Mr Brimble's Hobby and Other Stories

ed other stara i\

ibi^B^IRJ

11



Once there was a

little

house.

A

family lived

in

the house.

4

There was Mrs. Brimble,

who baked

a cake,

and Willie Brimble,

who knew

a long word.

Mr. Brimble had a hobby.

Polly Brimble

ran a

And

mud

pie counter.

there was a cat —

who was

just a cat.

oMrs.Brimble lakes a Cake "What to

a nice afternoon

bake a cake,"

Mrs. Brimble said to herself.

She found a big bowl, the flour, the sugar, the milk,

and a long wooden spoon.

Then Mrs. Brimble

set to work.

As she worked, she heard »»

thump, thump, thump."

1

a

It

was Mr. Brimble

with a

new

clarinet.

He thump, thump, thumped right into the kitchen.

"What

a lot of noise!"

said Mrs. Brimble.

"Oh,

I

forgot," said

Mr. Brimble.

He

sat

his

heavy outdoor boots.

down and

untied

"Are you baking a cake? I

am

hungry."

Mrs. Brimble laughed. "It isn't

even mixed yet."

"Hmmm," "then

I

said Mr. Brimble,

will

have to wait."

Mr. Brimble picked up his things

and thump, thump, thumped out the kitchen in his stocking feet.

of

Mrs. Brimble finished mixing the cake and put Polly

came

it

in

the oven.

into the kitchen.

She had muddy hands and she was singing a song.

an

m "What

a nice song,"

said Mrs. Brimble.

"What "Is

it

a nice smell," Polly said.

a cake?"

"Yes, but I

it is

just put

"Well,

Then

I'll

it

not ready yet.

in the oven."

be back," Polly

Polly

said.

went upstairs

singing a happy song.

t

Finally the cake

was done.

Mrs. Brimble set

Then she began

it

to

&

out to cool.

mix the

frosting.

When

the kitchen door

opened again, it

was

He

Willie.

did not

come

in

with a "thump" or a song.

You are as quiet as a mouse," said Mrs. Brimble.

"A hungry mouse who

could eat

a whole cake!" said Willie.

"Not yet," Mrs. Brimble "I

want

to frost

it

said.

first."

Willie tasted the frosting.

"Mmmm.

Then he went outside again as quietly as he had

ti

come

in.

»i

Mrs. Brimble frosted the cake. u

She wrote Happy Saturday" on the top with cinnamon

Now

I

am

ready

for a piece of cake."

a®

bits.

Mrs. Brimble called everyone.

There was no answer. Mrs. Brimble went outside— but she did not find anyone. •"'*""-

»»»///////?////»*

Illl.

I

ll il

I

>,

llii

17

She went back "Here you

all

into the kitchen.

are!

Where have you been?" u

We needed milk,"

"And

I

Polly said.

got the ice cream/'

said Willie. "I could

not go anywhere without

my boots on," Mr.

Brimble

said.

Mrs. Brimble laughed.

She cut everyone a

slice of cake.

Polly poured the milk. Willie scooped the ice cream.

Mr. Brimble took a bite. 'This cake

was worth waiting

Polly and Willie agreed.

for."

W)

Serendipity" Willie if

was wondering

there might be a piece

of yesterday's cake left.

Polly walked by.

Serendipity," Willie said.

!© w«

"What's that?" asked Polly.

"A word. but

I

I

like the

don't

sound

know what

it

means."

"Let's find out," Polly said.

Polly and Willie to the bookcase.

!1

went

u

The

dictionary

is

gone.

"Yes, but look," said Polly.

"Here I

is

my skate key.

have been looking for

u

It will

it."

not help us find what

serendipity means," said Willie. (i

Come

on."

Polly put the skate key in

her pocket.

They went

to the desk.

There were many books on the desk, and a shiny but the dictionary

was not

t~i «w» j

^r-

there.

flute,

"Oh," said Polly,

"my bookmark! I

have been looking for

it."

Just then the door slammed. "Hello," called Mrs. Brimble.

;4

^Hl'llllll '"' 1

Polly and Willie ran to the door.

"Do you know where the dictionary is?" Willie asked.

"I

think

it is

on the kitchen table,"

said Mrs. Brimble.

The dictionary was Polly stopped

She was there.

by the

sink.

"Here

is

my jar of blue paint.

lost

it

this

I

morning."

right.

"Oh, you are always losing things," said Willie.

"But

I

find

them

again,"

Polly said. "Let's find our word," said Willie.

!?

They turned the pages of the dictionary.

Finally they

came

to "serendipity."

Willie laughed.

"Let

me

see," said Polly.

She read aloud: 'Serendipity— being able to discover good things by accident.' Well,

I

discovered

my bookmark, today— all by

and

my

skate key,

my blue paint

accident."

"Yes," Willie said,

"and

we

found a good word, too."

!S)

Vfl

"U

D

u

Hello! It

Anyone home?"

was Mr. Brimble

with a

DIM

new

bassoon.

Mr. Brimble could play the

but he collected

all

violin,

kinds

of musical instruments

—

even those he could not

play.

Every time he saw another instrument for

sale,

he thought to himself

how

nice

it

would be

to

have

this one... or that one... in his collection.

And the

the

more instruments he saw,

more instruments

he took home to the

51

little

house.

One day Mrs. Brimble

said,

You have brought home so

many

horns.

Where can we put them There

is

all?"

plenty of room,"

said Mr. Brimble, "plenty of room."

Mrs. Brimble did not think there was plenty of room.

But Mr. Brimble kept on

The of

living

room

is full

trombones, trumpets,

and

flutes," Willie said.

collecting.

"Please don't bring

home

anything else,"

Mrs. Brimble added. 'This

is

the last one,"

said Mr. Brimble.

But the next day Mr. Brimble brought home a beautiful

"Why so

clarinet.

do you have

many

"Because

clarinets?" Polly asked. I like

them."

"I like roller skates," Polly said,

"but

I

only need one pair."

54

1887844

That

is

different,"

said Mr. Brimble.

Lil

If

you don't stop buying

soon

we

will all

of the house,"

Oh, that's

things,

have to move out

warned Mrs. Brimble,

silly," said

Mr. Brimble.

No one

else thought

it

was

so

silly

especially Mrs. Brimble.

She sent Polly and Willie to stay with their Aunt Anna...

/w///^//^' »

'

*

yffflf*>?rp>"))})>>>»»\

•^y^^-vv

and she went to stay with her brother

^b>%$ -w

JptZDO ^K*'UVU-

inii'i'iiii'iiiiiiiinifw

;s>

Now Mr.

Brimble was

all

alone.

Hello there,"

he said to a

But it

it

piccolo.

could not

answer—

needed someone to play

it.

Mr. Brimble started to play a piece on the violin,

but he stopped.

He wanted someone

And

to hear him,

for the first time,

Mr. Brimble was

41

lonely.

"This

is silly,"

"And

I

Mr. Brimble

do want

my

said.

family back."

There was only one thing to be done. Mr. Brimble took his musical

instruments and gave them to the

town orchestra.

Then Mr. Brimble went

to get

Mrs. Brimble and Polly and

They drove

Willie.

to the little house.

4:

"My, how big and empty the house seems," Mrs. Brimble Mr. Brimble smiled. "Well, will

have

to

fill

4!

it

said,

we

up again."

He handed Mrs. Brimble a shiny flute.

Then he took out the one violin

he had saved.

Mr. and Mrs. Brimble played. Polly and Willie sang.

And they

filled

the

little

with a wonderful noise.

house

*v>v>r^L

c

RockStew

Polly

was very glad

to be

home

again.

She worked

all

the next morning

making rock stew, mashed berry soda, and other good things.

4i

Then she put up

MUD

PIE

a sign which said:

COUNTER-LUNCH

IS

She took a pan and beat on with a wooden spoon.

4(S

READY! it

Willie

came out

to look.

"You are making a racket," he "That

is

because I'm open

for business," said Polly.

m

said.

Willie pointed at something strange. t«

a

What's that?"

That

UTJ_5

It's

is

lunch," Polly answered.

stew."

"It looks like

mud

to me,"

Willie said. "It is

rock stew," said Polly.

Willie put a finger in the stew. "It feels like

"Oh, but "It is

mud

it isn't,"

much

Would you

to me."

Polly said.

better than mud. like

some?"

"Okay. Some rock stew, please."

48)

Polly put

some

of the

stew

in a bowl.

"How much

is

that?"

Willie asked. UTJ-'

It's

free to friends," said Polly.

Willie picked

up

his

spoon

and made some strange noises.

44

What

are you doing?" Polly asked.

"Eating," said Willie.

"Now I am

all

done."

Polly looked at the bowl.

"But the bowl

is still full."

a

Well," said Willie, that's the

funny thing

about eating rock stew.

There

is

always just as much

when you

in

the bowl

as

when you

started."

finish

"Have you had enough?" Polly asked.

"Almost," Willie said. "I

could

still

eat

a tuna fish sandwich." "I

could too," said Polly.

-* m

"

And

they both disappeared

into the kitchen.

Good^MIAH were very busy

Willie and Polly all

afternoon.

And everyone after dinner.

played Monopoly

It

had been a good day.

Tolly and Willie, for bed,"

it is

time

Mrs. Brimble

said.

"May we have

a story?"

Polly asked.

"We have

told

you a story almost

every night," Mr. Brimble 14

said,

but you have not told us a story."

..

Yes,

it is

our turn to

listen,"

said Mrs. Brimble. "Fair

is fair."

Polly and Willie

whispered something to each other.

Polly said, "All right.

We

are ready."

M

Willie began. u

Once there was a boy.

He heard

a 'tap, tap, tick, tap/

He went down

into the cellar.

His sister was building a sailboat."

"The boy asked

if

he could help,"

Polly said.

"At

k

first his sister said no,'

but then she said 'okay.'

So they

built a sailboat

with a pencil mast

and a handkerchief

When

it

was

they took

and put

it

it

sail.

finished,

to the

in."

pond

"Then," Willie continued, "the boy said that

if

they could

He went

they had a string, let

the boat go by

itself.

to get the string.

But when he came back, the boat was gone.

'Where

is it?'

he asked.

4

It sank,' said his sister.

She was

right.

something else

So they played all

afternoon.

The end."

m

"The end?" asked Mr. Brimble.

"What happened

to the boat?"

"It is still there," said Polly,

"because they couldn't reach

m

it."

"I

think their

names are

Willie

and Polly," said Mrs. Brimble. "I

think you are right,"

said Mr. Brimble.

He smoothed u

We

will see

his mustache.

what we can do

about the boat

Now

it is

in the

morning.

time to go to sleep."

Mrs. Brimble tucked Polly

and Willie

into bed.

"Good night,"

said Mr. Brimble

"And thank you

for our story,"

said Mrs. Brimble.

"You are welcome," Polly "Anytime," said

R

Willie.

said.

"Good night."

34

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