Mystery at School Read online

  Once more they sped on their way. But they had just passed the intersection when the station wagon suddenly slowed down, then stopped.

  “Oh, oh,” Mr. Bobbsey exclaimed. “We’re out of gas!”

  A police car pulled alongside. Officer Murphy was driving. “Something wrong?” he called out.

  “We’re going to the fire!” Freddie said anxiously. “It’s our boathouse! But we’re out of gas!”

  “All of you get in my car,” the officer urged. “I’ll take you to the lake!”

  When they reached the waterfront, the children gasped. Not only was the Bobbseys’ boathouse on fire, but several others on one side of it were blazing.

  The wind had increased, and red sparks crackled up into the evening sky. Water from three engines poured onto the flames. The firemen worked furiously, hacking through windows and spraying chemicals onto fuel tanks to keep them from exploding.

  Every few minutes there would be a great hissing sound and more white smoke would billow forth from the boathouses. A large crowd had collected and stood silently watching.

  As Officer Murphy’s car came to a stop, one of the firemen hurried over. Recognizing Mr. Bobbsey, he shook his head sympathetically. “I hope you haven’t any valuable boats in there!” he said. “This fire’s pretty bad!”

  “Three of them!” Mr. Bobbsey replied grimly, getting out of the car. He looked toward his large boathouse. “The fire seems to be on just the left side,” he observed. “I’ll see if I can save one of the boats anyway!”

  “I’ll help!” Bert volunteered, climbing out after his father.

  “Me too!” Freddie called.

  “No,” Mr. Bobbsey said firmly. “You and the girls stay here with your mother! Bert and I will see what we can do!”

  The firemen were reluctant to allow Mr. Bobbsey and Bert through the lines, but finally agreed to let them try to save at least one of their boats.

  At that moment two men who worked at the lumberyard ran up. “We’ll get the big boat out!” one of them cried.

  “Good!” Mr. Bobbsey agreed. “Bert and I will try to rescue the other two!”

  Quickly the men ran the lumber launch out into the lake. Mr. Bobbsey jumped into his motorboat and started the engine. It roared to life.

  “Paddle down the lake!” he yelled to Bert, who was already in his canoe. “Pull in at the first dock, and I’ll meet you there!”

  The wall next to Bert was ablaze and the heat was almost unbearable. The boy wasted no time. Paddling with all his might, he reached the cool air of the lake. He wiped his moist forehead and breathed a sigh of relief. But as he paddled past the burning boathouse next door, a large spark fell into the canoe. It landed on a cushion which had been left in the bow. The cloth began to burn.

  “I’ll have to put that out!” Bert thought desperately. Carefully putting his paddle on the bottom of the canoe, and holding onto the gunwales, he inched his way forward. The craft rocked dangerously.

  Finally the boy could stretch out one hand and grasp an edge of the cushion. With a quick motion he tossed it overboard!

  “Whew!” Bert gasped when he was safely in his seat again. “That was a close one!”

  A few minutes later he joined his father and the two lumberyard workmen at the dock. They had tied up their boats and now pulled Bert’s canoe up on the shore.

  “Good work, son!” Mr. Bobbsey said, patting Bert on the back.

  “We’re lucky we could save all the boats!” the boy observed happily.

  Mr. Bobbsey gazed back toward the fire. “And just in time, I’d say! Those firemen have a fight on their hands!”

  When Bert and his father got back to the blazing buildings, one of the firemen spoke to them. “Glad you got those boats out,” he said. “The fire in your boathouse is almost out, but the wind has carried sparks over to others nearby. We’ve sent for another engine from the next town!”

  For a while the Bobbseys stood in silence, watching the yellow flames against the dark sky. Then the engine from the neighboring town arrived and more giant hoses sent out gushes of water. With this added help, the fire was gradually brought under control.

  Finally all but one of the engines left. It continued to throw water on the smoldering buildings. The crowd began to drift away as the excitement died down.

  “Where’s Freddie?” Mr. Bobbsey asked suddenly.

  Mrs. Bobbsey pointed over toward the remaining fire engine. There was Freddie, deep in conversation with a fireman.

  The little boy told the man who he was and that he hoped to become a fireman when he grew up.

  “I wish I could squirt some water on this fire,” he added wistfully.

  The fireman smiled. “Well, since you’re going to work with us some day,” he said, “maybe we could let you show us how good a fireman you are.”

  Freddie beamed up at the tall fire fighter. “You mean it?” he asked in delight.

  “Sure I do.” The man in the rubber coat and hat took the little boy by the hand. “Come with me,” he said.

  They walked over to another fireman, who was playing a stream of water on the roof of one of the boathouses. “I have a helper for you, Mac!” Freddie’s friend said. “He’d like to help spray that roof!”

  “Okay!” Mac replied with a grin. He placed Freddie’s hand on the nozzle of the big hose.

  The hose was heavy, so the fireman held it steady while Freddie directed the water toward the boathouse roof.

  “This is great!” Freddie was thrilled to think that he was helping to put out a real fire! Once in a while he would look around to see if anyone was watching him.

  Finally the first fireman said, “That’s fine, but maybe you’d better run back to your father now. I see he’s looking for you!”

  Freddie thanked his new friend and returned to the police car. He was just telling his family about the exciting adventure when the fire chief walked up.

  “Do you know what could have started the fire, Mr. Bobbsey?” he asked. “Was anyone in your boathouse this afternoon?”

  “Not that I know of,” the twins’ father replied. “Did the fire actually start there?”

  “Looks like it. My men examined the place when they first got here. They found a partly burned blanket in one corner of the side that was blazing and sending out sparks. A lighted match falling on it could have started the whole thing.”

  “I haven’t used any of the boats for several days,” Mr. Bobbsey said. “Perhaps some prowler broke into the boathouse!”

  The twins looked at one another, and the same thought crossed their minds. Could Red Rankin have been the one to set the boathouse on fire?

  Before they could say anything, the chief held out a battered-looking book. “Ever see this before?” he asked.

  Bert gasped. It was a school geography book!

  “Where did this come from?” he asked.

  “We found it right outside your boathouse.”

  “May I look at it?” Bert asked. He took the book and opened the cover.

  “Whose is it?” Nan asked curiously.

  Bert held the book so that the car’s headlights shone on it. “Danny Rugg’s!” he exclaimed.

  “But how did Danny’s book get by our boathouse?” Nan asked in bewilderment.

  “Search me!” Bert shrugged.

  “There’s Danny now!” Flossie cried out, pointing to a group of boys standing around the remaining fire engine.

  “Ask him to come over here, will you, Bert?” the fire chief directed. “I’d like to talk to him.”

  Bert walked over to where Danny and Jack Westley were talking to a fireman. When Bert relayed the chief’s message, Danny said nervously, “Why does he want to see me?”

  “He found your geography book outside our boathouse,” Bert said. “He—”

  “I don’t know anything about any book, and I’m not going over there!” Danny said rudely. He turned to walk away.

  When Bert put out his hand to stop the bully, Danny
gave him a hard shove. Bert tripped over a fire hose and fell backward with a thud ! Danny ran off laughing.

  CHAPTER XVIII

  AN EXCITING SALE

  NAN saw Bert fall. She started forward as Danny ran off. “Don’t let him get away!” she cried as her twin struggled to his feet

  “We’ll catch him!” Freddie and Flossie called, racing after Danny. Bert and Nan joined in the chase. The next minute Danny stumbled over a hose himself and fell to the ground.

  “Listen,” Bert said when Danny stood up. “It’s not going to do you any good to run away. The chief wants to talk to you, and if you don’t speak to him here he’ll come after you.”

  “Okay,” Danny agreed sullenly. “I’ll go back.”

  The children went to where the chief stood with Mr. and Mrs. Bobbsey. He held out the geography book. “This yours?” he asked Danny quietly.

  Danny shook his head. “I don’t know anything about it,” he insisted.

  “But it has your name in it!” Bert exclaimed.

  “What if it has?” Danny snarled.

  “I told you it was found by our boathouse,” Bert said.

  Danny looked worried but said, “You probably took the book and put it in your old boathouse yourself I”

  “Watch what you’re saying, young man!” Mr. Bobbsey said sternly.

  Under questioning by the fire chief, Danny finally admitted that he and Jack Westley had been in the Bobbseys’ boathouse just before suppertime.

  “Where is this other boy?” the chief inquired.

  Danny nodded toward a group whose members were watching the proceedings from a distance. When the chief called him, Jack Westley slowly came over.

  “What were you two boys doing in that boathouse?” the fire chief asked.

  For a few seconds there was no reply. The others waited. Then Danny spoke up defiantly, “We were looking for clues!”

  “Clues!” Bert said in amazement. “To what?”

  “We thought maybe we could find that old statuette,” Danny said. “Jack and I are just as good detectives as you Bobbseys!”

  Flossie giggled. “The snake goddess is back in the school museum, Danny!” she exclaimed. “Bert found it this afternoon!”

  Danny looked downcast but said nothing. The fire chief turned to Jack. “Did you light any matches while you were in the boathouse?” he asked.

  Jack looked at Danny but did not reply. “Tell the truth, boys,” the chief advised.

  “Maybe we did light one or two,” Jack admitted finally. “But we didn’t start the fire!”

  “It probably hadn’t started when you left,” the chief explained. “However, if a match landed on that blanket before the flame was completely out, it may have smoldered there. Eventually the blanket set fire to the boathouse!”

  Danny and Jack looked frightened. “We—we didn’t mean to hurt anything!” Danny stuttered.

  “Maybe not,” the fire chief acknowledged. “But you’re old enough to know that it’s dangerous to play with matches! Get in my car over there!”

  “Wh—what are you going to do?” Jack asked, his face turning pale.

  “I’m going to take you both to your homes and explain to your fathers what has happened. It’s up to them to see that you don’t do such a thing again!”

  The two downcast boys walked off with the fire chief and were driven away. By this time there were only a few stragglers still prowling around the damaged boathouses.

  Officer Murphy came back to the Bobbseys. “I’ll take you home if you’re ready to leave,” he called.

  “Thanks very much,” Mr. Bobbsey replied. “Then Sam can get gas for my station wagon.”

  “I’m glad our boats didn’t burn up,” Flossie declared as she climbed into the back seat with the other three children.

  “And I was a real fireman and squirted a real hose!” Freddie said blissfully.

  At that moment they heard a loud barking. Then a shaggy white dog jumped out of the bushes and into the glare of the headlights.

  Snap!

  Officer Murphy slammed on his brakes quickly, and the children tumbled out of the car. Flossie threw her arms around the dog.

  “Oh, Snap!” she cried. “I’m so glad to see you!”

  Snap pranced around, giving high, excited barks. His fluffy tail wagged so hard that his whole body shook. After he had greeted each of the Bobbseys he ran off into the woods.

  “Stop him!” Nan urged. “He’s going away again!”

  But before Bert could catch him, Snap came back. He was still barking. When Bert went up to pat him, the dog ran toward the woods once more.

  By this time Officer Murphy, flashlight in hand, had joined the Bobbseys. “I think he wants you to follow him,” the officer remarked.

  “I think so, too!” Nan agreed. “Let’s go!”

  With the officer in the lead, the group walked into the woods. Snap trotted along ahead of them in a very businesslike manner.

  Farther and farther into the woods they went.

  “Do you think he really knows where he’s taking us?” Mrs. Bobbsey finally asked nervously.

  Snap had stopped and was running around in circles, sniffing at the ground. Then he seemed to have found what he wanted. He left the path and struck off toward the lake.

  “Where do you suppose he’s going?” Nan asked, puzzled.

  Just as she spoke, Snap gave a happy bark and bounded forward. A man was seated on a rock by the water, his head in his hands.

  “Hello there, Bob!” he said, pulling the dog’s ears affectionately. “I’m glad to see you—thought you’d run away again!”

  Then he heard the footsteps behind him and jumped up. When he saw the brass buttons on Officer Murphy’s uniform in the beam from the flashlight, the man spoke. “I did sleep in that boathouse, officer, but I’m sure I didn’t cause the fire!”

  Murphy flashed his light on the speaker. The Bobbseys saw a slender young man with bright blue eyes and reddish hair.

  “Red Rankin!” Bert burst out.

  The man looked startled. “That’s right, son,” he said, “but how did you know me?”

  “Mr. Hayden at the circus told us about you,” Nan explained.

  The young man still looked puzzled. Officer Murphy spoke up briskly. “I suggest we all go back to the car and discuss this.”

  After they had made their way out of the woods, Mr. Bobbsey smiled and said, “Officer, if you can take us all to my house, we can talk there, and you can get back to headquarters.”

  “I hope the chief doesn’t spot me with eight people and a dog in my car!” the officer said with a grin. “But it isn’t far, and three of my passengers are small!” Freddie and Flossie giggled. Snap barked.

  On the way to the Bobbsey house Red Rankin explained that he had very little money when he had to leave the circus in Lakeport. “I wandered down to that lake and decided I’d spend the nights in one of those boathouses until I could find other work.”

  He looked upset. “I was very careful not to disturb anything, and I never lighted any matches. I’m sure that fire wasn’t my fault!”

  “Don’t worry, Rankin!” Mr. Bobbsey said kindly. “We know who caused the fire, and it wasn’t you!”

  “But when did Snap find you?” Freddie put in impatiently.

  “Snap?” Red looked confused.

  “We named your dog Snap,” Bert explained. Then he went on to tell Red Rankin how the shaggy white dog had followed the Bobbseys from the train wreck, and had seemed to want to stay with them.

  By this time the police car had reached the Bobbseys’ house. As the family walked up to the front porch, Dinah threw open the door.

  “Land sakes!” she exclaimed. “I’ve been worried about you! Is the fire out?”

  Then she saw Snap. “Where did you find him?” she asked. “I’m sure glad to see him home again!”

  Flossie took their visitor’s hand. “This is Mr. Red Rankin,” she announced. “Snap belongs to him,” she
added sadly.

  Dinah peered at the man. “Howdy do,” she said. “Why you’re the man who was here on Saturday looking for work.”

  Mr. Bobbsey led the way into the living room. “I think we should sit down and talk,” he said.

  The twins’ mother added, “Dinah, will you please get us something hot to drink? We’ve been standing out in the chilly night a long time!”

  “Yes, ma’am. I sure will!” Dinah bustled out of the room.

  Freddie and Flossie followed her to the kitchen. There they breathlessly told the cook about the rescue of the boats, the discovery of Danny Rugg’s book by the burned boathouse, and how Snap had suddenly met the Bobbseys and led them to Red Rankin.

  “Well, I declare!” Dinah exclaimed. “You all certainly have had an exciting evening!”

  The small twins helped Dinah carry in the cups of steaming cocoa and a big plate of cookies. As Mr. Bobbsey took a cup, he addressed Red Rankin.

  “Suppose you tell us about yourself,” he said kindly.

  In a low voice the dog trainer said that after his trick dog had disappeared, he had stayed in Lakeport, hoping to find the dog and rejoin the show.

  “But I couldn’t locate Bob,” he went on, “so I started looking for any kind of work. Then yesterday Bob came running into your boathouse!”

  “He knew you were there because you dropped your red handkerchief in our back yard, and he followed your trail!” Flossie said excitedly. “But we couldn’t find you!”

  “I didn’t spend too much time in the boathouse,” Red explained with a smile.

  “What are your plans now?” Mr. Bobbsey asked. “Will you go back to the circus?”

  Red Rankin looked uncertain. He explained that only this afternoon he had found a job with a construction company. “They want to send me to Panama. To tell you the truth, I’m a little tired of circus life and would like to try something else,” he ended.

  The twins looked at one another in excitement. If Red Rankin was going to Panama, would he take Snap with him?

  Mr. Bobbsey had the same idea. “I’d like very much to buy your dog,” he said. “The twins have grown very fond of him!”