Five on Finniston Farm Read Online Free PDF Page B

George, rather sulkily. „Aren"t Junior and Mr Henning coming in to supper?"
    „Not tonight," said Mrs Philpot, in a thankful voice. „They"re dining at some hotel in Dorchester, I think. I expect they get a bit tired of our simple farm-house meals. I only hope they won"t be too late back. Great-Grand-dad likes to lock up early."
    The children were real y glad when the evening meal was cleared away and washed up, for they all felt heavy with sleep. The good strong air, the exciting day and the many jobs they had done had really tired them.
    „Good night, Mrs Philpot," they said, when everything was done. „We"re off to bed. Are the twins coming too?"
    The twins actual y condescended to nod. They looked tired out. Julian wondered where Mr Philpot and old Great-Grand-dad were - stil out working, he supposed. He yawned.
    Well, he was for bed - and even if he had had to sleep on the bare ground that night, he knew he would sleep well! He thought longingly of his camp-bed.
    They went their various ways - the twins and Julian and Dick to the big barn - the girls upstairs to the room opposite Junior"s. George peeped into it. It was even untidier than before, and obviously Junior must have been eating nuts up there, for the floor was strewn with shel s.
    They were soon in bed - the girls cuddled together in the big, rather hard, old bed, the boys in their separate camp-beds. Timmy was on George"s feet, and Snippet slept first on one twin"s feet, and then on the other"s. He was always perfectly fair in his favours!
    A crashing noise awoke the girls about two hours later, and they sat upright in bed, alarmed. Timmy began to bark. George crept to the top of the stairs, hearing Grand-dad"s loud voice below, and then crept back to Anne.
    „It"s Mr Henning and Junior come back," she said. „Apparently old Grand-dad had locked up, and they crashed and banged on the knocker. My, what a to-do! Here comes Junior!" And indeed, here Junior did come, stamping up the stairs, and singing loudly.
    „Little pest!" said George. „Wait til I take him his breakfast tomorrow!"

Chapter Six
    A LITTLE EXCITEMENT FOR BREAKFAST!

    It was fun to sleep in the barn. Dick tried to keep awake for a while, and enjoy the barn-smell, and the sight of the stars in the sky seen through the open door, where a cool little night-breeze came wandering in.
    Julian fel asleep at once, and did not even hear the crashing of the knocker at the front door of the farmhouse when the Hennings came in, or the loud voices. He awoke with a start at about one o"clock in the morning, and sat straight up in bed, his heart beating fast. What on earth was that noise he had heard?
    He heard it again and laughed. „What an ass I am! It"s only an owl. Or maybe more than one. And gosh, what was that high little scream? A mouse - or a rat? Perhaps the owls are hunting in here?"
    He lay stil and listened. He suddenly felt a rush of cool air over his face, and stiffened. That must have been an owl"s soft-feathered wings! Owls" wings made no noise, he knew. The feathers were so soft that not even a quick-eared mouse could hear an owl swooping silently down!
    There came another little high-pitched squeak. „The owl"s doing his job well," thought Julian. „What a fine hunting-place for him - a barn where food-stuffs are stored - over-run with mice and rats, of course. I bet this owl is worth his weight in gold to the farmer. Well, owl, do your job - but for goodness" sake don"t mistake my nose for a mouse! Ah - there you go again - just over my head. I saw you then - a shadow passing by!"
    He fel asleep once more and didn"t wake until the sun streamed into the barn, lighting up hundreds of tiny motes floating in the air. Julian looked at his watch.
    „Half past seven! And I meant to be up at seven. Dick! Wake up!"
    Dick was so sound asleep that he didn"t wake even when Julian shook him. He merely rolled over and settled down again. Julian glanced across the barn, and saw that the twins"