It was thus that Rodolphus lost his father.
One pleasant morning in the month of June, during the next summer after the great storm, Rodolphus was drawing his sister Annie about the yard in a little green cart which her sister Ellen kept for her. There was a great elm-tree in the middle of the yard, with a path leading all around it. Rodolphus was going round and round this tree. Annie was playing that Rodolphus was her horse, and she had reins to drive him by. She also had a little whip to whip him with when he did not go fast enough.
Presently Ellen came to the door. She had a small hammer in one hand, and a box containing some small nails and tags of leather in the other. She was going to train up a climbing rose, which had been planted by the side of the door.
Ellen told Rodolphus that she thought it was time for him to get ready to go to school.
"Oh, no," said Rodolphus, "it is not time yet;" so he went prancing and galloping on around the great tree.
A moment afterward his mother came to the door.
"Rodolphus," said she, "it is time for you to go to school."
"Oh no, mother, not yet," said Rodolphus.
"Yes," said his mother, "it is quite time. Come in directly."
"Well, mother," said Rodolphus, "I will."
Mrs. Linn stopped a moment to look at Ellen's rose-tree, and to say "How pretty it looks climbing up here by the door;" and then she went in. Rodolphus continued to run round the yard. Presently he came prancing up to the door, and stopped to see what Ellen was doing.
"Rodolphus," said Ellen, "you ought to obey mother. She said that you must go to school."
"Oh, pretty soon," said Rodolphus. "She is not in any hurry."
"Yes, Rodolphus," said Annie, in a very positive manner. "You ought to obey my mother. You must go to school."
So saying, Annie began to move as if she were going to get out of the cart, but Rodolphus perceiving this, immediately began to draw the cart along, and thus prevented her. She could not get out while the cart was going.
Rodolphus continued to run about for some time longer. Annie begged of him to stop and let her get out, but he would not. At length his mother came to the door again, and renewed her commands. She said that unless he stopped playing with the cart, and went to school immediately, she should certainly punish him.