Read Online Freddy Goes to Florida by Walter R. Brooks - Free Book Online

attention when he talked. That didn’t make any difference to Jinx, though. He went right on telling how smart he was and bragging about what he could do.
    That was the worst of Jinx: he always talked about himself. If the animals talked about automobiles, he told how much he knew about them, and how well he could run one; and if they said: “Let’s go in swimming,” he told what a fine swimmer he was, although they all knew he hated the water and couldn’t swim two strokes.
    To-day he was talking about bicycles.
    â€œâ€™Tisn’t anything to ride a bicycle,” he said. “I’ve ridden ’em—all kinds—bicycles and tricycles and velocipedes and——”
    â€œOh, you’re a wonder!” said Freddy crossly, and all the other animals who were awake said: “Oh, please keep still, Jinx.”
    Alice and Emma, the two white ducks, didn’t say anything, however, because they were always very polite, and were afraid of hurting Jinx’s feelings. They were almost too polite, if such a thing is possible. But they were just as tired of hearing Jinx talk as the others were; so Alice said: “Come on, Emma; let’s go play with the little girl.” And they got up and ruffled out their feathers and waddled sedately across the road and up the path to the house.
    The little girl was delighted to have someone to play with, and she put the ducks in the carriage with the two dolls and pretended that they were the neighbour’s children, and that she had to look after them while their mother was out shopping. And she pretended that they might catch cold and wrapped them up in a little blanket, and Alice and Emma were so polite that they let her do it, although it was so hot that they nearly boiled.
    Then the little girl said: “Are you comfortable, darlings?”
    And Emma said: “Quack, quack!”
    â€œOh!” said the little girl. “She can say: ‘Mamma!’” And Emma had to keep on quacking for quite a long time while the little girl hopped up and down and clapped her hands.
    By and by the little girl got tired of this and said she would take them for a ride, so she wheeled them down the path and out into the road. Then she saw a bright blue butterfly and ran off across the field after it, leaving the dolls’ baby carriage standing in the road at the top of the hill, near where the animals were resting.
    Jinx was still talking about bicycles.
    â€œI can ride backwards, and with both paws off the handle bars, and I can ride up and down stairs——”
    â€œOh, stop talking such foolishness!” said Henrietta. “You couldn’t ride a bicycle. Your legs aren’t long enough to reach the pedals.”
    â€œThey wouldn’t have to be,” said Jinx. “I could do all that going down hill. Just start at the top, and whizzz! —down you go at sixty miles an hour! And——”
    â€œOh, stop talking! ” exclaimed Henrietta. “I never heard such an animal! Brag, brag, brag! That’s all there is to you! You wouldn’t dare ride down that hill in that doll carriage there!”
    â€œHo!” said Jinx. “That’s nothing! That’s so easy it isn’t worth bothering about.”
    â€œAll right,” said Henrietta. “Let’s see you do it, then.”
    â€œI suppose you think I can’t?” said Jinx.
    â€œI think you won’t,” said Henrietta bluntly.
    Jinx got up and walked over to the doll carriage and climbed into it beside Alice and Emma and the two dolls.
    â€œWhy, it isn’t anything,” he said. “It isn’t anything at all! Just slide down that hill? Pooh!” But he didn’t seem very anxious to start.
    â€œPlease get out of the carriage, Jinx,” said Emma. “There isn’t room for all of us in here.”
    â€œAre you really going to slide down the hill, Jinx?” asked Alice.