Five on Finniston Farm Read Free Page A

boy"s room. And what a furious look on their faces, too!
    Whew! thought Dick. The Harries have got some sort of hate on there - let"s hope they don"t get one for us, too. „Well - now for the barn," he said aloud. „Don"t go so fast, Ju.
    Wait for the twins - they"re just fal ing over themselves to look after us!"

Chapter Three
OUT IN THE BARN

    The twins stalked out of the farm-house and took the two boys round the dairy shed, and up to an enormous barn. One of them pushed open the great door.
    „I say!" said Julian, gazing into the dark barn. „I never saw such a fine barn in al my life! It"s as old as the hil s - look at those beams soaring up into the roof - it reminds me of a cathedral, somehow. I wonder why they built the roof so high. What do you store in here, twins?"
    „Sacks of meal," said the Harries together, opening and shutting their mouths as one. The two boys saw a couple of camp-beds in a corner of the barn.
    „Look here," said Julian, „if you real y would rather sleep here alone, we"ll sleep in the little room off the dairy that your mother spoke of."
    Before the twins could answer, a shrill barking came from the direction of the camp-beds, and the boys saw a tiny black poodle there, standing up, quivering in every hair.
    „What a tiny thing!" said Julian. „Is he yours, twins? What"s his name?"
    „Snippet," came the answer from both at once. „Come here, Snippet!"
    At once the tiny black poodle hurled hunself off the camp-bed and raced over to them.
    He fawned on them all, barking in delight, licking everyone in turn. Dick picked him up, but the twins at once clutched Snippet themselves.
    „He"s OUR dog!" they said, so fiercely that Dick backed away.
    „Al right, al right - you can have him. But be careful Tim doesn"t eat him!" he said. A look of fear came over the faces of the Harries, and they turned to one another, anxiously.
    „It"s al right," said Julian, hastily. „Tim"s gentle with smal things. You needn"t be afraid. I say
    - why do you have to be so dumb? It real y wouldn"t hurt you to be a bit friendly. And do let us sleep in your old room - we real y don"t mind."
    The twins looked at each other again, as if reading one another"s thoughts, and then they turned gravely to the boys, not looking quite so unfriendly.
    „We wil all sleep here," they said. „We wil fetch the other camp-beds." And off they marched, Snippet running excitedly at their heels.
    Julian scratched his head. „Those twins make me feel peculiar," he said. „I somehow don"t feel they are quite real. The way they act and speak together makes me feel as if they"re puppets or something."
    „They"re just jol y rude and unfriendly," said Dick, bluntly. „Oh well - they won"t get in our way much. I vote we explore the farm tomorrow. It looks quite a big one - spreading out over the hil -slopes everywhere. I wonder if we could get a ride on a tractor?"
    At that moment a bel rang loudly from the direction of the house. „What"s that for?" said Dick. „Tea, I hope!"
    The twins came back at that moment with two more camp-beds, wkich they proceeded to set up as far from their own as possible. Dick went to give a hand, but they waved him off, and put up the beds most efficiently and quickly by themselves.
    „Tea is ready," they said, standing up when the beds were finished, and blankets and pillows set out on them. „We wil show you where to wash."
    „Thanks," said Dick and Julian together, and then grinned at one another. „Better be careful," said Julian, „or we"ll catch their habit of speaking exactly at the same moment. I say - isn"t that poodle an amusing little fel ow - look at him stalking that jackdaw!"
    A black jackdaw, the nape of his neck showing grey as he ran in front of Snippet, had flown down from somewhere in the roof of the barn. As Snippet danced after him he ran behind sacks, scurried into corners, and led the little dog such a dance that the two boys roared. Even the twins smiled.
    „Chack!"