Five Run Away Together Read Online Free PDF

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    He smelt Mr. Stick in the doorway, put up his hackles, bared his teeth and growled.
    Mr. Stick hastily removed himself from the doorway and then neatly banged the door in the dog's face. He grinned at Julian.
    "Now what are you going to do?" he said.
    "Shall I tell you?" said Julian, his temper suddenly rising. "I'm going to hurl this nice juicy meat-pie straight into your grinning face!"
    He raised his arm, and Mr. Stock ducked.
    "Now don't you do that," he said. "I'm only pulling your leg, see? Don't you waste that nice meat-pie. You can go upstairs if you want to."
    He moved away to the sofa. Julian opened the door and Timothy bounded in growling.

    Mr. Stick eyed him uncomfortably.
    "Don't you let that nasty great dog come near me," he said. "I don't like dogs."
    "Then I wonder you don't get rid of Stinker," said Julian. "Come here, Timmy! Leave him alone. He's not worth growling at."
    Julian went upstairs with Timothy close at his heels. The others crowded round him, wondering what had happened, for they had heard the voices downstairs. They laughed when Julian told them how he had nearly thrown the meat-pie at Mr. Stick.
    "It would have served him right," said Anne, "though it would have been a great pity, because we shouldn't have been able to eat it. Well, Mrs. Stick may be simply horrible, but she can cook. This pie is gorgeous."
    The children finished all the pie and the tarts, too. Julian told them all about Mr.
    Stick coming on leave from his ship.
    "Three Sticks are a lot too much," said Dick thoughtfully. "Pity we can't get rid of them all and manage for ourselves. George, can't you possibly persuade your father tomorrow to let us get rid of the Sticks and look after ourselves?"
    "I'll try," said George. "But you know what he is—awfully difficult to argue with. But I'll try. Golly, I'm sleepy now. Come on, Timmy, let's get to bed! Lie on my feet. I'm hardly going to let you out of my sight now, in case those awful Sticks poison you!"
    Soon the four children, now no longer hungry, were sleeping peacefully. They did not fear the Sticks coming up to their rooms, for they knew that Timmy would wake and warn them at once. Timmy was the best guard they could have.
    In the morning Mrs. Stick actually produced some sort of breakfast, which surprised the children very much. "Guess she knows your father will telephone, George," said Julian, "and she wants to keep herself in the right. When did he say he would "phone?
    Nine o'clock, wasn't it? Well, it's half-past eight now. Let's go for a quick run down to the beach and back."
    So off they went, the five of them, ignoring Edgar, who stood in the back garden ready to make some of his silly faces at them. The children couldn't help thinking he must be a bit mad. He didn't behave at all like a boy of Julian's age.
    When they came back it was about ten minutes to nine. "We'll sit in the sitting-room till the telephone rings," said Julian. "We don't want Mrs. Stick to answer it first."
    But to their great dismay, as they reached the house, they heard Mrs. Stick using the telephone in the hall!
    "Yes, sir," they heard her say, "everything is quite all right. I can manage the children, sir, even if they do make things a bit difficult. Yes, sir. Of course, sir. Well, sir, it's lucky my husband is home on leave from his ship, sir, because he can help me round, like, and it makes things easier. Don't you worry about nothing, sir, and don't you bother to come back till you're ready. I'll manage everything."
    George flew into the hall like a wild thing, and snatched the receiver out of Mrs.
    Stick's hand.
    "Father! It's me, George! How's Mother? Tell me quick!"
    "No worse, George," said her father's voice. "But we shan't know anything definite till tomorrow morning. I'm glad to hear from Mrs. Stick that everything is all right. I'm very upset and worried, and I'm glad to feel I can tell your Mother that you are all right, and everything is going smoothly at Kirrin