Read Online Freddy Goes to the North Pole by Walter R. Brooks - Free Book Online

agreed that they must be helped to escape. Meanwhile Mrs. Wiggins must be rescued.
    They had taken the children back into a dense thicket of spruce some distance from the clearing. Kate and Pete were still calling in honey-sweet tones: “Come, Everett! Come, Ella, darling! Supper’s on the table, dear little ones!” While they held their council of war, the children—who of course didn’t know what was being said—sat contentedly on Uncle William’s back and giggled at the mice, who were trying to amuse them by dancing on their hind legs between Uncle William’s ears. Ferdinand had reported that Mrs. Wiggins was back in the upstairs room with the big window and it wasn’t long before they had thought up a plan for setting her free. Bill galloped off to the other side of the lake. When he got there, he came out on the shore and danced round on his hind legs until Pete caught sight of him. Bill was about the same size as Everett, and as Pete couldn’t see him very clearly from that distance, he thought he was the little boy. So he jumped into the boat and started rowing across after him. Kate wanted to go too, but Pete said: “You stay and look after the cow. She’s worth more to us than the children.”
    â€œBut she can’t get away,” shouted Kate. “And those children have got a good lickin’ comin’ to them. Wait till I lay my hands on that there Everett!”
    â€œHow often must I tell you,” said Pete wearily, pausing in his rowing,” not to say ‘that there’?”
    He was too far away to be hit with the broomstick Kate still had in her hand, so she picked up a stone and threw it at him, as he began pulling on the oars again. But she was a bad shot,—so bad a shot indeed, that the stone flew backward over her shoulder and crashed through the big bay window in the upper room and hit Mrs. Wiggins on the left horn.
    The cow jumped and let out a bellow of surprise at this unexpected attack; then she looked up and saw Ferdinand perched on the window-sill. At first she thought he had thrown the stone and she started to give him a piece of her mind, and it took some time for him to persuade her that he hadn’t done it. Then he said: “We’re going to rescue you. But first you have to knock all the glass out of that window with your horns.”
    â€œWhat’s that for?” exclaimed Mrs. Wiggins. “I can’t jump out of this—”
    â€œDon’t ask questions,” snapped the crow angrily. “Do as you’re told.”
    So Mrs. Wiggins did as she was told as hard as she could, and pretty soon all the glass was out of the window.
    Meanwhile Kate had heard the crash of smashing window-panes and came rushing up towards the house, broomstick in hand. But while she had been arguing with Pete down on the beach, Uncle William and Jack and Cecil had sneaked into the house through the kitchen door, and they were busy pulling the feather beds and pillows and mattresses off the upstairs bedsteads and throwing them out the big window, so there would be a soft pile of things for Mrs. Wiggins to jump out on. They had worked so fast that by the time Kate reached the head of the stairs, everything was all ready, and Uncle William could hold the door so she couldn’t get in.
    But Mrs. Wiggins didn’t want to jump. She got her forefeet on the sill and looked down and shuddered. “Oh my!” she groaned. “I can’t do it! It makes me dizzy just to look.” And she put one hoof in front of her eyes.
    Kate was banging steadily on the door with her broom-handle, and Ferdinand let out a caw of disgust. But Uncle William shook his head. “No use arguing,” he said in a low voice. “All ready, Cecil?”
    The porcupine nodded.
    Uncle William went over and stood beside the cow. “’Tisn’t much of a jump, really,” he said. “Lean ’way out and look down.