“There’s not much here to search,” Bert observed. “But let’s have a look at that trunk!”
It was dark under the eaves so the two boys dragged the old chest into the middle of the room. The catch was rusty, but Charlie managed to pry it open. He pulled up the lid.
The tray in the top was empty except for a few stray buttons. Eagerly Bert lifted out the tray to disclose the inside of the trunk. There were layers of old-fashioned dresses which gave off a musty odor.
Nan ran her hand around the edges of the trunk. “There’s no box here,” she said. “But it might be fun to look at the dresses.”
“It’s getting dark,” Nellie remarked. “Maybe we’d better wait and examine the dresses some other time.”
The others agreed. “We can all think about the lost treasures over the week end and perhaps someone will have a brilliant idea where to look next,” Bert added cheerfully.
“We’ll come back Monday,” Nan agreed. “We just have to find those things for Mrs. Marden!”
She led the way down the narrow stairs. Nan had almost reached the bottom when she turned to say something to Nellie, who was behind her.
The next second Nan pitched headfirst onto the floor! She lay very still.
CHAPTER VI
THE PROWLER
“NAN !” Nellie screamed, jumping down the last few steps and bending over her friend.
Bert and Charlie quickly joined her. “The bottom step is missing!” Bert exclaimed. “That’s what made her fall!”
His twin lay pale and quiet. “She’s knocked out!” Nellie said. “I’ll run across to the school and get some water!” She was off in a flash.
In a few minutes she was back, a cup of water in her hand. By this time Nan was sitting up, but she was still groggy from her fall.
“Thank you, Nellie,” she said faintly as she took a sip of water. “I feel all right now.”
Bert and Charlie each took one of her arms and helped her down the stairs to the front door. As they reached the yard, Danny Rugg came dashing up.
“What’s going on?” he wanted to know. “I saw Nellie running in here with a cup in her hand!”
“As if you didn’t know!” Bert said angrily. “You sneaked in here behind us and took that step out so one of us would fall!”
Bert dropped Nan’s arm and walked down to where Danny stood. “You’re trying to get even with me because you think I squealed on you when you broke the window. Well, I didn’t!”
“I don’t know anything about any old step,” Danny replied. “Get out of my way!” With that, he gave Bert a hard shove which made the boy almost lose his balance.
This was too much for Bert. He doubled up his fist and punched Danny on the shoulder. Danny hit back, striking Bert on the side of the face. In another minute the two were rolling on the ground, each trying to land a blow on the other.
At this point Mr. Tetlow ran out of the school building. “Bert and Danny!” he called. “Stop that fighting at once!”
The boys struggled to their feet still glaring at each other.
“Now tell me what this is all about!” Mr. Tetlow commanded sternly. “You begin, Bert!”
“Nan just had a bad fall in the Marden house because someone took out a step while we were in the attic,” Bert explained. “I think Danny did it!”
“I don’t know anything about it,” Danny whined. “I was just standing here, and Bert hit me!”
“What makes you think Danny played such a trick, Bert?” Mr. Tetlow asked.
“Well, I—”
As Bert started to explain, they all heard the back door of the old house close with a bang. Then they were startled to see a man’s figure dash across the narrow back yard and disappear through a hedge!
“It seems that there was somebody else in the house, Bert,” the principal observed. “Perhaps you should apologize to Danny for accusing him!”
Bert hung his head. “I’m sorry, Danny. I guess I did make a mistake,” he said.
“Okay,” Danny replied gruffly as he walked away, “but don’t always be blaming me for everything!”
“Come into my office, Bert and Nan,” Mr. Tetlow requested. “I want to hear about what happened in the house.”
After Bert and Nan had told him about the missing step and also about the trap door, the principal reached for the telephone on his desk.
“All right, children. I won’t keep you any longer, but I’m going to report this whole business to the police and the fact that there was a prowler in the house. If you see anything else suspicious, come and tell me at once.”
Charlie and Nellie were still waiting for the twins when they came from the school. The children chattered excitedly all the way home.
“This is getting to be more and more mysterious!” Nellie remarked with a little shiver.
When Bert and Nan reached their house they found it in an uproar. “Freddie is lost!” Flossie sobbed when she saw her older brother and sister.
“What has happened, Mother?” Nan asked, stooping down to hug Flossie.
“Oh, Nan, I’m terribly worried,” Mrs. Bobbsey began. “Freddie disappeared while he and Flossie were looking at toys. We couldn’t find him anywhere!”
Flossie nodded solemnly. “All the people in the store were looking for him.”
Mrs. Bobbsey said that she finally decided Freddie had grown tired and had gone home by himself, although he had never done such a thing before.
“But when Flossie and I got here, Freddie hadn’t come,” Mrs. Bobbsey said in despair. She went on to explain that she had telephoned the store, but by that time it had closed.
“I called your father, and he and the police have been searching all over town. I can’t imagine where Freddie could have gone!”
“Where is Dad now?” Bert asked. “Maybe I can help him.”
“He was going to walk down to the store and see if he could spot Freddie along the way.”
Bert started for the door. “I’ll catch up with him,” he said.
As Bert reached the door, Mr. Bobbsey walked in. A quick glance at the worried faces told him his little son had not returned. He sank wearily into a chair.
“The police are riding around in the prowl car. They’re sure to find Freddie before long,” he said, trying hard to appear cheerful.
At this very moment Freddie was waking up in the shipping room of the department store. It was quite dark, and for a moment he could not remember where he was.
“Oh dear,” he thought. “I wonder how long I’ve been asleep. I’d better get upstairs or Mother will be worried about me.”
He arose and started forward. Bump! He ran into a big box. Then he turned in another direction and stumbled over a barrel.
“It’s awf’ly dark and quiet in here. I wonder where everybody is. I guess I’ll call someone.”
“Help!” he screamed. “Please somebody come and let me out!”
There was no reply, but suddenly Freddie felt something soft rub against his bare leg. For a moment he was so frightened his heart seemed to stop beating. Then he heard a low purr.
“It’s a kitty!” he cried joyfully, and stooped down. Freddie picked up the cat, which immediately cuddled against his shoulder.
Feeling better now that he had company, Freddie felt along the wall until he came to a door. He turned the knob and stepped out into the basement room where he had been earlier. This was lighted by a dim bulb and, still clutching the cat, he crossed to the other door and soon emerged into the mechanical toy department.
This room, too, was dimly lighted. The counters which earlier had held such interesting toys now were covered with white cloths. This made Freddie shiver and think of ghosts.
“Everyone has gone home and left me alone ! I don’t want to stay here all night by myself!” he thought desperately.
The little boy wandered over to the model automobiles, but they were all locked and would not move. He bumped into a tall mechanical toy. Its head was mounted on a s
pring, and it began to move back and forth!
Freddie screamed in fright!
The next moment he heard footsteps overhead, and a man’s voice called, “Who’s there?” The voice sounded so harsh that Freddie was afraid to answer.
There was silence for a few minutes, then Freddie heard heavy steps descending the stairs. Not knowing what to do, the little boy crouched behind a counter and peered out.
The man had a flashlight in one hand and a club in the other. Freddie was very still, although his heart was beating loudly. Perhaps this man was a burglar planning to rob the store! Freddie wondered what he should do.
“Must have been the cat,” the man muttered as he reached the bottom of the steps.
Now that Freddie could see him better, the little boy decided the man did not look like a burglar. He was bald with just a ruff of white hair around his head, and his face looked very kind.
“Here, kitty, kitty, kitty,” the man called.
“Meow!” the cat in Freddie’s arms replied.
Quickly the man flashed his light around until its beam fell on Freddie. “Well, bless my soul!” he exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”
Freddie felt braver now and stepped from behind the counter. “I guess I’m lost, and I want my mother,” he said with a little catch in his voice.
“You want your mother?” the man repeated. Then he had a thought. “Say, are you the little boy they were looking for all over the store this afternoon?”
“I don’t know,” Freddie replied. “I was just looking at the toys, then I went in that room over there. I sat down in some soft stuff to rest and fell asleep!”
“Well, bless my soul!” the kindly man exclaimed. “And you’ve been here ever since? Didn’t you know everyone in the store was looking for you?”
Freddie shook his head. “I was asleep,” he said, “and Mother says I’m awf’ly hard to wake up!”
“You must be a mighty good sleeper!” the man agreed with a laugh.
“Do you own this store?” Freddie asked curiously.
“No.” The man chuckled. “I’m Ryan, the night watchman. You must be Mr. Richard Bobbsey’s little boy Freddie.”
“Yes, I am, Mr. Ryan, and I’d like to go home now,” Freddie replied.
“I’m sure your father will come right down for you,” Mr. Ryan said. “Your family will be mighty glad to hear you’ve been found!”
The night watchman led the way up the stairs to the main floor of the store. Freddie followed, still clutching the black cat in his arms.
“I’ll telephone your daddy,” the watchman offered, stopping beside a row of telephone booths. “Do you know your number?”
“I can dial it,” said Freddie.
At the Bobbsey home Freddie’s father had received a report from the police that they had not found Freddie, but were about to broadcast an appeal over the local radio.
Mr. Bobbsey rose wearily from his chair. “Come on, Bert,” he said, “let’s scout around the neighborhood again.”
At that moment the telephone rang. Nan sprang to answer it !
CHAPTER VII
A KITE RIDE
MR. AND MRS. BOBBSEY, Bert, and Flossie listened breathlessly as Nan said hello.
“Freddie!” she cried out. “Where are you? What! We’ll be right down!”
Nan turned from the phone, her face radiant. “He’s at Taylor’s department store.”
“Thank goodness!” Mrs. Bobbsey cried.
The whole family piled into the station wagon, and Mr. Bobbsey drove to the store. Freddie and the watchman were standing outside. The black cat was still in Freddie’s arms.
“Oh Daddy! Mother! And everybody! I’m so glad to see you,” Freddie cried out. “I promise never to get lost again!”
Mr. Bobbsey rumpled his small son’s hair. “We’re mighty glad to find you, my little fireman,” he said. After thanking the watchman for taking care of Freddie, he turned to the little boy. “All right, put the cat down and hop into the car.”
“Oh no, Daddy,” Freddie wailed. “The cat is the one who found me! He’s my friend!”
Mr. Ryan chuckled. “That’s right. They’ve made friends with each other. I told Freddie he could take the cat home if you have no objection.”
“We can’t turn down a rescuer!” Mrs. Bobbsey spoke up. “Bring him along, Freddie.”
The little boy waved good-by to the kindly watchman and climbed in beside his father. On the way home Freddie told his story of being locked in the big store.
“Weren’t you ever scared?” Flossie asked her twin admiringly.
Freddie admitted that it was spooky waking up in a strange place. “But then the kitty came along and I wasn’t alone!”
“I’ve just made up a poem about Freddie,” Bert said teasingly. “Listen!” He recited:
“Freddie ran off and down he sat,
A meow woke him up, and there was a cat!”
All the Bobbseys laughed at Bert’s rhyme. As they reached home and entered the house by way of the kitchen, Dinah’s eyes glowed.
“I’m sure glad you aren’t lost any more,” she said. “Everybody around here was too worried to eat dinner. I’ll bet you’re mighty hungry, Freddie. If you all are ready now, I’ll put dinner on the table.”
“Thank you, Dinah,” Mrs. Bobbsey said with a smile.
Later, between bites of crisp fried chicken, Flossie asked, “What’s the kitty’s name?”
“Mr. Ryan said he didn’t have any,” Freddie explained. “He just called him kitty.”
“Maybe we should call him Taylor after the store,” said Nan.
“Oh, that’s not cuddly enough,” Flossie objected.
“I know,” said Freddie. “I’ll call him Snoop 1”
“Why Snoop?” Bert wanted to know.
“Because he was snooping around the store and he found me!” Freddie said triumphantly.
So the black cat was named Snoop. He was given some raw liver and milk and purred contentedly.
The next morning was sunny and breezy. Mr. Bobbsey came into the yard where the twins were playing ball and asked, “How would you like to fly some kites?”
“Oh, Daddy, that would be super!” Nan cried. “Where can we get the kites?”
“I’ll show you how to build them,” Mr. Bobbsey offered.
“Great!” Bert exclaimed. “What will we need?”
Mr. Bobbsey thought a moment, then said, “The easiest kind to make is the two-stick type. We’ll try them. There is a bundle of laths in the garage. Get those, Bert.”
He instructed Freddie and the girls to bring a sharp knife, some glue, paste, and a roll of strong cord. “We’ll need paper, too. Have we any crepe paper?”
Dinah had come out onto the back porch and heard him. “Yes, sir, we got red and green crepe paper left over from Christmas. It’s on the shelf of Mrs. Bobbsey’s closet.”
Nan ran to get the paper and the knife while Flossie collected glue, paste, and the cord. Freddie brought out a pencil, a ruler, and a pair of scissors. All of these supplies were placed on the picnic table. The twins’ mother joined the group and looked on with interest.
Mr. Bobbsey picked up the laths. “These are just about the right thickness,” he said. “Now for each kite, cut one stick twenty-six inches long for the spine or vertical stick; the other, which is the cross, should be twenty-two inches long.”
There was much borrowing of pencil, ruler, and knife until the sticks were properly cut. Then Mr. Bobbsey showed the children how to notch a groove in the end of each stick.
“Next, you measure seven inches from one end of the longer stick or spine and mark the spot. Then glue the sticks together exactly at right angles with the center of the cross stick at the mark on the spine.”
Freddie and Flossie had a little difficulty gluing the sticks together, but with the help of Bert and Nan they finally managed it. As soon as the glue was dry, they followed their father’s directions and bound the joining solidly with
cord.
“Now comes the frame,” Mr. Bobbsey said. He showed the children how to tie one end of a length of cord to the top of the spine, then carry it all around the frame through the groove in each stick end.
“Next is the paper,” he said. “What colors are you going to use?”
Nan and Flossie decided to make their kites green, while Bert and Freddie took up the red crepe paper. When this was pasted onto the frame, the kites looked very gay.
“They’re bee-yoo-ti-ful!” Flossie exclaimed.
“But they’re not finished yet,” her father reminded her.
He showed them how to make the bridle by fastening two lengths of string to the ends of the sticks and joining them in the middle. Then, exactly where the bridles crossed each other, a piece of string about five feet long was fastened.
“This is the leader,” Mr. Bobbsey explained. “You tie the rest of your cord to it whenever you want to fly your kite.”
“I’m so ’cited!” Flossie exclaimed. “When can we make them fly?”
“Let’s take our kites to Roscoe’s field,” Bert proposed. Old Mr. Roscoe lived in a small house near the Bobbseys. The field next to his house was no longer cultivated, and Mr. Roscoe allowed the children to play there whenever they wished.
“Come and watch us, Mother and Dad,” Nan urged.
So picking up the colorful kites, the Bobbseys made their way to the field. Snoop walked along beside Freddie. Suddenly the little boy stopped.
“Our kites haven’t any tails!” he protested. “I want a tail on mine!”
“I know how to make them,” Bert spoke up. “We’ll need some cord and paper. I’ll get ’em and meet you at the field.”
In a few minutes he joined his family at the spot. Quickly Bert cut a fifteen-foot piece of cord. Then he made pleated strips of crepe paper and tied them together with the cord.
The others followed suit, and finally four kites with gay tails lay on the ground. “Now you’re ready to fly.” Mr. Bobbsey smiled.
Freddie tied a long string to his kite leader, then asked, “Shall I run with it until it goes up?”
Mr. Bobbsey, who had in the past shown the older twins how to fly kites, shook his head. “If the kite’s right, you don’t have to run with it. Just hold it up to the breeze, and the wind will take it.”
The Bobbsey Twins of Lakeport Page 4
