The Bobbsey Twins and the Mystery at Snow

  THE BOBBSEY TWINS®

  1. THE BOBBSEY TWINS OF LAKEPORT

  2. THE BOBBSEY TWINS’ ADVENTURE IN THE COUNTRY

  3. THE BOBBSEY TWINS: THE SECRET AT THE SEASHORE

  4. THE BOBBSEY TWINS’ MYSTERY AT SCHOOL

  5. THE BOBBSEY TWINS AND THE MYSTERY AT SNOW LODGE

  6. THE BOBBSEY TWINS ON A HOUSEBOAT

  7. THE BOBBSEY TWINS’ MYSTERY AT MEADOWBROOK

  8. THE BOBBSEY TWINS’ BIG ADVENTURE AT HOME

  9. THE BOBBSEY TWINS’ SEARCH IN THE GREAT CITY

  10. THE BOBBSEY TWINS ON BLUEBERRY ISLAND

  11. THE BOBBSEY TWINS’ MYSTERY ON THE DEEP BLUE SEA

  12. THE BOBBSEY TWINS’ ADVENTURE IN WASHINGTON

  Copyright © 1960 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  All rights reserved.

  Published in 2004 by Grosset & Dunlap, a division of Penguin Young

  Readers Group, 345 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

  GROSSET & DUNLAP is a trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  THE BOBBSEY TWINS® is a registered trademark of

  Simon & Schuster, Inc.

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  eISBN: 978-1-101-07591-3

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  Table of Contents

  THE BOBBSEY TWINS

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  CHAPTER I - RUNAWAY HORSE

  CHAPTER II - THE SNOW BATTLE

  CHAPTER III - A SCHOOL PROBLEM

  CHAPTER IV - THE DOG SLEIGH

  CHAPTER V - PART OF THE SECRET

  CHAPTER VI - A BAD SPILL

  CHAPTER VII - THREE SANTAS

  CHAPTER VIII - A RACE ON SKATES

  CHAPTER IX - THE MYSTERIOUS NOTE

  CHAPTER X - TRICKS

  CHAPTER XI - THE “ICEBIRD” IN TROUBLE

  CHAPTER XII - THE TREE’S BIRTHDAY CANDLES

  CHAPTER XIII - THE SEARCH

  CHAPTER XIV - NEW-FOUND FRIEND

  CHAPTER XV - A DOG HERO

  CHAPTER XVI - THE BLACK MONSTER

  CHAPTER XVII - SNOWBOUND

  CHAPTER XVIII - WONDERFUL DISCOVERY

  CHAPTER I

  RUNAWAY HORSE

  “WOW! Look at this snowdrift, Flossie!” exclaimed six-year-old Freddie Bobbsey, peering over the porch railing of their home.

  “Oh, let’s play in it!” his sister suggested.

  The golden-haired, six-year-old twins exchanged mischievous glances, their blue eyes dancing with excitement.

  “Last one in is a turkey!” Freddie shouted, climbing onto the low railing. He stood atop it for a moment, balancing unsteadily while Flossie scrambled up. But she was too late.

  With a cry of, “You’re the turkey, Floss!” he plunged feet first into the fluffy white mass and disappeared!

  Flossie jumped in after her twin, holding her nose and shutting her eyes tight. Quickly Freddie scrambled out of the drift, laughing and blowing snowflakes from his face. Then Flossie followed, shaking the snow from her curls.

  As Freddie packed a snowball, Flossie sneaked past him, crying, “I’ll bet I’ll beatyou this time!”

  Flossie raced up the front porch steps of the comfortable, rambling house. Climbing onto the railing again, she was about to plunge into the drift when she saw that Freddie was still standing where she had left him.

  “Wait, Flossie!” cried her twin, cocking his head to the right. He was listening to a jingling sound which cut through the frosty morning air.

  “Oh, sleigh bells!” Flossie exclaimed.

  The noise grew louder. A moment later they saw a jet-black horse drawing an old-fashioned sleigh trotting down the street. The sleigh was full of gift-wrapped packages.

  An elderly man in a heavy red jacket, but no hat, sat very erect on the front seat, holding the reins to which sleigh bells were attached.

  “Santa Claus!” Freddie cried, as the wind blew the man’s white hair in a cloud about his head.

  The sleigh had a high, curved back and low sides. In contrast to its black body the seat upholstery and runners were a bright red.

  Freddie and Flossie, curious to see where it was going, ran down the walk of their home and along the street. Halfway down the block the driver reined in and stopped before a house. He selected several packages from the rear of the sleigh and went around to the back door.

  “This is really like Christmas,” said Flossie. She counted on her fingers. “And it’s only one week off !”

  Freddie grinned. “Not even one whole week of school!” he said.

  The little boy had not taken his eyes from the coal-black mare standing near the curb. The horse was pawing the snow and tossing her head as if she were impatient to be off. Suddenly a snowball whizzed through the air and hit the horse bang on the side of the head. She whinnied loudly, then with a jerk started off down the street.

  “She’s running away!” cried Freddie excitedly.

  The small twins started after the horse, yelling, “Whoa! Whoa!”

  The animal paid no attention. Other children playing on their lawns and a couple of women along the street also called to the horse. But she did not stop.

  “She’ll—she’ll run into somebody!” Flossie gasped worriedly.

  At this very moment they saw three children coming up the street. “Bert and Nan, and Charlie Mason!” Freddie exclaimed. Bert and Nan were the twelve-year-old Bobbsey twins. Charlie Mason was Bert’s best friend.

  “Oh, look!” Flossie yelled. “Oh!”

  Charlie and Bert had run out into the street and were dancing around, waving their arms wildly, trying to stop the horse. The animal zigzagged from side to side and slowed down but did not stop.

  Flossie, terrified now, put her hands over her eyes and refused to look. But Freddie watched the scene in fascination. Bert and Charlie separated, one going to each side of the runaway horse. Each grabbed the bridle strap near the bit and hung on. First they would run a few steps, then swing their feet up off the snow. putting their full weight on the horse’s bit.

  “Whoa! Whoa!” Bert kept yelling.

  The pull on the animal’s mouth hurt her very much, and it was not long before she stopped running. Bert now jumped into the sleigh, and Charlie threw him the reins, which were dragging on the ground.

  “Oh, boys, that was terrific!” Nan Bobbsey exclaimed, rushing up. The slim, dark-haired, brown-eyed girl began to stroke the horse’s head, and in a short while the animal was quiet.

  At that moment there was a worried shout from down the street, and the white-haired sleigh owner rushed up.

  “What’s going on here?” he cried. “What happened to Daisy?”

  Everyone talked at once, and the owner of the horse and sleigh looked confused. But gradually the story was pieced together.

  The man nodded his head sharply, then turned to Bert, who stepped from the sleigh. “You stopped Daisy, did you?” he said.

  “Charlie and I, yes, sir,” was the answer.

  The elderly man hesitated a moment, his pale blue eyes staring intently at Bert. “I’ve seen you around Lakeport before,” he finally said. “Your name is—”

  “Bert Bobbsey.”

  “Richard Bobbsey’s son?”

  Bert nodded proudly and introduced Nan and the s
maller twins.

  The man walked toward his sleigh, then turned again to the children. “You know,” he mused, “it’s been five years since a Bobbsey has come into my life. Yet today the Bobbseys have done me a favor for the second time.”

  Nan and Bert exchanged puzzled glances, as the owner added, “Wonder if this’ll be the last time, or—”

  “I beg your pardon, sir?” Bert queried.

  “What for?” was the blunt return.

  Bert flushed. “I mean I don’t understand. You said it’s been five years—”

  “Yes, yes,” the man muttered. “But forget I said that.” A sad, thoughtful look crossed his seamed face.

  Nan glanced at Bert. “Why is he acting so mysterious?” she thought.

  Bert shook his head, thinking, “I wonder why he drives that old-fashioned sleigh? And why does he look so sad at times?”

  Freddie was more blunt and said aloud, “You’re a mystery Santa Claus. Why?”

  At this the man threw back his head and laughed. “Oh, not so mysterious,” he said. “I just like to exercise Daisy, and it’s fun delivering Christmas packages this way.”

  Still the old gentleman did not give his name. Instead, he put his hands on Bert’s and Charlie’s shoulders and said:

  “Forgive me. I haven’t properly thanked you boys for stopping Daisy. It was a brave thing to do, and I want you to have this.”

  He pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and slipped it into Bert’s hand, then turned away and climbed into his sleigh.

  Opening his hand, Bert spread out the piece of paper. It was a five-dollar bill!

  Charlie and the Bobbseys gasped. Quickly Bert called to the old gentleman who had gathered the reins and was about to drive away.

  “Wait, sir! We can’t accept this,” he cried. “We were glad we could stop your horse.”

  “That’s all right,” was the reply. A twinkle came into the man’s penetrating eyes. “If you can’t accept it for yourself, use the money for a Christmas treat for your friends.”

  “Well, in that case,” Bert said, smiling, “we’ll be glad to accept it Thanks very much, Mr.—er—”

  But Bert’s attempt to learn the old gentleman’s name met with no success. Either the man had not heard or did not wish to tell his name, for he shook the reins sharply and sped off.

  “Well, can you beat that!” Charlie Mason exclaimed. “Does anyone know who he is?”

  “I do,” said a young woman standing nearby. “That’s Jess Carford. He owns Snow Lodge, at the other end of Lake Metoka.”

  Nan asked if she knew why Mr. Carford drove the old-fashioned sleigh. “Yes,” she said. “During the Christmas season Mr. Carford uses it to deliver toys and candy to certain children in Lakeport who are less fortunate than others. He has done it every year since I can remember.”

  “Then he is a kind of Santa Claus,” Flossie spoke up. “But why does he look so sad sometimes?”

  The young woman hesitated a moment, then replied, “I was told that there was some mystery in connection with Snow Lodge. I know Mr. Carford doesn’t live there now. But I’ve never heard why.”

  At the mention of a mystery, the four Bobbseys exchanged glances. Here was exciting news!

  The twins hurried home, thinking their mother could explain the mystery. Reaching the house, they learned that Mr. Bobbsey had phoned from his office that he had been called away on a business trip. The twins’ father owned a large lumberyard located on the shore of Lake Metoka. He frequently went out of town to purchase lumber.

  “But Daddy will be home for Christmas next week, won’t he?” Flossie asked worriedly. “Yes, indeed,” replied the pretty mother of four children.

  Bert told her about Mr. Carford, but she knew little more than they had already heard. She did say, however, that she thought the mystery in connection with Snow Lodge concerned Mr. Carford’s family.

  “Perhaps he doesn’t want to talk about it,” Mrs. Bobbsey added gravely. “If you see him again, I think it would be best not to mention it unless he does.”

  In a little while Dinah, the jolly woman who helped Mrs. Bobbsey with the house work, announced that lunch was ready. Dinah and Sam, her husband, who drove a truck at the lumberyard, had had rooms on the third floor ever since the twins could remember. The whole family was very fond of the couple.

  “Chicken soup with rice, and biscuits to go with it,” said Dinah with a grin.

  “Whoopee!” cried Freddie.

  The children hurried to wash their hands, then went to the table. An hour later they asked their mother’s permission to go coasting on the park hill.

  “Go ahead, but dress warmly,” she said.

  A little later, the four Bobbseys were climbing King’s Hill, a long, steep slope located on the outskirts of town.

  “Crowded today, isn’t it?” Nan remarked as a group of children on sleds, skis, and toboggans whizzed past them on the downward slope.

  “Oh-oh, here comes Danny Rugg on that flashy new toboggan of his,” said Bert.

  “He must have a million boys on that thing!” Freddie exclaimed.

  “Gracious, he’s steering it this way, and all the boys are leaning to the left,” Nan said in alarm. “Let’s get out of the way!”

  “And fast,” said Bert.

  Freddie, several yards away, had kneeled down to refasten the buckle on his snow boot and had not heard Bert’s warning.

  “Freddie! Freddie!” Nan called. “Watch out!”

  The small boy looked up just in time to see the toboggan racing toward him.

  CHAPTER II

  THE SNOW BATTLE

  DROPPING his sled rope, Freddie scampered out of the path of the speeding toboggan.

  At the last possible moment, however, Danny and his friends leaned to the right and sent the toboggan careening past Freddie, showering him with a fine spray of snow.

  Nan’s brown eyes were snapping. “Danny may only have been fooling, but he could easily have misjudged the turn.”

  Her twin nodded grimly. This was not the first time that Danny Rugg, a schoolmate and bully, had tried to pull a mean trick on the Bobbseys. Aloud Bert said, “You were lucky, Freddie. Just the same, I’m going to have it out with Danny.”

  “Do it later,” Nan urged. “Right now let’s go coasting. Race you all down the hill!”

  For the next half-hour the four children had a wonderful time. Then, while Flossie and Freddie took a little rest and Nan joined some of her girl chums coasting down the hill, Bert sought out Danny.

  The bully had just climbed a little way up the slope when Bert walked over to him and stopped.

  “Danny, you’d better be more careful with your steering and not scare other children the way you scared Freddie,” he said sternly.

  “Is that so?” jeered the bully. “Who do you think you are—a policeman?”

  “No, I don’t,” Bert said firmly, doubling his fists. “But we’re going to need one around here if you don’t keep out of other people’s way.”

  Danny started to laugh, but then, catching sight of the threatening look on Bert’s face, backed away. “Okay, okay, can’t you take a joke?”

  Just then Charlie Mason walked up. “Hey, Bert, how about spending Mr. Carford’s money now?”

  Bert agreed, and the two boys collected a group of their friends. With whoops of joy, the children started off toward the center of town. Their destination was Jenkins’ soda shop. Freddie arrived first and scrambled up on one of the high stools at the counter.

  “About a hundred hot chocolates, please!” he said to the teen-aged clerk facing him.

  “A hundred—” the startled youth began, but just then the rest of the children arrived.

  Bert made an accurate count, and the clerk was relieved to learn that only twenty-four cups were required. Even so, he had his hands full for several minutes.

  The steaming cups of hot chocolate, topped with whipped cream, were delicious. When the last drop had disappeared, a
ll the children headed for home.

  The next day was Sunday. After church and dinner, Bert and three of his chums decided to build a snow fort in a vacant lot near his father’s lumberyard. The winter sunshine had started to melt the snow around town, but out by the lake it was still plentiful.

  Just as they had completed the structure, Danny Rugg and several friends strolled up and ordered them out of it.

  “I’m taking over here now,” he bragged.

  Bert refused to be bullied. “We built this fort and we’re staying here,” he said firmly.

  That was all the excuse Danny needed to start a fight. “Okay, gang!” he cried. “Let’s drive ’em out!”

  The snow battle was on! Danny’s friends took cover behind nearby trees and began peppering the fort with snowballs.

  Bert motioned his chums to duck below the walls, then whispered instructions. The boys fell to work and soon had a stockpile of snowballs.

  Since they did not start fighting at once, Danny became over-confident. He stepped from behind the tree and beckoned to his friends.

  “Come on, let’s capture the fort from those sissies!” he called out.

  At this Bert and his pals grinned at one another. They waited until the bully’s gang drew nearer, then at the last minute, Bert yelled:

  “Fire!”

  Following Bert’s command, a hail of snowballs descended on the startled attackers. They staggered back, throwing up their arms in vain attempts to ward off the missiles.

  Danny yelled a frantic order, and his pals retreated, then huddled together just out of firing range. There was silence.

  “Look out for Danny, fellows,” Bert warned his chums as he packed a snowball. “He’s up to some trick!”

  Several tense moments passed with the fort defenders stockpiling snowballs for the attack they knew would come. More snow was packed against the thick, four-foot-high walls. At last Bert’s group was well prepared.

  Suddenly Danny left his huddled group of buddies and waved a white handkerchief tied to a branch. He walked toward the fort slowly with his gang spread out in a semicircle behind him.