When the children first moved into the white house, they talked about Father a lot.
They were always asking questions about him.
But as time passed, the questions seemed to make Mother unhappy.
So they stopped asking them.
One day, when Mother was working very hard, Bobbie carried some tea up to Mother's "workshop."
The room had hardly any furniture, just a table, a chair, and a rug.
But the children always put flowers on the windowsills.
Mother said, "You have all been so good, especially you, Bobbie.
Picking me flowers, cleaning my shoes, making my bed . . ."
Bobbie had sometimes wondered whether Mother noticed their efforts.
"That's nothing," Bobbie said, but she was very happy.
Mother had agreed to give the children each a piece of garden.
The children could plant whatever they liked.
Phyllis had planted flowers in hers.
When they grew, they looked like weeds, but Phyllis believed they would be flowers one day.
Peter sowed vegetable seeds in his garden—carrots and onions and turnips.
But the vegetables never grew.
That was because Peter used the dirt to make forts and canals for his toy soldiers.
Bobbie had planted rosebushes in her garden, but all the new leaves were brown.
She hoped they were not dead.
One day Perks came to see the garden.
He told her that the rosebushes should go in a bonfire.
"Dig them up and burn them, Miss Bobbie!" Perks said.
"I'll give you some flowers from my garden.
You can plant them instead."
So she started digging up her rosebushes and carried them to the end of the garden.
Bobbie came back and saw Peter using the rake.
"I was using the rake," she said.
"Well, I'm using it now," said Peter.
"But I had it first," said Bobbie.
"Then it's my turn now," said Peter, and the fight began.
"You're always annoyed about something," Peter said.
"I had the rake first," Bobbie said, holding its handle.
"Didn't I tell you this morning that I would be using it?
Didn't I say that, Phyllis?" Phyllis didn't answer.
"Phyllis, answer!" Peter said, but Phyllis didn't.
"I wish I'd had a brother instead of two sisters," Peter said.
Bobbie was angry.
Then she remembered she should try to be good.
She let go of the rake's handle suddenly.
Peter had been pulling at the rake, and now he fell backward.
Peter lay still for a minute—long enough to frighten Bobbie a little.
Then he sat up and screamed, and then lay down and cried steadily.
Mother ran outside and knelt beside Peter. "What happened?"
"Bobbie and Peter were both pulling the rake," replied Phyllis.
"She let go and he fell over."
"Peter, stop squealing," said Mother. "Are you hurt?"
"I think my foot's broken, that's all," said Peter.
Then Peter went quite white.
"He is hurt. He's fainted," Mother said.
She undid Peter's boots.
As she took his right boot off, something dripped from his foot to the ground.
It was red blood.
The bottom of the rake had gone into Peter's foot, and it was bleeding.
Mother carried him into the house, and Phyllis ran for the doctor.