Chapter 7
The Strawberry Festival
"The man in the moon had a silver shoon..." Frodo sung quietly as he watched his Aunts and Uncles drag barrels of produce from the farm behind Brandy Hall out to the wooden cart in the front lawn. It was the time of the year for the Strawberry Festival. Hobbits from all over the Shire gathered in the market place to sell or buy fresh fruits, vegetables and other products they grew on their farms. Frodo himself had put together boquets of flowers from his little garden to sell at the festival (with his Uncle Saradoc's permission of course), and with the help of his cousins Angelica and Merry, he made a wonderful sign that he was sure would draw customers to his little stand. "Five dollars for two boquets of flowers?" Frodo asked as he read the sign once Merry had finished painting. He smiled at the now 8-year-old hobbitlad. "Merry--don't you think that's a bit overpriced for a tweenager to be asking for?" Merry shrugged. "Your flowers are real nice." "Well..." Angelica finished tying the last of the boquets together with ribbon and nodded at her work. "I hope my Uncle Bilbo will be at the festival," Frodo thought aloud. He missed his old Uncle dearly and would have given anything to spend a week at Bag-End (or, as Frodo wished, to live there for good). Saradoc soon came over to see how the children were doing, and smiled when he saw the progress they had made. "Well, well. I am certainly impressed." he announced, causing each of them to turn to him with a smile. "Looks like you'll have a nice little display." Frodo smiled. "Uncle Saradoc...do you think my Uncle Bilbo will be there?" Saradoc looked at the tweenager thoughtfully. "I am sure he will be, lad. He is a resident of Hobbiton after all, isn't he?" Frodo nodded. "I can not help but worry...I have only gotten about two letters sicne he was last here." "Don't worry, Frodo. I am sure that there is a good explination for what is keeping Bilbo from writing. He is a very busy hobbit, you know." Saradoc ruffled Frodo's head of dark curly hair recieving a laugh. "Yes...I know." "Well...we're going to start the walk to Hobbiton in about an hour or so. Make sure everything you need is ready." Frodo nodded and watched as his Uncle (who was the Master of Brandy Hall--this is confirmed by J.R.R. Tolkien. Saradoc was the Master of Brandy Hall during the WR) Saradoc go and inspect the other potential traders.
Sure enough, by evening, Brandy Hall had been cleared of all hobbits and they made their treck from Buckland to Hobbiton. The walk itself took about three to four hours and they had a lot to lug behind them. Frodo couldn't wait to try the fresh strawberries that would be sold at the festival...the thought made his mouth water. He walked in the front of his long line of relatives and pushed his little cart of flowers, feeling very grown up. When they reached Hobbiton it was night and the sky was filled with stars. The banners and signs were being put up in town, and Frodo whispered to Angelica who had come up to join him "I wonder if Uncle Saradoc would let me visit my Uncle?" Angelica gave Frodo a look. "That's a crazy idea. It's too dark outside for you to be going off on your own, Frodo!" So instead the Brandy Hall hobbits spent the night at the Green Dragon Inn...sharing the rooms in groups of four and five. Frodo hardly slept that night...the excitement of the next day kept his mind going at full speed.
The next morning everything was set up early in town for the festival. Frodo set up a little table and taped the hand-made sign to the front of it: ONE BOQUET: $2.00. TWO FOR $5. PROCEEDS GO TO FRODO'S POCKET. "Oh Merry..." Frodo laughed as he read the last line of the sign. The customers began coming around 9:00 and soon the place was bustling up to the brim with sellers and buyers. Frodo sold about five boquets and had Angelica keep track of how much money he made. "So you made these all yourself, did you lad?" Frodo stopped at a familiar voice as he helped Angelica put the money into a jar and turned around. "Uncle Bilbo?" he cried noticing the old hobbit laughing. Frodo hurried out from behind the stand and flew into his Uncle's arms. "I was hoping you'd be here!" Frodo cried. "Of course, dear boy!" Bilbo replied. "You didn't think I'd miss one of the biggest events of the year!" "Yes...I grew these all myself. Would you like to buy some?" Frodo asked as he looked back at Angelica who was talking to another customer who had stopped by. "Yes...he grew them himself," she said. "You'd like to buy three? Terrific! That will be $7 please. Thank you. Oh Frodo...we're making bundles of money! Oh! Good morning, Mr. Bilbo sir..." Bilbo chuckled. "Good morning, Ms. Brandybuck. I see you are being a big help to young Frodo here." "Yep! Look how much money we made!" she showed Bilbo the jar. "Yes you did. And I will surely take a boquet...they would look lovely on my dining room table." Frodo grinned. "Thank you! One boquet is $2." "Two dollars it is then. There you are." Frodo took the money and handed it to Angelica who marked it down and placed it into the jar. "Now Frodo, you do not mind stepping away for a small discussion with your Uncle, do you?" Bilbo asked once he recieved the flowers. Frodo looked at Angelica. "You don't mind taking over, do you?" he asked. She shook her head and took the stand at the table. "Come, Frodo." Frodo followed behind Bilbo feeling a bit anxious. "Is something the matter, Uncle?" "Nothing bad if that is what you are wondering." Bilbo turned to the tweenager and smiled. "Frodo. I apologize for not having written to you in quite some time. In fact...there is a definite reason why I have not been doing so." "What is it?" "I met with your Uncle Saradoc earlier today. In your fathers will it said I was not to take you to live with me for another nine years following his death. The two of us thought long and hard about the idea and it just seems utterly rediculous. You are certainly old enough now to come and live with me. Do you not think so?" Frodo felt his heart swelling with happiness. "I do, Uncle." "So what do you say, Frodo? This September...my 99th birthday...I am going to adopt you." The news was a lot to take in...Frodo's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed onto the ground. "Oh dear..." Angelica saw this from the stand and immediately bolted out from behind it to go and make sure her cousin was all right. "Frodo!" she cried, kneeling down being cautious of her new dress. Frodo moaned when she helped him sit up. "I'm sorry, lad..." Bilbo apologized once Frodo's vision returned and his head stopped spinning. "That's--that's all right..." he put a hand to his forehead, grimacing a little. "You are truly going to adopt me?" Bilbo hugged him tight. "Of course dear dear boy. I love you more than anything in the world. You deserve better than Brandy Hall." The hobbit lad smiled as Bilbo tapped him on the nose. "Now get back to your stand and help your cousin sell your beautiful flowers." "I will see you later right?" "You will in deed." Bilbo kissed him and watched as the tweenager hurried over to the flower stand.
"The man in the moon had a silver shoon..." Frodo sung quietly as he watched his Aunts and Uncles drag barrels of produce from the farm behind Brandy Hall out to the wooden cart in the front lawn. It was the time of the year for the Strawberry Festival. Hobbits from all over the Shire gathered in the market place to sell or buy fresh fruits, vegetables and other products they grew on their farms. Frodo himself had put together boquets of flowers from his little garden to sell at the festival (with his Uncle Saradoc's permission of course), and with the help of his cousins Angelica and Merry, he made a wonderful sign that he was sure would draw customers to his little stand. "Five dollars for two boquets of flowers?" Frodo asked as he read the sign once Merry had finished painting. He smiled at the now 8-year-old hobbitlad. "Merry--don't you think that's a bit overpriced for a tweenager to be asking for?" Merry shrugged. "Your flowers are real nice." "Well..." Angelica finished tying the last of the boquets together with ribbon and nodded at her work. "I hope my Uncle Bilbo will be at the festival," Frodo thought aloud. He missed his old Uncle dearly and would have given anything to spend a week at Bag-End (or, as Frodo wished, to live there for good). Saradoc soon came over to see how the children were doing, and smiled when he saw the progress they had made. "Well, well. I am certainly impressed." he announced, causing each of them to turn to him with a smile. "Looks like you'll have a nice little display." Frodo smiled. "Uncle Saradoc...do you think my Uncle Bilbo will be there?" Saradoc looked at the tweenager thoughtfully. "I am sure he will be, lad. He is a resident of Hobbiton after all, isn't he?" Frodo nodded. "I can not help but worry...I have only gotten about two letters sicne he was last here." "Don't worry, Frodo. I am sure that there is a good explination for what is keeping Bilbo from writing. He is a very busy hobbit, you know." Saradoc ruffled Frodo's head of dark curly hair recieving a laugh. "Yes...I know." "Well...we're going to start the walk to Hobbiton in about an hour or so. Make sure everything you need is ready." Frodo nodded and watched as his Uncle (who was the Master of Brandy Hall--this is confirmed by J.R.R. Tolkien. Saradoc was the Master of Brandy Hall during the WR) Saradoc go and inspect the other potential traders.
Sure enough, by evening, Brandy Hall had been cleared of all hobbits and they made their treck from Buckland to Hobbiton. The walk itself took about three to four hours and they had a lot to lug behind them. Frodo couldn't wait to try the fresh strawberries that would be sold at the festival...the thought made his mouth water. He walked in the front of his long line of relatives and pushed his little cart of flowers, feeling very grown up. When they reached Hobbiton it was night and the sky was filled with stars. The banners and signs were being put up in town, and Frodo whispered to Angelica who had come up to join him "I wonder if Uncle Saradoc would let me visit my Uncle?" Angelica gave Frodo a look. "That's a crazy idea. It's too dark outside for you to be going off on your own, Frodo!" So instead the Brandy Hall hobbits spent the night at the Green Dragon Inn...sharing the rooms in groups of four and five. Frodo hardly slept that night...the excitement of the next day kept his mind going at full speed.
The next morning everything was set up early in town for the festival. Frodo set up a little table and taped the hand-made sign to the front of it: ONE BOQUET: $2.00. TWO FOR $5. PROCEEDS GO TO FRODO'S POCKET. "Oh Merry..." Frodo laughed as he read the last line of the sign. The customers began coming around 9:00 and soon the place was bustling up to the brim with sellers and buyers. Frodo sold about five boquets and had Angelica keep track of how much money he made. "So you made these all yourself, did you lad?" Frodo stopped at a familiar voice as he helped Angelica put the money into a jar and turned around. "Uncle Bilbo?" he cried noticing the old hobbit laughing. Frodo hurried out from behind the stand and flew into his Uncle's arms. "I was hoping you'd be here!" Frodo cried. "Of course, dear boy!" Bilbo replied. "You didn't think I'd miss one of the biggest events of the year!" "Yes...I grew these all myself. Would you like to buy some?" Frodo asked as he looked back at Angelica who was talking to another customer who had stopped by. "Yes...he grew them himself," she said. "You'd like to buy three? Terrific! That will be $7 please. Thank you. Oh Frodo...we're making bundles of money! Oh! Good morning, Mr. Bilbo sir..." Bilbo chuckled. "Good morning, Ms. Brandybuck. I see you are being a big help to young Frodo here." "Yep! Look how much money we made!" she showed Bilbo the jar. "Yes you did. And I will surely take a boquet...they would look lovely on my dining room table." Frodo grinned. "Thank you! One boquet is $2." "Two dollars it is then. There you are." Frodo took the money and handed it to Angelica who marked it down and placed it into the jar. "Now Frodo, you do not mind stepping away for a small discussion with your Uncle, do you?" Bilbo asked once he recieved the flowers. Frodo looked at Angelica. "You don't mind taking over, do you?" he asked. She shook her head and took the stand at the table. "Come, Frodo." Frodo followed behind Bilbo feeling a bit anxious. "Is something the matter, Uncle?" "Nothing bad if that is what you are wondering." Bilbo turned to the tweenager and smiled. "Frodo. I apologize for not having written to you in quite some time. In fact...there is a definite reason why I have not been doing so." "What is it?" "I met with your Uncle Saradoc earlier today. In your fathers will it said I was not to take you to live with me for another nine years following his death. The two of us thought long and hard about the idea and it just seems utterly rediculous. You are certainly old enough now to come and live with me. Do you not think so?" Frodo felt his heart swelling with happiness. "I do, Uncle." "So what do you say, Frodo? This September...my 99th birthday...I am going to adopt you." The news was a lot to take in...Frodo's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed onto the ground. "Oh dear..." Angelica saw this from the stand and immediately bolted out from behind it to go and make sure her cousin was all right. "Frodo!" she cried, kneeling down being cautious of her new dress. Frodo moaned when she helped him sit up. "I'm sorry, lad..." Bilbo apologized once Frodo's vision returned and his head stopped spinning. "That's--that's all right..." he put a hand to his forehead, grimacing a little. "You are truly going to adopt me?" Bilbo hugged him tight. "Of course dear dear boy. I love you more than anything in the world. You deserve better than Brandy Hall." The hobbit lad smiled as Bilbo tapped him on the nose. "Now get back to your stand and help your cousin sell your beautiful flowers." "I will see you later right?" "You will in deed." Bilbo kissed him and watched as the tweenager hurried over to the flower stand.