Chapter Four : New Friendships

''Last one to the fishing hole is a rotten egg''! ; Dan exclaimed as all of his friends milled out of the school-room. You're on , Dan ! ; Michael called as he raced after his new friend. You wanna' go with them , Rosie ? ; Nan asked. Sure , Nan , I like to fish ; Rosie replied , smiling at her new friend. Do you wanna' come with us , Bess ? ; Nan asked. Sure , Nan , let's go get our poles , and find an extra one for Rosie ; Bess said as they went inside the barn. So , how far is the river , Nan ? ; Rosie asked as the three of them walked to the river. It's not real far , Rosie ; Nan replied.

I heard you call Mrs. Jo ''Aunt Jo'' , is she really , Bess ? ; Rosie asked. Yes , she and my mother are sisters , Rosie ; Bess replied nicely. I had an aunt once , but she died when I was a baby ; Rosie said. I'm sorry to hear that , Rosie ; Bess said. I also never knew my Aunt Beth , she was my mother's other sister ; Bess said. What happened to her , Bess ? ; Rosie asked. She got scarlet fever when she was young , and it weakened her heart , so my mother told me ; Bess replied. I'm sorry , Bess ; Rosie said. Thank you ,Rosie ; Bess said , smiling at their new friend.

Do you think you and Mike ran into Dan in Boston , Rosie ? ; Nan asked. I don't really remember , but we might've , Nan ; Rosie said as they neared the river. Dan sort of looks familiar to me for some reason , now that I think of it ; Rosie said as they walked towards Dan and Michael. If you remember where you saw Dan , will you tell us ? ; Nan asked curiously. Sure , Nan ; Rosie replied. How long have you and Nan known Dan , Bess ? ; Rosie asked as they caught up to the boys. Oh , Nan and I have known Dan ever since we came to Plumfield , and he was here for a whole year before we arrived here , Rosie ; Bess replied as they walked down to the bank where Dan , Nat , Emil , Tommy , and Michael were fishing.

Dan's a real good guy , and you could'nt find a better , more loyal friend than Dan ; Nan said. I will warn you though , Dan can be like a cyclone , he's never still for a moment ! ; Bess laughed. But , he's very sweet , as well ; Bess said. I'll keep that in mind , you two ; Rosie laughed as they walked up to Dan. Hey , Dan , did you catch anything yet ? ; Nan said as they came to stand beside him and Michael. We've caught a few so far , Nan ; Dan replied as she , Rosie , and Bess cast their lines into the water. I bet , Rosie , Bess , and me catch more fish than you and Mike , and Nat , Dan ; Nan joked.

You're on , you two ; Dan joked , flashing Nan and Rosie a playful smile. Did you and Rosie do much fishing back in Boston , Mike ? ; Dan asked. We fished a lot , and the fish we caught we ate for breakfast , lunch , and dinner ; Michael replied. Speaking of eating , who does the cooking around here , Dan ? ; Mixhael asked. That would be Asia , Mike ; Dan said. She's a real good cook , I think you'll like the food she makes ; Dan said. I bet I will , Dan ; Michael said with a grin. Rosie and me have'nt had anybody to cook for us since our folks passed ; Michael added. And she not only cooks for us , she's like family , Mike ; Dan said.

Here at Plumfield , we're all like family to each other , Mike ; Nan added. And after you and Rosie have been here a little while , you'll start to think of all of us as family , too ; Dan said , smiling warmly. It's been a long time since Michael and I had a family , Dan ; Rosie said from her spot. I think we'll like it a lot ; Rosie added , smiling at Nan and Dan. I bet you will , Rosie ! ; Dan laughed. Plumfield'll feel like home to you two in no time at all ; Nan said as she pulled a fish in. In fact , you both belong here already , Mike ; Dan said , clapping Mike on the shoulder playfully.

Thanks , Dan , it's been a long time since Rosie and me had friends like you ; Michael said as they fished. Friends that made us feel welcome , and wanted , I mean ; Michael added. We'd treat anybody the same way , Mike ; Dan said , flashing his friendly smile. Especially our friends ; Dan added. I think you and Rosie are gonna' turn out to be real good friends of ours , Mike ; Dan said , smiling at his two new friends. I was just thinking the same about you and Nat , and Nan , Dan ; Michael said , flashing Dan a friendly smile as they comtinued to fish.