Masterman Ready [43]
a large piece of ground with his hatchet, he then took his spade to dig at the roots and turn up the mould, leaving Tommy to amuse himself. What Tommy did for about an hour, during which Mr. Seagrave worked very diligently, his father did not observe; but all of a sudden he began to cry; and when his father asked him the reason, he did not answer, but only cried the more, until at last he put his hands to his stomach, and roared most lustily. As he appeared to be in very great pain, his father left off work, and led him up to the tent, when Mrs. Seagrave came out, alarmed at his cries. Ready, who had heard Tommy screaming for so long a while, thought that there might be something serious, and left his work to ascertain the cause. When he heard what had passed, he said:
"Depend upon it, the child has eaten something which has made him ill. Tell me, Tommy, what did you eat when you were down there?"
"Berries," roared Tommy.
"I thought as much, ma'am," said Ready. "I must go and see what the berries were." And the old man hastened down to the place where Mr. Seagrave had been at work. In the meantime Mrs. Seagrave was much alarmed lest the child should have poisoned himself, and Mr. Seagrave went to search among the medicines for some castor-oil.
Ready returned just as he came back to the tent with the bottle of castor-oil, and he told Ready that he was about to give Tommy a dose.
"Well, sir," replied Ready, who had a plant in his hand, "I don't think you should give him any, for it appears to me that he has taken too much already. This is, if I recollect right, the castor-oil plant, and here are some of the castor-oil beans which Master Tommy has been eating. Tell me, Tommy, did you eat them?"
"Yes," cried Tommy.
"I thought so: give him a little warm drink, ma'am, and he'll soon be better: it will teach him not to eat berries or beans again."
What Ready said was true; nevertheless Master Tommy was very ill for the whole of the day, and was put early to bed.
Chapter XXVI
The next day, when Mr. Seagrave, William, Juno, and Ready were all at work at their allotted tasks, Mrs. Seagrave was sitting down at the front of the tent, the little baby, Albert, crawling close to her, Caroline trying to work with her needle, and Tommy was making holes in the ground, and putting a small stone into each hole.
"What are you doing, Tommy?" said Mrs. Seagrave.
"I'm making a garden," replied Tommy.
"Making a garden! Then you ought to plant some trees in it."
"No; I'm sowing seeds: look here," replied Tommy, pointing to the stones.
"But these are stones, not seeds."
"Well, but I pretend, and that's the same thing," replied Tommy.
"Not exactly, Tommy; suppose, instead of eating those beans yesterday, you had only pretended to eat them, wouldn't it have been better?"
"I won't eat any more," replied Tommy.
"No, not of those beans; but if you saw anything else which you thought you would like, I am afraid you would eat it, and be as ill and even worse than you were."
"I like cocoa-nuts; why don't we have some? there's plenty upon the trees."
"But who is to climb up so high, Tommy? Can you?"
"No; but why don't Ready climb, or papa, or William?"
"I suppose they will get some by and by, when they are not so busy, but they have no time now."
"I like turtle-soup," replied Tommy.
"William and Juno are making a pond to put turtle in, and then we shall have it oftener; but we cannot have everything we like when we wish for it."
"I like fried fish," said Tommy; "why don't we have fried fish?"
"Because every one is too busy to catch them just now. Tommy, go and bring your brother Albert back; he has crawled too near to Billy, and he butts sometimes."
Tommy went after the baby, who was crawling towards the kid, which had now grown pretty large, and as he took up his brother he kicked at the goat's head.
"Don't do that, Tommy; he'll butt at you, and hurt you."
"I don't care," replied Tommy, holding the baby by one hand while he continued to kick at Billy. Billy, however,
"Depend upon it, the child has eaten something which has made him ill. Tell me, Tommy, what did you eat when you were down there?"
"Berries," roared Tommy.
"I thought as much, ma'am," said Ready. "I must go and see what the berries were." And the old man hastened down to the place where Mr. Seagrave had been at work. In the meantime Mrs. Seagrave was much alarmed lest the child should have poisoned himself, and Mr. Seagrave went to search among the medicines for some castor-oil.
Ready returned just as he came back to the tent with the bottle of castor-oil, and he told Ready that he was about to give Tommy a dose.
"Well, sir," replied Ready, who had a plant in his hand, "I don't think you should give him any, for it appears to me that he has taken too much already. This is, if I recollect right, the castor-oil plant, and here are some of the castor-oil beans which Master Tommy has been eating. Tell me, Tommy, did you eat them?"
"Yes," cried Tommy.
"I thought so: give him a little warm drink, ma'am, and he'll soon be better: it will teach him not to eat berries or beans again."
What Ready said was true; nevertheless Master Tommy was very ill for the whole of the day, and was put early to bed.
Chapter XXVI
The next day, when Mr. Seagrave, William, Juno, and Ready were all at work at their allotted tasks, Mrs. Seagrave was sitting down at the front of the tent, the little baby, Albert, crawling close to her, Caroline trying to work with her needle, and Tommy was making holes in the ground, and putting a small stone into each hole.
"What are you doing, Tommy?" said Mrs. Seagrave.
"I'm making a garden," replied Tommy.
"Making a garden! Then you ought to plant some trees in it."
"No; I'm sowing seeds: look here," replied Tommy, pointing to the stones.
"But these are stones, not seeds."
"Well, but I pretend, and that's the same thing," replied Tommy.
"Not exactly, Tommy; suppose, instead of eating those beans yesterday, you had only pretended to eat them, wouldn't it have been better?"
"I won't eat any more," replied Tommy.
"No, not of those beans; but if you saw anything else which you thought you would like, I am afraid you would eat it, and be as ill and even worse than you were."
"I like cocoa-nuts; why don't we have some? there's plenty upon the trees."
"But who is to climb up so high, Tommy? Can you?"
"No; but why don't Ready climb, or papa, or William?"
"I suppose they will get some by and by, when they are not so busy, but they have no time now."
"I like turtle-soup," replied Tommy.
"William and Juno are making a pond to put turtle in, and then we shall have it oftener; but we cannot have everything we like when we wish for it."
"I like fried fish," said Tommy; "why don't we have fried fish?"
"Because every one is too busy to catch them just now. Tommy, go and bring your brother Albert back; he has crawled too near to Billy, and he butts sometimes."
Tommy went after the baby, who was crawling towards the kid, which had now grown pretty large, and as he took up his brother he kicked at the goat's head.
"Don't do that, Tommy; he'll butt at you, and hurt you."
"I don't care," replied Tommy, holding the baby by one hand while he continued to kick at Billy. Billy, however,