Mersday 22 Rethe, S.R. 1389 

Merry jumped up from the step and started to run down to the road again. Frodo reached up and took him by the shirt and pulled him back down.

“Merry, the waggon will be here when it gets here. Please calm down! You are going to wear yourself out.”

“But what if it doesn’t come before Gandalf does?” he asked plaintively.

Frodo sighed. Bilbo had gotten increasingly agitated as the days had passed and the Big furniture had not arrived. He had sent a messenger to inquire, and the messenger had returned with word that the shipment was on its way, and indeed was already at the Bridge Inn. But his older cousin’s anxiety had apparently infected his younger one. Merry could not sit still for worrying. Frodo gave his shoulders a squeeze, and tried to think of something to distract the little one.

He picked up a handful of pebbles from the ground by the path. “How about a game of Stones?” “Stones” was a simple hobbit pastime easily played by bored youngsters. One took up a small handful of half a dozen or so pebbles, tossed them in the air, and then saw how many of them one could catch on their way back down. Older players would often try such tricks as catching them on the back of the hand, or picking up another stone from the ground before catching the falling ones. But little ones such as Merry did well to catch a few in the palm of the hand. Frodo was a patient teacher, though, and after a short while, Merry was catching most of them, most of the time. Finally, he caught all six on a lucky pass, and let out a squeal of triumph.

Frodo grinned and gave him a hug. “That was wonderful, Merry! If you keep practicing like that, I should not be able to beat you at all!”

“Will I be able to beat Sam? Sam’s only nine, and he’s almost as good as you!”

“I don’t know, Merry. It depends on how much you practice.”

Just then a loud rumble from the direction of the road drew their attention. Frodo stood up and directed his gaze in that direction: it was indeed the long awaited waggon!

“Bilbo! Bilbo!” he called, before grabbing Merry’s hand and racing down to where the waggon had stopped.

There were two large Men sitting upon the seat of the waggon, and two immense mules to draw it. “Hoy!” called one of the Men. “Is this Bag End? We have a delivery.”

“Yes, it is,” said Frodo. “My cousin, Mr. Baggins, should be here in a moment.”

Merry had stopped by Frodo’s side, his grey eyes huge. He tugged on Frodo’s sleeve. “Frodo? Are they giants?” he asked anxiously.

Frodo had to admit to feeling a bit anxious himself, but he reassured Merry. “No, Merry-lad, they are just some of the Big Folk. Giants are as much bigger than they, as they are to us.” Noticing the sudden look of panic on his little cousin’s face, Frodo suddenly thought perhaps he should not have imparted that information. “It’s quite all right, sprout. Giants are far, far away from here; and these Big Folk are the nice ones bringing Cousin Bilbo’s furniture.”

Bilbo himself appeared there at the gate. “I am Mr. Baggins.” He looked up at the large Men with a nonchalant air of confidence which did much to reassure both Merry and Frodo. “Come along, and I will show you where it is to go. I will have your payment as soon as it is all set up.”

The two Men clambered down, smiling at the lads. “Cute little tykes,” said one of them to the other.

Frodo blushed. He had not been a “cute little tyke” since he was Merry’s age. But he supposed to them he must appear much younger. They followed Bilbo and the Men into the smial.

Frodo and Merry noticed how low the Men had to bend to get inside, and how careful they had to be about bumping their heads, until they were in the room. They looked about the new space with approval.

“Aye, Nat,” said one of them to the other, “there will be plenty of room to set up the bed and the chair.” He turned to Bilbo. “I am afraid, Mr. Baggins, that there will not be much room left afterward though.”

“That’s quite all right. Come along, lads,” he said to Frodo and Merry, “let’s get out of their way.”

“Come on, then, Harry,” said the one called Nat. “Let’s get to it.”

Bilbo, Frodo and Merry stood well back out of the way while Nat and Harry unloaded and brought in all the huge furniture pieces. But when they began to put them together, the hobbits sat upon the steps of the room to watch. Merry sat in Frodo’s lap on the bottom step and Frodo leaned his head against Bilbo’s knees, as he sat upon the topmost step.

It was interesting to watch them at work, as the two Men held the pieces together and pounded the pegs in place. Soon they had the chair together--for it, they had only to attach the legs and back. Then they turned their attention to the great bed.

Headboard, footboard, side slats--then they took rope and wove it back and forth, so as to have a place for the mattresses. Bilbo had remembered mattresses, and there were two huge feather ones, rolled up in one corner, to put on the bed as soon as it was done.

Soon the furniture was finished and all in place. Pleased, Bilbo gave them a pouch of coin, which contained the payment, and took from his pocket two more coins, which he gave the Men for their trouble.

“We are much obliged, Mr. Baggins,” said Nat.

“Not at all,” said Bilbo, “it was quite a job of work.” He looked at his pocket-watch. “Would you care to join us for afternoon tea before you start your trip back?”

“No, thank you very much, Mr. Baggins. I think we would like to get headed home. It’s a fair way to Bree, you know.”

“Well, thank you again for your trouble. Have a safe journey home.”

Frodo and Merry followed them down to the road, and watched them drive away.

“Frodo, those Big Men were quite nice!”

“Yes, indeed they were, Merry.”

Just then Bilbo called them in to tea. As they sped up to the smial, Merry laughed. “Maybe one day we can go to Bree and see the Big Folk there! That would be an adventure, Frodo, wouldn’t it?”

“Yes, Merry, that would be quite an adventure.” And as he said it, he suddenly thought--someday we’ll have just such an adventure, we really will!

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