Blossoms on the Roof Read Online Free Page A

day when they were almost at home. “Why, you jumped this high! Were you sleeping?”
    â€œNaw,” Ben said grumpily. He didn’t like it when Polly laughed at him. “Just daydreaming, I guess. I wonderwhere Father is right now. I wonder whether he has reached La Grange.”
    â€œOh, I’d forgotten about Father going away,” Polly confessed.
    Ben was surprised. “You’d forgotten? I kept thinking about him all day.”
    Jakie came running to them from across the yard, his short legs churning as fast as they could go. After him galloped the yellow puppy. Jakie yelled, “Father is gone. Father’s gone for the night.”
    Though only ten, Ben was big for his age. He picked up Jakie the way Father often did, twirling Jakie’s feet off the ground. “We knew that,” he said. “Father told us this morning that he’s going away.”
    â€œAnd he’s coming home tomorrow,” Jakie said, putting his arms around Ben’s neck. “Do you know what we’re having for supper?”
    â€œNo. Tell us,” begged Polly. Her mouth watered already at the thought of a special treat.
    â€œPancakes with fresh butter. Grandpa brought some butter today!”
    Polly dashed up the porch steps. She could hardly wait for those pancakes.
    Mother smiled at the children. With a wooden spoon, she was stirring something in a blue china bowl. “Guess what! The chickens laid three eggs today. Spring is coming!”
    â€œAh, that’s why we can have pancakes,” Ben said wisely. He knew that pancakes needed eggs. He also knew that the chickens stopped laying eggs in cold weather, but in the spring when they could get outdoors and eat more good things, they started laying again.
    Watching Mother drizzle the butter into the pan reminded Ben of something. Grandpa had been here today. He brought the butter. “Mother, did you give the umbrella back to Grandpa?” he asked.
    â€œYes, I did.”
    â€œI wish it hadn’t been ruined.”
    â€œHe was sorry that it had happened,” Mother told Ben, “but he knew it was an accident, and he was glad to see that Father had repaired it.”
    Soon the first pancakes were sizzling in the pan. The golden-brown pancakes were crisp at the edges and soft as a feather pillow in the middle. “Too bad Father isn’t here to help us eat these,” Polly said.
    Ben’s mouth was too full of pancake and sticky-sweet syrup to say anything, but he nodded his head vigorously up and down in agreement. Not having Father at the table was the only bad thing about this supper.

5
    Free Land
    W hen they got home from school the next day, there he was on the porch waiting for them. “Father!” screamed Polly, running to meet him.
    Ben ran too, and soon Father had an arm around each of them. “You were gone so long,” Polly whispered.
    â€œIt’s good to be back,” said Father. “Now come in, and I will show you something.”
    On the table lay a big piece of paper. “A map!” exclaimed Ben, bending over to take a closer look. “Here’s where we live.” He put his finger on the state of Indiana.
    â€œThe railroad company gave me this map,” Father said, pointing to the big letters at the top that read: GREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY. “Do you see this railway running west and north from Chicago?” His finger traced a line that looked like a twisting ladder. On and on wenthis finger, across the states of Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.
    Then his finger stopped on a square-shaped state. “This is North Dakota, where the United States government is giving away free farmland.” He paused, looking at Ben and Polly. “And we are going up there to get a home of our own.”
    â€œWhat?” said Ben. He looked from Father’s face to Mother’s face. They were both smiling.
    â€œYes,” said Father, “we are moving to