How Tom Went to the Fair Tom could hardly wait for the fair.
He had thought about it for weeks.
On Friday a big airplane was coming to the fair and Tom was going to see it.
Everyone in the farmhouse got up early Friday morning.
Mother and father and the children did their work as fast as they could.
Before long, all of them were ready for the ride to town.
Away they went in the big car.
As they went along the road by the cornfield, Father stopped the car.
Look, look, he said.
The cows are in the corn.
I shall have to get them out and mend the fence.
Tom jumped out of the car.
I'll do it, Father, he said.
You can take the others to the fair.
I'll mend the fence and walk to town.
Tom tried to hurry, but the cows did not want to hurry.
At last he got them out of the cornfield and into the pasture.
Then he mended the fence.
Poor Tom!
How he wanted to see that airplane!
I can never walk to town in time to see the airplane now, he thawed.
It took me too long to mend the fence.
Just then, Tom heard a strange noise in the sky.
Nearer and nearer it came.
Tom looked up.
What was that high above the trees?
It was much bigger than any bird he had ever seen.
Oh, an airplane, an airplane, Tom cried.
It is coming down right in our pasture.
Down, down came the big airplane.
It ran across the pasture and stopped near the fence.
A man got out.
Hello, he said.
My airplane is out of gasoline.
Does your father have any?
Oh, yes, said Tom.
We have a big can full of gasoline in our garage.
I'll help you get some.
They got the gasoline and Tom helped the man put it into the airplane.
They pulled the airplane back from the fence so that it could get a good start.
Then the man got in.
You have helped me very much, he said to Tom.
Now I can get to the fair.
I am going to fly at the fairgrounds today.
Would you like to go with me?
Oh, said Tom, I should like it more than anything.
Get in then, said the men.
Tom climbed into the airplane, and they went rolling across the pasture.
Before Tom knew it, they were off the ground.
Up, up they went.
Tom looked down.
The farmhouse, the barn, and the fields looked very small.
The horses and cows looked like tiny toys.
Soon, Tom could not see them at all.
The fields were just spots of yellow, green and brown.
Then the airplanes stopped climbing and they began to go like the wind.
It was not a very long ride.
All at once Tom saw that they were above the fairgrounds.
All the people at the fairgrounds were looking for the airplane.
Suddenly they saw it coming.
Tom's family watched the airplane as it came down.
They thought about Tom and how he had wanted to see it.
Mary said, It would be more fun if Tom were here too.
He wanted to see the airplane so much.
Poor Tom, said father.
He stayed at home so that we could have a good time at the fair.
Tom always thinks of others, said his mother.
I wish he would get here in time to see the airplane.
The airplane was now on the ground and came rolling slowly across the field.
As it came nearer and nearer, someone cried, Oh, look!
There is a boy in the airplane!
The airplane stopped.
A man got out and then helped a boy out.
What a surprise for Tom's family!
They could hardly believe their own eyes.
It was Tom.
They were very proud of him, and he was proud too.
He was the only boy who had ever come to the fair in an airplane.
