bram’s father has a barge. do you know what a barge is?

it is a big flat boat. the barge of bram’s father is red and yellow.

it has big blue sails. it looks very pretty as it sails down the canals. bram’s father often takes him out in the barge.

sometimes bram asks jan and katrina, hilda, kassie, and karl to go with him.

when the flowers of the tulips and hyacinths have faded, the dutch people dig up the bulbs from which grow the stems of the plants.

the dutch people are very proud of their fine tulips.

they pack the bulbs carefully. they sell them and make a great deal of money.

bram’s father sails his barge on the canals to the tulip fields. then bram and jan and katrina and kassie and hilda and karl help dig up the tulip bulbs. they put them in boxes on the barge.

they work busily all the long day.

“i wonder who will plant these bulbs?” asked bram.

“perhaps some boy in america,” answered karl;[66] “every year we send thousands of bulbs to america. the americans love our dutch tulips.”

when the sun is setting, they sail back in the big barge. past the green meadows they sail, past the yellow and blue farmhouses with red tiled roofs.

they glide slowly along. the big barge makes pretty ripples in the smooth water.

they see the black and white cows waiting to be milked. they hear the cowbells tinkle. they see the dutch boys and girls carrying water in big pails.

they sail past the big, brown windmill. they see its arms go slowly round. it makes pretty shadows on the water in the canal.

they see the willow trees bending down to look in the water. and they hear the little birds singing their goodnight songs.

the sun sinks down, down. the sky is all red and yellow and orange. the purple shadows begin to fall. night is coming—and here they are at home again!