Read Online The Cow-Pie Chronicles by James L. Butler - Free Book Online

Tim set it in the basket, he must have accidently set the alarm button, because, when 4:30 came, the bells went off like a fire alarm and Bell jumped right out of the basket. Howling loudly, Bell was so scared she took off running, not stopping until she was upstairs on Tim’s bed. She tunneled underneath the covers and wouldn’t come out.

    â€œWhere is she?” Dana asked when she came into Tim’s room. The surprise alarm had woken her up, too.
    Tim pulled back his bed covers until Bell’s head was sticking out. She was still shivering with fear.
    Dana reached out to pet Bell on the head. “Poor baby.”
    Mom came in. “Sorry,” she said.
    â€œWill your baby sleep with the clock?” Tim asked.
    â€œNo. Trust me, our baby will wake up in the middle of the night without a clock. And so you both know, there will be extra chores when the new baby comes, too,” Mom said.
    â€œOkay, we’ll help. Tell Dad I’m going to work real hard on learning to drive the tractor,” Tim said.
    Dad entered Tim’s room, holding a hot cup of coffee. “What about the tractor?” he asked.
    â€œI need to learn to drive it pretty soon so Mom can take care of her baby.”
    â€œYou don’t need to worry about the tractor right now,” Dad said.
    â€œGo back to sleep,” Mom said.
    Tim’s parents headed downstairs, but Dana stayed behind long enough to get one more dig in on Tim. “Told ya,” she said.
    â€œGet out of my room,” Tim ordered.
    And she did, leaving Tim alone with the puppy curled up next to him. He reached down and pulled Bell out, placing her on top of the covers next to him. Bell sat up and stared at him, panting, with her little pink tongue sticking out of her mouth.
    â€œWhat’s happening to us, Bell?” Tim asked.
    Bell yawned, lay down and closed her eyes. Tim tried to go back to sleep, but it was hopeless. Bell never slept in the kitchen again, but in Tim’s bed every night. And Bell wouldn’t eat at all until her food dish was moved to the other side of the kitchen.
    Dana and Tim worked out an acceptable plan for puppy duties. But deep down inside, Tim was worried about the future, as Dad had canceled his tractor-driving lessons until further notice.

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    Chapter 11

    Tim and Dana were allowed to sleep in that morning, which was unusual on a farm, since most chores couldn’t wait. But the alarm-clock incident had woken them up so early, their parents decided it best that they get some extra rest.
    Mom had a late breakfast ready when they got up. “Guess what?” she said when she saw them come into the kitchen.
    â€œI can’t handle any more surprises right now,” Tim said.
    â€œSo you don’t want to go to Chicago to visit Roxy?”
    â€œI wanna go!” Dana said.
    â€œThey moved already?” Tim asked.
    â€œYes. Aunt Linda wants us to come see their new apartment. She says Roxy misses you both a lot.”
    â€œWhen are we going?” Dana asked.
    â€œFriday. We need to go while I can still travel comfortably. Uncle Jack is going to take care of the farm for a few days.”
    On the day of their road trip to Chicago, Dana and Tim were excited. But that excitement lasted for only the first hour. They still had three more hours of driving to go. All Tim wanted to do was escape from the family’s hot, bumpy, noisy vehicle. He missed being outside.
    Then the city of Chicago came into view. Tim thought their barn was huge, but the skyscrapers made their barn look like a Tinker Toy .
    â€œHow many kids did you say live in Roxy’s apartment building?” Tim asked.
    â€œI don’t know about kids, but there are hundreds of families living there. More than in our whole town,” Mom said.
    â€œWhere do they hunt?” Tim asked.
    â€œYou can’t hunt in Chicago,” Dad said.
    Tim frowned as the scenery turned into office