry and Larry,” he told us, naming Di’s little twin brothers.

“We could go for a little while, if it’s OK with your mom,” I told him.  “But Diana and I have to be back here in time to get dressed for supper.”

“Trixie is supposed to pick you up when she finishes patrolling today, probably about four-thirty,” Diana added.

Mrs. Belden did give permission, as long as it was all right with the Lynches for Bobby to visit.   Diana actually acted like she was excited about seeing her brothers and sisters, although she had just seen them that morning.

At the Lynches’ house, the boys were in the nursery, playing with their Hot Wheels racecar set.  Bobby and I helped them make it a little more complicated, hilly and loopy.  The little twin girls were not quite as shy today and would come up close to me as long as I didn’t try to talk to them.  Then they would run and hide behind Diana.  It was a scream.  They never spoke a word.  When they started trying to pick up sections of the track, though, the boys complained.

“They’re getting too close, Di-di,” one said to his sister.  “They’re too little to play Hot Wheels.  They’re getting too close and they’re going to step on something.”  He tried to take a piece away from his little sister, who squealed like a stuck pig.

Diana scooped her up and went to the other end of the big playroom, saying, “Hey, girls, let’s have a tea-party with your dolls.”

I looked over to the girls’ end every few minutes, where Diana and her sisters had pulled four chairs and four doll’s highchairs around a round table.  The tiny black-haired twins jabbered as Diana pretended to pour something from a doll-size china teapot into their tiny teacups. 

“My doggie wants some tea too!” cried one.  I couldn’t tell them apart at all, even though they weren’t wearing matching outfits today.  She held up a white stuffed dog with long, fluffy hair and a big red bow on its head.  “Arf!  Arf!”

“So does my kitty!”  the other twin chimed in.  She clutched a stuffed cat with bright china blue eyes and a limp, grubby pink ribbon around its neck.

Diana giggled and told them, “Doggies and kitties don’t sit at the table and drink from cups.  I’ll pour them some tea in saucers on the floor.”

It wasn’t long before a pretty, dark-haired girl – who looked a few years older than me – came to the door and said, “Kids, it’s time to get washed up for supper.  Let’s play the pick-up game now, and I’ll read you the Three Billy Goats Gruff after supper.  Hello, Diana.  Who’s your friend?”

“Hi, Maureen!  This is Ben Riker, Honey’s cousin.  He’s here for the holiday weekend.  Ben, this is Maureen Delanoy, one of the twins’ nannies.  Remember I told you that she is Tom’s sister and she and her roommate share the nanny job.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Ben.  Larry and Terry were telling me about your car the other day.  They were very impressed.”  Maureen had a nice smile.

“It’s nice to meet you, too,” I said.  “Diana said you and your friend go to the community college in White Plains.”

“Yes, we do.  We share a car and the drive isn’t too bad.  This is a nice way to earn some of the money we need for school and we don’t have to buy uniforms or our own food.  The Lynches are good about being flexible with our schedules, too.”   Maureen turned back toward the twins.  “Come on, kids!  Let’s get busy.  Excuse me, Diana, but your parents want the little ones in bed early tonight.  It will be a long day for them tomorrow with Thanksgiving here and then going to the Beldens’ Open House.”

“That’s okay, Maureen.  Ben and I have to get back to the Manor House anyway, and Bobby’s mom will be wanting him at home.  Miss Trask is serving Thanksgiving dinner for Jim and Honey and their friends tonight, since we’ll be going to the Beldens’ tomorrow.  Kids, come and say goodbye to Ben and give Di-di a kiss – we’ve got to get going.  Bobby, let’s go.”

Just a few minutes later, we were making the short trip back to the Manor House.  “Why didn’t I have great toys like your brothers when I was little, Diana?” I asked her, only half-joking.

“Hey!  I have some Hot Wheels too, Ben.  But my track isn’t as long as Larry’s and Terry’s.  Can you come over some time and play with me?”  Bobby was bouncing on the back seat.  He had enjoyed being in the company of kids his own age – well, close to it, at least.  Everyone at his home was so much older, it was no wonder that sometimes he acted younger than he really was.

“I’d like that, Bobby,” I told him.  The surprising thing was that I really meant it.  Who would have thought Ben Riker would enjoy playing games with a bunch of ankle-biters?

Trixie came dashing inside about a half-hour after we got back to Honey’s house.  “Bobby!” she called.  “Come on, we need to go home now.  Are you ready?”

“I don’t wanna go yet, Trixie.  Ben was just showing me a new kind of bird he found.  It’s hiding in the bushes outside by the veranda.”  Bobby was pouting a little.  He had been fascinated by my par-squirrel.

“It’s okay, Bobby.  We’ll hunt for it tomorrow.  We’ll track it down.”  I didn’t want to see a total meltdown, and I felt kind of sorry for the little guy.  Trixie hadn’t even asked him how his afternoon had been.  Still, I knew she was in a hurry to go home and get ready for the dinner.

“Okey-dokey.”  Bobby agreed to my suggestion more easily than I thought he would.  “I have a compass at home, so we won’t get losted while we’re tracking the bird.”

Diana came out of the powder room just then.  “Hi, Trixie,” she said.  “Did you and Honey have a good patrol today?  Did you find any signs of … oh, you know.”

“Um, yes and no.  I’ll tell you later.”  Trixie looked more secretive than ever.  Just as she and Bobby were about to go out the door, she turned around and said, “Thanks, Di, for watching Bobby.  I really appreciate it.”

“Ben helped, too, didn’t you, Ben?”  Diana liked for the others to get along, and I could tell she wanted Trixie to know I was more than an annoying prankster.

“Oh, he did?  Well, thanks to you too, Ben.”   So it wasn’t the most gracious thanks ever, but at least she did say “thank you”.   I gave her my best smile.

Cooking and other skills

Honey came out of the dining room, where she had been talking to Miss Trask about the dinner.  “Diana and Ben, it was so good of you to keep Bobby entertained the whole afternoon.  We were able to do a really thorough job of patrolling.  I’m going to shower before Jim and Brian get back.  Di, do you need to shower or change?  Ben?”

“I’m going to change, but don’t think I need to shower again today.  Babysitting was hard work, but not sweaty,” I answered.

“I need to change too, Honey, and maybe you can help me with my hair.  I found a new style I want to try,” said Diana.

“Let’s go on up.”  Honey tucked her arm into Diana’s and the two girls headed upstairs.

“Ben, I have to thank you again for having the turkey cooked and sliced.  Cook has been so cross since Celia has been gone, and this took one piece of work off of her.”  Miss Trask actually smiled at me, her blue eyes twinkling.

“Oh, sure.  It was the least I could do, after causing the last one to quit.”  I was a little embarrassed to recall that stunt with the frogs.  “Well, I’d better get upstairs and change.  Jim and Brian will be back any time, I guess, and I do need to shave.”  I rubbed my chin.  There might not be much of a stubble there, but it was too much if I was dressing for dinner.

Sure enough, Jim and Brian came dragging up the steps just as I finished shaving.  I could hear them in the hallway.

“Of course it’s all right for you to shower here and wear one of my suits.  Mart could have done it too, but my clothes would be way too big for him,” Jim was saying.  “Miss Trask said dinner should be ready to serve in about thirty minutes.  Will Mart and Trixie be able to get back by then?”

I came out of my room then.  “Trixie’s been gone for about fifteen minutes, and Honey and Diana are getting ready now.  Surely it can’t take them longer than half hour to change!”

Brian, who was usually so serious, threw back his head and laughed.  “Riker, anyone can see you don’t have a sister!”  Shaking his head, he went into Jim’s bathroom while Jim stripped off his sweaty work clothes.

“You have a lot to learn about girls, Ben.”  Jim always managed to rub me the wrong way.  So now he thought he was an expert on girls, too?  Maybe I didn’t have a sister, but I have had a girlfriend.  But I kept my mouth shut.  Dating a girl and living with her were probably two different things.  I went back to my own room and finished getting dressed, then went back downstairs to wait for the others.   

Honey, Diana, and I were waiting in the library when Jim and Brian came downstairs.  Diana had her hair pulled to one side in a ponytail, with a piece of hair wrapped around it at the top.  I guess it looked okay, but I like girls’ hair to be long and loose – so you can touch it.

In a few minutes, we could hear the big front door opening, and Honey and Jim went into the foyer to greet Trixie and Mart.

“Mmmm-mmm, something smells delicious!”  Mart always noticed food first.  It was true that the savory aromas had wafted into the front of the house.

Miss Trask came out of the dining room.  “Everything is ready.  I hope you all brought some good appetites,” she said.

“Please don’t worry about that, Miss Trask.  I think we’ve all been working so hard that everyone is famished.”  Honey smiled at her former governess.  She would never be so informal with her mother, but Aunt Maddie is a lot more reserved and formal than my mom.  However, a lot of my friends have moms who are just like Aunt Maddie – always focused on other things besides their children.  Of course, my mom is always focused on something besides me, too.  She’s just not so uptight.

Trixie was asking Miss Trask about the latest news from the honeymooners as we trooped into the dining room and sat down at the big dining table.  Jim was at one end, and Miss Trask at the other.  Next to Miss Trask sat Honey, then me, then Diana; Brian,  Trixie, and Mart were opposite.  I was too busy eating to pay attention to the conversation at first, although I was surprised at one thing.  Celia, the maid, was a pretty little thing, and I couldn’t imagine taking my hunting equipment with me on a honeymoon with someone that hot.  What was Tom thinking?

But then Honey was wailing about their clubhouse, and I looked up from my plate.  “We just can’t have a blizzard!  On account of the clubhouse, Miss Trask.  But don’t you worry about a thing.  Now that I don’t have to go to school, I can help a lot around the house.  I can do everything that Celia did, and don’t forget, I can cook, too.”

Okay, I hooted then.  Honey Wheeler, heiress to a fortune – cooking!  “You cook!  I’d rather eat a raw frog.”  Yes, I said it.

Trixie glared at me.  “I’ll have you know,” she said tartly, “that Honey is a very good cook.  And so am I, in case you’re interested.”

I pretended to be astonished.  “Can either of them—?” I asked Brian.

Brian suddenly went into big-brother mode.  “Boil water without burning it?” he finished my question.  “The answer is, yes, they can.  Can you?”

“Ah, I was only kidding.  I didn’t mean anything.”  I really didn’t mean to make them all mad.  I just like to needle my cousin.  And like I said, Trixie’s easy to tease.

“You’d be surprised to know how well our squaws can cook.”  Mart was speaking now, apparently trying to defuse the tension.  “Hunter’s stew made with venison is their specialty.”  Trixie jumped a little at this.  I wondered why.

Honey gulped.  Whatever their secret was, it must have something to do with Mart’s comment.  But my cousin rose to the occasion, saying, “Oh, Ben knows how to make a hunter’s stew.  He learned how at camp.  Didn’t you, Ben?”

I laughed, to show I wasn’t serious before.  “Not very!  I know what to put into the pot, but after that, my mind becomes a blank.”

Jim had been sullenly quiet until now.  Suddenly he growled, “People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.  Trixie and Honey are better cooks than the one we have now.  If you’d rather eat raw frogs, why don’t you scram?”

“Oh, for heaven’s sakes!”  Diana had also been quiet up until now.  “Must we all quarrel every time we get together?  Ben didn’t mean to be critical, Jim.  He was only joking.”

Sheesh!  Perfect Jim, put in his place, and me – defended by a thirteen-year-old girl!  I looked at Diana, who was looking down at her plate as if she was suddenly fascinated by the mound of mashed potatoes and gravy.  I felt bad for making the peacemaker speak up.

“I’m sorry, I’m not a very good host.” Jim was apologizing to Miss Trask, if not to me.  His face was red and he looked embarrassed.

Honey saved the day with her famous tact.  “Did you say ghost, Jim?” she inquired sweetly.

Everyone laughed and the tension was broken.  I actually enjoyed the company of Jim and the Beldens, for once.

After the Thanksgiving feast, we trailed across the hall to the library.  With Miss Trask’s permission, Diana and I began to play some of the hillbilly albums she had brought over in her suitcase today.  Jim, Mart and Brian relaxed on the couches, each with a book.  I saw Honey give the high sign to Trixie and the two of them slipped out.  Once more, I wondered what they were up to.  But Diana, after looking after her two friends with a sigh, asked me if I wanted to dance.  “Moving around will help us work off that big meal,” she suggested.

She was a good sport to stay behind with us guys, when I was sure she’d rather have gone with the girls.  I agreed to dance, and we danced alone for about five minutes before the other two girls came back.  After that, we all danced for another hour until it was time for the Beldens to leave.        

A-hunting we will go

Trixie brought Bobby up to the Manor House at about eight o’clock in the morning.  Honey was still out patrolling with Mart, who was taking Trixie’s place for the day so that she could help her mother get ready for the Beldens’ big Thanksgiving Day open house.

“Bobby, now be good for Di and Ben,” she told him.  Then, turning to Diana, she added, “He’s already had breakfast, and Moms wants Mart to bring him home at noon when he comes.  Bye now!”

“Look at what I bringed,” Bobby said proudly, extending a chubby arm, which sported a wrist compass.  “Trixie losted my compass, but Mart letted me use his.  So we can track that squirrel-bird as far as we need to today.  You can wear it, Ben, ’cause I don’t know how to read it.” 

Bobby had been very excited about tracking the par-squirrel when he left yesterday, and had promised to bring his wrist compass so we wouldn’t get lost if we had to follow it into the preserve.  He clutched a toy bow-and-arrow set in his other hand.  That was all right – I had promised we could hunt the par-squirrel today.  Diana and I had even spent an hour or so planning how we could make the critter seem to hop around and even fly.  There was just one glitch in the plan – Diana was afraid of heights and she didn’t want to climb a tree to dangle the bird. 

“I’m sorry, Ben.  It just makes me sick to be off the ground.”  She seemed really upset about it.

“Ah, don’t worry about it.  I’ll think of something else.”  But I couldn’t.  Diana manipulating the par-squirrel from the branches of a tree was my plan, and it would have been perfect.  Finally, Miss Trask suggested we consult Regan for ideas.  Sure enough, he came up with an idea that would allow both of us to be with Bobby on the ground; Diana could still cause the par-squirrel to hop around, and I could use the wrist compass like Bobby wanted me to do.  I can’t tell you what our method was – I might have to use it again some time!

“I’ll stay a little way behind you boys,” said Diana.  “That way you can scare away the snakes and wildcats before I get there.”

“I’m not afraid of snakes!”  Bobby stamped his foot on the ground.  He wore a sturdy pair of boots for the hunting expedition.  “I’ll scare them for you, Di!  And I’ll shoot a wildcat with my bow and arrow if I see one.”

I hoped we wouldn’t see any wildcats or snakes.  I wasn’t planning to go far into the woods, and with all of the riding that Jim, Honey, and the Beldens did, I figured there wouldn’t be much wildlife this close to the house.

It was a beautiful day – warm, sunny and totally not like the end of November.  We all had to remove our jackets early, even though we were in the wooded area closest to the house.  It was ten minutes before we had our first sighting of our quarry.  Bobby and I would catch a glimpse of the par-squirrel, and then it would hop away.  Patch, Jim’s springer spaniel, accompanied us, dashing off from time to time to check out rabbits, but always returning.  Now and then I made a show of consulting the compass, but I also made sure I could see the roof of the Manor House each time.

“Ben!  There it is – right in front of us.”  Bobby was so excited he was vibrating.  He pulled out an arrow from his quiver and adjusted his bow.  Just as he was about to release the arrow, the bird disappeared up into the trees.

“Aw!  He flewed away!”  Bobby was disappointed, but not discouraged.  He replaced the arrow into his quiver and looked around.  “I wonder where he went?”

“Let’s walk on ahead a little way.  Maybe he’ll come back,” I suggested.

And so it went on for close to an hour.  He shot at the par-squirrel a few times without hitting it, and we’d have to stop and retrieve the arrows.  It was really fun to watch Bobby’s excitement over the hunt, and it was fun doing something outside with a pretty girl like Diana, who was a good sport about babysitting instead of hanging out with her friends.

Finally it was time.  Bobby was getting tired, and I gave Diana the high sign behind my back.  The par-squirrel fluttered down onto the ground just in front of us and to our left.  Bobby stood stock-still as he saw it.  “Look, Ben!”  He was barely whispering, not wanting to scare it away.  Again he pulled out an arrow, set it on his bowstring, and let it fly.  Amazingly, he hit it squarely.  

“Patch!  ’Trieve my bird!” he commanded the dog.  Patch was having nothing to do with the odd creature, though.  That’s probably because Patch is a real hunting dog, and Jim has trained him very strictly.  He sniffed it, but wouldn’t touch it.

“I’ll ’trieve it myself, then,” Bobby declared.  At this point we were actually in a small clearing, so I felt pretty safe from snakes.  I did remember Honey mentioning that Bobby was bitten by a copperhead back in the summer, so I was on the lookout.

He trotted over to the spot where the par-squirrel had toppled over, picked it up and held it triumphantly aloft.

Diana was clapping as she came up to stand next to me.  “Very good, Bobby!  I didn’t know you were such a good shot.  Just like William Tell.”

“Let’s go show Regan and Miss Trask,” Bobby suggested.  “And maybe we can get a little snack.”  He looked hopeful.  I had to grin.  He took after his big brother Mart in more than just looks.

“Okey-dokey,” I told him.  “Let’s go back to the house.”  

We found Regan in the stables, and he was suitably impressed.  Miss Trask praised Bobby’s prowess as a hunter, too, and gave him a bag to keep his prize in.  I think she was afraid it was going to shed all over the house.

We did get a snack, and then played Simon Says, each of us taking a turn at being Simon.  Then Bobby asked Diana to tell him the story of William Tell, and by the time that was done, Mart appeared to take him home.

I had enjoyed the morning.  Once again I wondered what it would be like to be part of a regular family.