The Bobbsey Twins of Lakeport Page 5

  Freddie did this. The kite went up but darted about in the air until Freddie had a hard time holding onto the cord. A strong gust of wind suddenly snatched it from his hand. Mr. Bobbsey grabbed the string just in time. After a little practice, the kite fliers were enjoying the sport immensely. The twins’ parents left a little later and went back to the house.

  Presently the wind grew strong once more, and almost took Freddie’s kite from his grasp again.

  “Wait, I’ll help you,” Bert called from across the field where he was trying to get his kite up. He tied it to a nearby fence and ran over to Freddie.

  “I think you need more weight on the tail,” Bert said when he had examined the kite. “I’ll tie a stone on it.”

  As he looked around the ground for one of a suitable size, Flossie cried out, “There goes your kite, Bert. Did you put a stone on it?”

  “Why no.” Bert looked up at the soaring kite with a puzzled expression. There was something black hanging at the end.

  Then Freddie screamed, “It’s Snoop! I can see him! Oh, save him, Bert!”

  Nan looked toward the fence. There stood Danny Rugg, doubled up with laughter. She ran over to him.

  “Did you tie Snoop onto that kite, Danny Rugg?” she demanded, her brown eyes blazing.

  “Sure,” Danny blustered. “It won’t hurt him. He’ll have a nice ride!”

  “You’re the meanest boy I’ve ever known!” Nan cried as she ran back to join the others.

  Bert, Freddie, and Flossie were aghast as they watched the kite soar through the air with Snoop clinging to its tail. Freddie and Flossie began to cry. Just then the kite dipped above an abandoned barn at the edge of the field. Snoop evidently saw his chance to escape. He tore himself loose from the cord and leaped to the roof of the barn!

  The four children raced across the field to the old building. Freddie stationed himself under the spot where Snoop was crouched on the roof.

  “Come down, Snoop,” he called. “Jump! I’ll catch you.”

  But Snoop only moved a little farther up the slanting roof.

  “Maybe I can reach him from inside,” Bert said. He ran into the old barn. There was a rickety stairway in one corner. Glancing up, Bert could see numerous holes in the roof.

  He raced up the stairs to the loft. By standing on his tiptoes he could reach his hand through one of the larger holes. He did this, waggling his fingers and calling, “Here, Snoop!”

  But the cat was only frightened by the waving fingers and moved higher. Bert leaned out the window and called to the children below. “Where is Snoop now?”

  “He’s gone over to the other side,” Freddie cried. “Can you get him there?”

  “I can’t reach him from here,” Bert decided.

  “I’ll have to try some other way.” He ran down the rickety steps and outside.

  Nan, Flossie, and Freddie were standing by the barn, watching as Snoop stalked about the roof.

  “Maybe Mr. Roscoe would lend you a ladder,” Nan suggested as Bert surveyed the situation.

  “I guess that’s the only way I’ll get Snoop down,” Bert agreed.

  Bert ran across the field to Mr. Roscoe’s house and knocked on the door. Nobody answered so he knocked again. Finally, after the third time, Mr. Roscoe opened the door.

  “Hello, Bert,” the old man said. “What can I do for you?”

  “Please, Mr. Roscoe, may I borrow your long ladder?”

  “Borrow my ladder? What do you want with a ladder out there in the field?”

  “Our cat is on your barn roof and can’t get down. I’d like to use the ladder to get him.”

  Mr. Roscoe looked puzzled. “Why can’t he get down the same way he got up, eh?”

  When Bert explained that Snoop had gone up on the tail of a kite, the old man chuckled. “That’s a new one on me. I never knew cats like to fly!”

  “May I take the ladder?” Bert asked desperately.

  “Why, sure,” Mr. Roscoe replied. “It’s out back in the tool shed. Help yourself. But put it back when you’re through with it!”

  “I will! Thanks!” Bert ran to the tool shed, got the ladder and began to drag it across the field.

  The other children saw him coming and ran to help. It took all four of them to get the ladder up to the barn but at last it was in place.

  Bert climbed the rungs nimbly. Snoop watched him from the edge of the roof. But when Bert’s shoulders reached the top of the ladder and he cautiously put out a hand to Snoop, the cat scrambled farther up the roof!

  CHAPTER VIII

  TWO BOY DETECTIVES

  “OH, SNOOP!” Freddie wailed as he saw the cat evade Bert. “Please come down!”

  Bert reached into his pocket and pulled out the ball of cord which he had used on the kite. He set it on the edge of the roof. Snoop could not restrain his curiosity and advanced cautiously.

  When he came within reach, the boy’s hand shot out and Snoop was captured ! Bert carefully backed down the ladder, the cat held securely under one arm.

  On the ground again he was greeted by cheers from Freddie and Flossie. Freddie grabbed his pet. “You rescued me, Snoop,” he said, “and now Bert has rescued you !”

  “Were you scared?” Flossie asked, stroking Snoop’s fur and putting her curly head close to look into the kitten’s eyes.

  Snoop sneezed and shook his head. Flossie giggled. “Snoop is a brave kitty!” she exclaimed.

  The four children carried the ladder back to the tool shed and thanked Mr. Roscoe. “So you got the flying cat down!” he said, chuckling at his joke.

  After the children had flown their kites awhile, they reeled in the cords, and walked home. As they stepped into the Bobbsey kitchen, the twins were greeted by the delicious odor of baking cookies.

  “Would you like to have your cooky sale this afternoon?” Mrs. Bobbsey asked as she passed a plate of ginger cakes. “Dinah and I can make them for you.”

  “Oh yes,” Flossie exclaimed. “Let’s have a cooky store, Nan!”

  Later at the lunch table the twins told their mother and father about Danny’s trick and how Snoop had been rescued from the barn roof. Then the talk turned to the cooky project.

  “What can we use for a store?” Nan asked thoughtfully.

  “Why not build it out of that big carton the new refrigerator came in?” Mr. Bobbsey suggested. “I think Sam put it in the garage in case there might be some use for it.”

  “Oh, yes,” Flossie agreed. “We can stand inside and make believe it’s a real store!”

  Bert and Freddie volunteered to help, and after lunch the twins brought the huge carton out onto the front lawn. “See, the back door’s already made!” Freddie said, pointing to the opening where the refrigerator had been taken out.

  When the big box was set on end, Flossie opened the “doors” and walked in. “We need a window in front,” she said, “so we can sell the cookies.”

  “I’ll fix that,” Bert offered. He pulled out his pocketknife and cut an opening in the front of the carton down to about three feet from the bottom.

  “That’s great,” Nan said. “We can put the cookies on plates, and maybe Mother will let us bring out the two end tables from the living room to put the plates on.”

  When Mrs. Bobbsey was consulted she agreed to their using the tables, which Dinah covered with gleaming white shelf paper. In the meantime the cook had fried a mound of golden-brown doughnuts. She rolled them in powdered sugar, then took from the oven several sheets of crisp chocolate and nut cookies.

  Nan arranged these on platters and carried them out to the “store.” Flossie stood on the sidewalk and surveyed the display.

  “We need some dec’rations,” she said critically. “It still looks like a box.”

  Nan joined her little sister on the sidewalk. “I wonder what we could do,” she said thoughtfully. Then her face brightened. “I know!” she exclaimed and ran pell-mell into the house.

  In a few minutes she was back with a ball
of twine, a roll of cellophane tape, and a box of thumb tacks. Flossie watched curiously as Nan cut off a length of cord and began to string doughnuts on it.

  “Oh, I see!” she exclaimed. “We can fasten it to the top and let it hang down in a loop!”

  Nan nodded. “Then I thought we could tack some cookies on the inside of the back with the tape.”

  “Oh, that will be bee-yoo-ti-ful!” Flossie cried, clapping her hands.

  When Bert came out of the house to see how they were getting along he put up the doughnut string for them. Nan and Flossie busied themselves attaching the cookies to the inside of the carton.

  They finished this and stood back to admire the result. “You ought to have a name for your store,” Bert observed.

  “That’s right,” Nan agreed. “What shall we call it?”

  At this moment Freddie walked up, munching a cake. “Oh, oh, look at the cooky box!” he said teasingly.

  “The cooky box!” Nan exclaimed. “That’s a good name!”

  “Yes!” Flossie jumped up and down in excitement. “Let’s call it that!”

  Bert went to the garage and got a can of white enamel which Sam had used to touch up some woodwork in the house. Then while the other twins watched, Nan carefully painted THE COOKY Box across the top of the carton in big white letters.

  “I guess you’re in business now,” Bert remarked as he prepared to return the paint to the garage. “Freddie and I are going over to the old Marden house and look around. We’ll see you later.”

  Nan and Flossie waved good-by to the boys and prepared to start their cooky sale. They decided that since Flossie was smaller, she would stand behind the “counter” and sell the cakes while Nan walked up and down the sidewalk and told passers-by about the project.

  “Wouldn’t you like to buy some cookies?” Nan asked a pleasant-looking woman who was the first to pass the Bobbsey house. “We’re selling them to raise money for our school.”

  “Why yes,” the woman agreed with a smile. “They look delicious.” She made her selection, and Flossie carefully wrapped the purchase in waxed paper.

  After that several more people appeared and bought cookies. Then for a few minutes no one came by. Nan and Flossie were rearranging the remaining cakes on the plates when they heard a familiar voice.

  “What are the dear Bobbsey twins doing today?” it said in sneering tones.

  “Danny Rugg!” Nan exclaimed. “Now, don’t you cause any trouble!”

  “Trouble?” Danny asked in pretended surprise. “Why should I cause any trouble? I just want some doughnuts!”

  With that he snatched the string of doughnuts from the front of the stand and ran off!

  “Danny Rugg! Come back here!” Flossie cried out.

  Snoop had been crouched on a low branch of a tree near by, watching the proceedings. Now as Flossie cried out, he gave a flying leap and landed on Danny’s head!

  With a yell the bully threw up his hands to defend himself. The string of doughnuts fell to the ground. Snoop jumped down, and in another second Danny was just a spot in the distance!

  “That mean boy!” Flossie wailed. “He’s spoiled our pretty doughnuts!”

  “Oh, well,” said Nan with a sigh, “we’ve sold almost all the cookies.” Then she giggled. “At least Danny didn’t get any of our doughnuts.”

  Flossie picked up Snoop, who had settled down at the foot of the tree and was washing his face. “Snoop is a real hero!” she said, giving the cat a squeeze.

  Nan counted the money in the little change box. “We’ve made almost five dollars for the school!” she announced happily.

  While she and Flossie were having their cooky sale, Bert and Freddie had reached the old Marden house. Since it was Saturday, the school building was deserted and somehow the quiet made the empty old house seem more mysterious than ever.

  “It really looks spooky, doesn’t it, Bert?” Freddie remarked.

  “Oh, I don’t know,” Bert said, trying to act very assured. “After all, it’s just an abandoned house.”

  “Are we going in?” Freddie asked.

  “Sure,” said Bert, taking the key from his pocket. “Maybe we can find a real clue to the things Mrs. Marden lost.”

  By this time the boys had almost reached the sagging porch. Suddenly Freddie stopped. “Did you hear something, Bert?” he asked.

  “Yes, I think I did,” Bert admitted.

  The boys stood still and listened. Then from above they heard the sound of a shutter being opened.

  “Look!” Freddie whispered, pointing to the side of the house. A shutter in a second-floor window slowly swung open, then closed with a bang.

  “Stay away from this house!” The warning was spoken in a harsh voice which seemed to come from behind the closed blind.

  “Come on, let’s go I” Freddie urged nervously. “Someone’s in there!”

  Bert stood his ground. “Whoever he is, he isn’t supposed to be in there. I’m going in and see who it is!”

  “Do you think we should?” Freddie asked in a quavering voice.

  On second thought Bert decided that perhaps it was not a good idea to take Freddie into the house. After all, they did not know who the intruder might be.

  “I’ll tell you what let’s do,” he remarked. “We’ll pretend to go away, then sneak back and watch the house to see if anyone comes out.”

  Freddie looked relieved. “That’s a swell idea,” he agreed. Then in a loud voice he called, “Come on, Bert! I’m going home!”

  “Okay,” Bert replied in an equally loud tone.

  The two boys walked off. Once out of sight of the house, they hurried around the school building and circled back, approaching the old mansion from the other side. Here they found a crumbling stone wall covered with vines.

  Bert pulled Freddie down behind the wall. “We can see both the front and the back of the house from here,” he said. “If anyone comes out we’re sure to spot him.”

  The boys made themselves as comfortable as possible. They kept their eyes fixed on the old house. After a little while Freddie grew restless.

  “I don’t think anybody’s coming out,” he said. “Let’s go home.”

  At that moment Bert saw the back door of the house open stealthily. Bert poked Freddie. As they watched, a man’s figure crept out the door, then made a dash through the hedge at the rear of the property!

  Bert stood up. “Come on!” he cried excitedly. “I’m going to tell Mr. Tetlow!”

  CHAPTER IX

  THE HIDDEN ENTRANCE

  “BUT Mr. Tetlow isn’t at school today!” Freddie objected.

  “I know,” Bert replied. “We’ll find a telephone and call him up.”

  The two brothers ran to a candy store across the street from the school. The proprietor, Mr. Marino, was a great favorite of all the children. He was short and plump and had a merry smile.

  “Well now,” he exclaimed when he saw Bert and Freddie, “what brings you here on Saturday? Do you like school so well you can’t stay away?” He chuckled.

  Bert was too excited to spend any time in conversation. “May we use your telephone, Mr. Marino?” he asked.

  “It’s very important!” Freddie put in.

  “Go right ahead,” the proprietor agreed. “I guess you know where it is.”

  The boys hurried to the back of the store where the telephone rested on a shelf. Quickly Bert looked up Mr. Tetlow’s number and dialed it. When the principal came on the line, Bert explained what they had seen at the old house.

  “Stay where you are,” Mr. Tetlow said at once. “I’ll be right over!”

  It seemed to the boys that Bert had just replaced the receiver when Mr. Tetlow drove up outside the store and parked.

  “How do you think the man got in?” Bert asked him as they started over toward the Marden house.

  “That’s what I can’t understand,” the principal remarked. “There are supposed to be only two keys to the house. I have one and you have the oth
er!”

  He took out his key and opened the front door. Everything was quiet as the three stepped into the hall.

  “We’ll look through all the rooms and check the window locks as we go,” Mr. Tetlow decided, turning into the room to the right of the entrance.

  Now that a grownup was with them Freddie felt very brave. He ran around the room and peered at each window bolt. They were all securely fastened. The same thing was true in all the other rooms on the first floor.

  When the searchers reached the second floor they found two broken windows. “No one could get in here without a ladder,” Mr. Tetlow observed, “and there was no sign of one outside. So I don’t think we need worry about these windows.”

  Returning to the first floor, he bolted the back door on the inside. “No one will be able to get in this door now!” he stated firmly. “Let’s take a look at the cellar. Where are the stairs?”

  Bert looked startled. “I don’t remember seeing any,” he replied.

  “There’s the trap door that Nan saw,” Freddie reminded him.

  “That’s right,” Bert agreed. “But we couldn’t find any way to open it.”

  “Show me where it is,” Mr. Tetlow suggested. “Maybe I can figure it out.”

  Bert led the way to the kitchen and pointed out the cracks in the floor where they had seen the trap door. Mr. Tetlow got down on his knees and carefully examined the old boards.

  In a few minutes he motioned to the boys. “See these two little holes?” he said. “I think at one time a handle was inserted here. I may be able to pry up the boards.”

  He took out a pocketknife and opened a screwdriver attachment. He pushed this into the crack nearest the holes and used it as a lever. The board raised a little.

  “I think I can get hold of it now!” Bert exclaimed. He placed the tips of his fingers at the edge of the board and pulled. It came up slowly, revealing a flight of rickety-looking steps leading down into darkness.

  “I thought we might need a flashlight,” Mr. Tetlow said, “so I brought one from the car.”