CHAPTER XIX
SNAP'S QUEER ACTIONS
The Bobbsey twins looked at one another. Then they glanced at theircousins, Harry and Dorothy. Next the eyes of all the children wereturned on fat Dinah.
"Was--was it a baby crying?" Freddie wanted to know.
"Yes, honey lamb--it done did sound laik a baby--only a big baby,"explained the colored cook.
"Maybe it was one of Flossie's dolls," the little "fat fireman" wenton.
"Flossie's dolls can't cry!" exclaimed Nan. "Not even the one thatsays 'mama,' when you punch it in the back. That can't cry, becauseit's broken."
"Well, Flossie says her dolls cry, sometimes," said Freddie, "and Ithought maybe It was one of them now."
"It was Snoop, our cat," said Bert, with a laugh. "That's what youheard, Dinah, Snoop crying for something to eat. Maybe she's shut upin a closet."
"Probably that's what it was, Dinah," said Mrs. Bobbsey.
"I'll go let her out," said Mr. Bobbsey, starting toward the lowerpart of the houseboat.
"'Scuse me, Mr. Bobbsey," said Dinah firmly, "but dey ain't no use yo'going t' let out no cat Snoop."
"Why not, Dinah?"
"Because it wasn't any cat dat I done heah. It was a human bein' dat Iheard cryin', dat's what it was, an' I know who it was, too," thecolored woman insisted.
"Who, Dinah?" asked Mrs. Bobbsey.
"It was de same ghostest dat done took mah cakes an' sandwiches, dat'swho it was. I'se mighty sorry t' leab yo', Mrs. Bobbsey, but I guessI'll done be goin' now."
"What, Dinah!" cried her mistress. "Going? Where?"
"Offen dish yeah boat, Mrs. Bobbsey. I cain't stay heah any mo' wif alot of ghostests."
"Nonsense, Dinah!" exclaimed Mr. Bobbsey. "There isn't any such thingas a ghost, and you know it! It's silly to even talk about such athing. Now you just come with me, and show me where you heard thosenoises."
"No, sah, I cain't do it, Mr. Bobbsey," the colored cook exclaimed,moving backward.
"Why not?" Mr. Bobbsey wanted to know.
"'Cause it's bad luck, dat's why. I ain't goin' neah no ghostest---"
"Don't say that again, Dinah!" exclaimed Mrs. Bobbsey sharply, with aglance at the children.
"Oh, we're not afraid, mother!" chimed in Bert. "We know there's nosuch thing as a ghost."
"That's right," spoke his father. "But, Dinah, I must get this mattersettled. It won't do for you to be frightened all the while. You mustcome and show me where you heard the noise."
"Has I got to do it, Mrs. Bobbsey?" asked Dinah.
"Yes, I think you had better."
"Well, den, I heard de noise right down in de passageway dat goes fromde kitchen to de dinin' room. Dat's where it was. A noise laiksomebody cryin' an' weepin'."
"And are you sure it wasn't Snoop, Dinah?"
"Shuah, Mr. Bobbsey. 'Cause why? 'Cause heah's Snoop now, right oberby Miss Dorothy."
This was very true. The little seashore Cousin had been playing withthe black cat.
"Snap howls sometimes," said Freddie, who seemed to be trying to findsome explanation of the queer noise. "Lots of times he used to howlunder my window, and I'd think it was some boy, but it was only Snap.He used to like to howl at the moon."
"Dat's right, so he does, honey lamb," Dinah admitted. "But dere ain'tno moon now, an' Snap's eatin' a bone. He don't never howl when he'seatin' a bone, I'se sartain ob dat."
"Oh, well, if it wasn't the dog or cat, it was some other noise thatcan easily be found," said Mr. Bobbsey. "I'll go have a look."
"I'm coming, too," said Nan.
"And so am I!" exclaimed Bert.
Harry and Dorothy looked at each other a moment, and then Dorothysaid, rather unhesitatingly:
"I'm not afraid!"
"I should say not!" cried Mrs. Bobbsey. "What is there to be afraidof, just in a noise?"
"Let's all go!" suggested Harry.
"Good!" cried Mr. Bobbsey, for he wanted his children not to give wayto foolish fears. They were not "afraid of the dark," as some childrenare, and from the time when they were little tots, their parents hadtried to teach them that most things, such as children fear, arereally nothing but things they think they see, or hear.
"Aren't you coming, Dinah?" asked Mrs. Bobbsey, as they all startedfor the lower part of the houseboat.
"No'm, I'll jest stay up heah an'--an' git a breff ob fresh air," saidthe colored cook.
"Come on, children," called Mr. Bobbsey, with a laugh. "We'll verysoon find out what it was."
They went down off the deck, to the passageway between the kitchen anddining-room. This place was like a long, narrow hall, and on one sideof it were closets, or "lockers," as they are called on ships. Theywere places where different articles could be stored away. Just now,the lockers were filled with odds and ends--bits of canvass that weresometimes used as sails, or awnings, old boxes, barrels and the like.Mr. Bobbsey opened the lockers and looked in.
"There isn't a thing here that could make a crying noise, unless itwas a little mouse," he said, "and they are so little, I can't seethem. I guess Dinah must have imagined it."
"Let's listen and see if we can hear it," suggested Mrs. Bobbsey.
All of them, including the children, kept very quiet. Snap, the trickdog, was still gnawing his bone in the kitchen. They could hear himbanging it on the floor as he tried to get from it the last shreds ofmeat. Snoop, the black cat, was up on deck in the sun.
"I don't hear a thing," said Mrs. Bobbsey.
Indeed it was very quiet.
"Hark!" suddenly called Nan. "Isn't that a noise?"
They all listened sharply, and then they did hear a faint sort ofcrying, or whining, noise.
"Oh!" exclaimed Freddie. "It's a---"
"It's the boat pulling on one of the anchor ropes," said Mr. Bobbsey,for the Bluebird was anchored out in the lake by two anchors andropes, one at each end. "The wind blows the boat a little," thechildren's father explained, "and that makes it pull on the ropes,which creak on the wooden posts with a crying noise."
"I know!" exclaimed Flossie. "Just like our swing rope creaks, whenit's going slow."
"Exactly," said her mother. Mrs. Bobbsey was glad that the little girlcould think out an explanation for herself that way.
"There it goes again!" suddenly exclaimed Bert.
They all heard the funny noise. There was no doubt but that it was thecreaking of the rope by which the boat was tied.
"Here, Dinah!" called Mr. Bobbsey, with a laugh. "Come down here.We've found your ghost."
"I doan't want to see it!" exclaimed the colored cook, "Jest toss itoverbo'd!"
"It's nothing but a noise made by a creaking rope," said Nan. "And youcan't throw that overboard."
"All right, honey lamb. Yo' can call it a rope-noise ef yo' alllaiks," said Dinah, when finally she had been induced to come down."But I knows it wasn't. It was some real pusson cryin', dat's what itwas."
"But you said it was a ghost, Dinah!" laughed Bert, "and a ghost isnever a real person, you know. Oh, Dinah!"
"Oh, go long wif yo', honey lamb!" exclaimed the fat cook. "I ain'tgot no time t' bodder wif you'. I'se got t' set mah bread t' baket'morrow. An' dere's some corn cakes, ef yo' ma will let yo' hab 'em."
"I guess she will," said Bert, with a laugh. "Some cakes and thenbed."
They all thought the "ghost" scare was over, but Mr. Bobbsey noticedthat when Dinah went through the passage between the kitchen anddining-room, she hurried as fast as her feet would take her, and sheglanced from side to side, as though afraid of seeing something.
Every one slept soundly that sight, except perhaps Dinah, but ifanything disturbed her, she said nothing about it, when she got up toget breakfast. It was a fine, sunny day, and a little later theBluebird was moving across the lake, the motor turning the propeller,which churned the blue water into foam.
Mr. Bobbsey steered the boat to various places of interest on thelake. There were several little islands that were to be visited, an
don one of the tiniest, they went ashore to eat their lunch.
"Let's play we're shipwrecked," suggested Freddie, who was alwaysanxious to "pretend" something or other.
"All right," agreed Flossie. "You'll be Robinson Crusoe, and I'll beyour man Thursday."
"Friday--not Thursday," corrected Freddie, for his father had read tohim part of Robinson's adventures.
The little twins were allowed to take some of their lunch, and go offto one side of the island, there to play at being shipwrecked. Mr. andMrs. Bobbsey sat in the shade and talked, while Nan, Dorothy, Bert andHarry went off on a little "exploring expedition," as Bert called it.Bert was making a collection of stones and minerals that year, and hewanted to see what new specimens he could find.
Suddenly the peacefulness of the little island was broken by a cry of:
"Oh, Mamma! Papa! Come quick! Freddie's in the cave, and can't getout. Oh, hurry!"
"That's Flossie's voice!" cried Mrs. Bobbsey, in alarm.
Mr. Bobbsey did not say anything. He just ran, and soon he came to theplace where Flossie and Freddie had gone to play shipwreck. He sawFlossie jumping up and down in front of a little hill.
"Where's Freddie?" asked Mr. Bobbsey.
"In there," Flossie answered, pointing to the pile of dirt that lookedto have been freshly dug. "We made a cave in the side of the andFreddie went in to hide, but he dirt slid down on him and he--he'sthere yet!"
"Gracious!" cried Mr. Bobbsey. "It's a good thing we're here!"
With a piece of board he soon scattered the dirt until he came toFreddie's head. Fortunately the little fellow was covered with only afew inches of the soil, and as a piece of brush had fallen over hisface, he had had no trouble in breathing. He was rather badlyfrightened, however, when he was dug out, little the worse, otherwise,for his adventure.
"What did you do it for?" asked his father, when he and his mother hadbrushed the dirt from the little chap, while the other childrengathered around to look on.
"I--I was making a cave, same as Robinson Crusoe did," Freddieexplained. "I dug it with a board in the sand, and I went in--I mean,I went in the cave, and it--it came down--all of a sudden."
"Well, don't do it again," cautioned his mother. "You might have beenbadly hurt."
They finished their visit on the island, and went back on board theBluebird again. Snap, who always went with them on these littleexcursions, bounded on deck, and then made a rush for the kitchen, forhe was hungry, and he knew Dinah generally had a bone, or somethingnice for him.
Mr. Bobbsey, who was following close behind Snap, was surprised to seethe dog come to a sudden stop in the passageway between the kitchenand dining-room. Snap growled, and showed his teeth, as he did whensome savage dog, or other enemy, was near at hand.
"What's the matter, old fellow?" asked Mr. Bobbsey. "Do you seesomething?"
Snap turned and looked at Mr. Bobbsey. Then the dog looked at one ofthe locker doors, and, with a loud bark, sprang toward it, as thoughhe would go through the panels.
The Bobbsey Twins on a Houseboat Page 19
