The Secret at the Seashore Page 2

“What’s this? You’ve lost a duck?” he asked.

  After Freddie had told him all about Downy, Hal turned to Dorothy. “You know the water from this pond runs down that little waterfall under the road into the ocean.”

  “Waterfall!” Freddie cried. “Do you think Downy has gone over the falls?” He dashed around the house and down the path to the beach. The others ran after him.

  “I see him ! I see him!” Freddie called, pointing out over the ocean. There was the little duck bobbing up and down far out on the waves.

  Quick as a flash Flossie raced along the beach toward the lifeguard’s tower. A tanned young man was seated on the sand in front of it.

  “Come quick!” Flossie cried. “Downy’s in the ocean and he’s drowning!”

  “Okay, I’ll get him,” the lifeguard called back, running toward a rowboat at the edge of the water. In another minute he was pulling with strong strokes in the direction Flossie had pointed.

  At the sight of the running lifeguard, the other people on the beach stood up, straining their eyes to watch the rescue.

  “Wait until they find out he’s gone after a duck!” Hal remarked to Bert with a chuckle.

  By this time the young lifeguard had reached the bobbing yellow speck on the waves. The children saw him stop rowing and lean over the side of the boat.

  “He has Downy!” Flossie cried happily.

  A few minutes later the lifeguard beached his boat and carried the duck up to the waiting children. A wave of laughter swept over the onlookers.

  “Thank you for rescuing him,” Freddie said solemnly as he cradled Downy in his arms.

  “Flossie didn’t mean to make you think a person was out there drowning,” Bert apologized. “She was just upset about the duck.”

  The young man laughed. “That’s all right, son,” he said. “We don’t stop to ask questions when we think anyone’s in trouble. I’m glad I could save your pet.”

  “Where can we keep Downy now?” Freddie wailed. “He’ll swim away again.”

  “I’ll fix that for you,” Hal spoke up. “We have some wire netting in our boathouse. I’ll fasten a piece of it along the top of the falls. Then Downy can’t swim out of the pond.”

  Bert went with his new friend, and in a short time they had blocked the pond.

  “Let’s go swimming,” Dorothy suggested when the boys had finished.

  Everyone thought this was a good idea, and soon the six children gathered on the beach in their suits.

  “How would you and Freddie like to have a chicken fight?” Hal asked Flossie, when the small twins had grown tired of playing at the edge of the water.

  “I’d rather have a duck fight,” Freddie objected.

  Hal laughed. “Okay, we’ll make it ducks.”

  He explained the game. Then he lifted Freddie onto his shoulders while Bert did the same with Flossie. The boys walked out into the ocean until the water was at their shoulders. Then they turned to face each other.

  “Now, ducks, start fighting!” Hal cried. At the signal, Freddie and Flossie began splashing each other with water.

  Hal and Bert jumped around to make it harder for each twin to reach the other. Flossie laughed so hard and flailed the water so fast that she lost her balance and tumbled from Bert’s shoulders.

  He had a firm hold on her legs so she only got a ducking. “I like duck fighting,” she spluttered as Bert set her on his shoulders again.

  “I won! I won!” Freddie shouted. “Flossie fell off!”

  “I’ll beat you the next time,” Flossie insisted as the older boys waded to shore with their “ducks.”

  “I think Nan and I should be the ducks tomorrow,” Dorothy remarked. “How about it, Hal?”

  “Sure,” he agreed. “I’ll meet you all on the beach tomorrow morning.”

  “So long,” Bert called as the tall boy left. “I’m glad you’re here to keep all the girls from picking on me.”

  “Is that so!” said Dorothy. “You haven’t seen anything yet!”

  During the night the wind came up again, and by morning the ocean was a mass of whitecaps.

  “I’m afraid it’s too rough for you children to go swimming today,” Aunt Emily observed in the living room after breakfast. Then, seeing their disappointed looks, she continued, “Perhaps we could go to Lakeside Amusement Park.”

  Mrs. Minturn explained that a new amusement park had been opened along the shore of a large lake which was a short distance back of Ocean Cliff. Most of the residents of the cliff kept their boats moored on the lake.

  “Our outboard motorboat is there, too,” Dorothy explained. “We call it the Firefly.”

  “What a pretty name!” said Nan.

  Flossie was more interested in seeing the amusement park. “Let’s go right away!” she urged.

  Dorothy ran to phone Hal and tell him the change in plans. She came back saying, “Hal is going into the city with his father, so he won’t be able to come with us.”

  “That’s too bad,” Bert remarked. “Well, it means you kids will have to take orders from just Freddie and me.” He dashed away before Dorothy could throw a pillow at him.

  Mr. Bobbsey asked to be excused from the trip. “William and I have plans to go fishing.”

  The children quickly got ready for the trip to the amusement park. When they reached it, Mrs. Minturn stopped to buy tickets at the big entrance gate. The group walked across a bridge and into the main part of the park.

  Then they stopped in surprise. There were policemen everywhere!

  CHAPTER III

  UNDERGROUND CITY

  “WHAT do you suppose has happened?” Bert asked in astonishment.

  “Perhaps we should leave and come another time,” Mrs. Bobbsey suggested.

  “Oh, Mother, it must be all right or they wouldn’t have let us in,” Nan ventured.

  Her mother smiled. She knew her children loved mysteries and would never want to leave any place where something mysterious had happened.

  “Let’s find out what’s the matter,” Bert said, and they walked up to a policeman who was standing nearby.

  In reply to the boy’s question, the officer said that a man suspected of stealing a large sum of money had been traced to Lakeside.

  “It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack,” the policeman declared with a discouraged shake of his head. “There are too many places in this park for a person to hide!”

  “Who is the man?” Nan asked curiously. “And where was the money stolen from?”

  “He worked for Allied Cargo Airlines down the road. They brought in a big shipment of cash from Switzerland this morning and, during the unloading, a lot of it disappeared.”

  “And they think this man took the money?” Bert questioned.

  “That’s right,” the officer answered. “He was helping to unload the plane, and by the time the loss was discovered he had vanished. Fellow at the airport gate saw him heading this way. We have all the entrances and exits covered.”

  “Boy,” said Bert. “You have quite a puzzle on your hands!”

  “What does the man look like?” Freddie asked.

  The policeman smiled. “Well, my boy,” he said, “they tell me he is short and slim and has yellow hair like yours. Only his hair sticks up on top in a cowlick. That’s the description on Albert Garry’s record card at the airport.”

  “We’re the Bobbseys,” Bert said. He introduced his mother and brother and sisters and then Aunt Emily and Dorothy.

  “Pleased to meet you all.” The officer took off his cap. “I’m Joe Weaver.”

  “Maybe we can help you, Officer Weaver,” Bert said. “We Bobbseys have helped solve a few mysteries. We might be able to find Albert Garry.”

  “If you see anyone who fits his description, call headquarters or let me know,” Officer Weaver requested.

  Promising that they would do this, the Bobbseys and Minturns walked on into the amusement park.

  “I hope we can find that man who stole the
money,” Flossie said earnestly as she skipped along beside Freddie.

  “Maybe he’s hiding on one of the rides,” her twin suggested.

  Bert overheard him. “That’s a thought,” he declared. “Let’s separate and look for Garry.”

  “Okay,” said Nan. She saw a roller coaster ahead. “Dorothy, you and Flossie and I can go on that.”

  Freddie, pointing to a ticket booth not far away, asked, “Will you go in the Underground City with me, Bert?”

  “It’s fun,” Dorothy put in. “You get in little boats which are pulled by a cable through an underground canal. Along the sides are scenes of a make-believe city.”

  “Where will Mother and Aunt Emily go?” Flossie asked.

  Mrs. Bobbsey laughed. “We’ll sit here on one of these benches and watch for the thief.”

  “Hold him until we get back!” Freddie advised as he followed Bert toward the Underground City entrance.

  Nan bought tickets for the roller coaster. In another minute she and Dorothy had taken seats in one of the little cars, while Flossie settled between them. A stout woman and a small man in a felt fishing hat sat behind the children.

  “I’m going to put on my scarf,” Nan announced, pulling a square of bright red silk from her pocket. As she tied it under her chin the car gave a jerk and started up the long incline.

  The car reached the top and hurtled down the steep grade ahead. Then it raced up the next piece of track.

  “Whee!” Flossie squealed.

  “Look at the lake!” Dorothy cried. It seemed as if the speeding car was about to shoot out over the water.

  The stout woman clutched the back of the girls’ seat. “Let me out, Albert!” she screamed. “This car’s going too fast!”

  Albert! Could this be the thief Albert Garry? The girls did not dare turn around yet to get a better look at him.

  “Now, Minnie,” the man said soothingly, “you know you like roller coasters. The ride will be over in a few minutes!”

  The speeding car jerked around a curve. “My hat!” the man yelled as it sailed off into the air.

  The next moment Nan gasped, “My scarf!” The wind had caught the fluttering silk and snatched it from her head. Down, down it drifted toward the ground.

  A few minutes later the car reached the end of the ride and slowed to a stop. At once the girls turned to look at “Albert.” He was completely bald!

  “He’s not the thief Albert,” Dorothy whispered. “Anyway, I don’t think a person could hide on the roller coaster !”

  Flossie, relieved, said, “That ride was fun!”

  “It sure was!” Dorothy agreed. “But my stomach’s all mixed up!”

  “Maybe we can find your scarf, Nan,” Flossie said hopefully.

  “Let’s look,” her sister replied.

  The three girls walked slowly around the base of the roller coaster, peering at the ground. When they had reached the ticket booth again Nan looked up. She began to laugh. “Look!” she cried. “On the merry-go-round!”

  The revolving platform was halted at the moment. Draped over the head of the tallest giraffe was Nan’s red scarf 1

  “Ooh, doesn’t he look funny?” Flossie giggled.

  “Come on, let’s take a ride,” Dorothy urged. “I’ll get the scarf for you!”

  When the merry-go-round started up again, Dorothy was astride the giraffe. As the music began to play, she grabbed the scarf and stretched forward to hand it to Nan, who was seated on a tiger in front of her.

  “Thanks,” Nan said, then chuckled. “I wonder if the bald man got back his hat!”

  In the meantime Bert and Freddie had climbed into the little two-passenger boat for the trip through the Underground City. Bert sat in the front seat, with Freddie directly behind him.

  “Keep your hands inside the boat!” the attendant called as the boys began to move away.

  The first few minutes of the ride were in darkness. Then a lighted scene appeared to one side of the boat. There was a toy service station with several cars. One was having gasoline put into its tank, while a tire was being changed on another. This work was being done by two little moving toy figures.

  “Stop the boat!” Freddie urged. “I want to see them Ionger!”

  Bert laughed. “Can’t do that Look, here comes another scene.”

  This time, the action was on the other side. There was a miniature school building. Children were moving in and out of the front entrance. In the playground was a tiny seesaw with two little figures bobbing up and down. At one side two boys were tossing a ball into a basket fastened to a pole about a foot high.

  The boat glided past several more scenes. One was a busy street with little cars obeying the red and green traffic signals. Another was a drive-in movie with a tiny screen flickering in front of a group of toy automobiles.

  “Wow! Look at this next one, Freddie I” Bert called.

  The little boat had turned a corner. The scene was the largest yet. It showed a block of toy buildings. The one at the far end, labeled Hotel, was afire!

  “Oh boy! Look at the fire engine!” Freddie cried in excitement.

  The toy engine was standing in front of the building. Little figures of firemen played a stream of water from a long hose on the burning structure.

  “The firemen are rescuing the people!” Freddie exclaimed. He pointed to the side of the building where a tiny ladder stretched to the top windows. Firemen were swarming up it.

  Suddenly Freddie leaned forward and grabbed Bert’s arm. “Look!” he whispered. “There’s a man’s head behind that middle building!”

  “I don’t see anything. You’re kidding!” Bert protested.

  “No, I’m not. He had blond hair and it stuck up on top!” Freddie insisted.

  “You must be mistaken, Freddie,” Bert said patiently. “I don’t think anyone could get in behind there.”

  Freddie said nothing more. The little boat glided past a park with tiny trees and sparkling ponds. Then it went through a long, dark stretch and finally emerged into the sunlight again.

  Mrs. Bobbsey, Aunt Emily, and the three girls were waiting on the platform. “Where’s Freddie?” Flossie called out.

  “Why, he‘s—” Bert turned around.

  The back seat was empty!

  CHAPTER IV

  THE FAIRY CASTLE

  “BERT!” Mrs. Bobbsey cried in alarm. “Has anything happened to Freddie?”

  Her older son was too stunned to speak. At this moment, an attendant came up to hold the boat. “Lose something, son?” he asked when he saw Bert’s bewildered expression.

  “Yes. My little brother!”

  “Lost your brother!” The man looked startled. “You mean he was in the boat with you?”

  Bert nodded. “He was in it up to the fire scene in the Underground City.”

  “Maybe he fell out!” Mrs. Bobbsey exclaimed. “We must go back and look for him!”

  “Now, ma‘am,” the attendant said soothingly, “I’m sure the little fellow is all right. Kids often play tricks in the Underground City.”

  The attendant pushed a button, reversing the direction of the cable which pulled the boats. He jumped into the two-seater with Bert, and they started back into the tunnel.

  “Is your little brother particularly interested in fires?” the man asked.

  “Yes, he’s crazy about fire engines.” “Then that’s where we’ll find him,” the guide said with a smile.

  He was right. When they reached the row of toy buildings Freddie was sitting there on the ground in front of the display watching the entrance to the tunnel.

  “Hi, Bert!” he called cheerfully. “I thought you’d come back for me.”

  “What’s the big idea, getting out of the boat without telling me?” Bert asked sternly. “You’ve had everyone worried about you!”

  The attendant grabbed a hook in the wall and stopped the cable. Bert helped Freddie jump into the boat, and they continued back to where their family was waiting.
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  “I was sure I saw Albert Garry behind those pretend buildings and you wouldn’t believe me. So I decided to jump out and find him by myself,” the little boy explained.

  “And did you find Garry?”

  “N-no, but I know I saw him!” Freddie declared stubbornly.

  When the boat reached daylight again, the watchers looked relieved. “Freddie, you must never do such a thing again!” Mrs. Bobbsey said sternly after she had thanked the attendant.

  “I’m sorry, Mother,” Freddie said meekly. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  Flossie felt sorry for her twin and wanted to make him happy again. “I see some big hats,” she said. “Let’s go over to that booth and look at them.”

  The group strolled over to the booth. Strings of big straw hats hung from the ends of the canopy roof. Piled on the counter were woven straw sandals, colorful beach bags, and bright scarves.

  “May I have some sandals?” Nan spoke up.

  The young woman behind the counter picked out a pair. “These should fit you,” she said in a low, pleasant voice. “Suppose you try them on.”

  A little girl of about seven with short black curls sat on a stool near the end of the counter. She smiled shyly at Flossie.

  “Hello,” Flossie said. “I’m Flossie Bobbsey. What’s your name?”

  The little girl got up and walked around to the front of the counter where Nan was trying on the sandals.

  “My name’s Cindy Weller,” she said. “This is my mommy’s booth. Her name is Mrs. Peter Weller.”

  Nan was amazed to hear this name. Peter Weller was the name of the missing flier whom their helicopter pilot Don Wheaton had mentioned. Could he be the same person?

  “Cindy, do you know a man named Don Wheaton?” she asked.

  Her mother had overheard the remark and said, “Yes, we do. What made you mention him?”

  “Don Wheaton brought us down here,” Nan answered, not wishing to say any more.

  But Cindy spoke up. “Did he tell you about my Daddy Pete? He’s been away a long time.”

  Her mother explained that her husband, a test pilot for the International Airplane Construction Company, had disappeared while on a test flight over the ocean.