.

"Don't cry," said Louisa. "Let's go to the hickory-nut tree."

This pleased them all, and they hurried off; but on the way they came
to the big shed where grandfather kept his plows and reaper and
threshing machine and all his garden tools.

The shed had a long, wide roof, and there was a ladder leaning against
it. When John saw that, he thought he must go up on the roof; and
then, of course, the twins went, too. Then Louisa and Mary Virginia
wanted to go, and although John insisted that girls could not climb,
they managed to scramble up the ladder to where the boys were. And
there they all sat in a row on the roof.

"Grandmother doesn't know how well we can take care of ourselves,"
said John. "But I am such a big boy that I can do anything. I can ride
a bicycle and go on errands--"

"So can I," said Louisa.

"We can ride on the trolley!" cried the twins.

"Mamma and I go anywhere by ourselves," said Mary Virginia.

"Moo!" said something down below; and when they looked, there was one
of the cows rubbing her head against the ladder.

"Don't be afraid, Mary Virginia," said Louisa. "Cows can't climb
ladders."

"Don't be afraid, Mary Virginia," said John. "I'll drive her away."

So he kicked his feet against the shed roof and called, "Go away! go
away!" The twins kicked their feet, too, and called, "Go away! go
away!" and somebody, I don't know who, kicked the ladder and it fell
down and lay in the dry grass. And the cow walked peacefully on,
thinking about her little calf.

"There, now!" exclaimed Louisa, "how shall we ever get down?"

"Oh, that's nothing," said John. "All I'll have to do is to stand up
on the roof and call grandfather. Just watch me do it."

So he stood up and called, "Grandfather! Grandfather! Grandfather!"
till he was tired; but no grandfather answered.

Then the twins called, "Grandfather! Grandmother!"

"Baa," said the sheep, as if beginning to think that somebody ought to
answer all that calling.

Then they all called together: "Grandfather! Grandfather!
Grandfather!" and when nobody heard that, they began to feel
frightened and lonely.

"I want to go home to my mother! I wish I hadn't come!" wailed Mary
Virginia.

"It's Thanksgiving dinner time, too," said John, "and there's turkey
for dinner, for I saw it in the oven."

"Pie, too," said Louisa.

"Dear, dear!" cried the twins.

And then they all called together once more, but this time with such a
weak little cry th