CHAPTER XV
THE DOLL'S DRESS
"Haven't you got your lost doll back yet?" asked Freddie, as he movedover on a board, nailed between two trees, to make room for Helen to sitdown between him and Flossie.
"No, I haven't found Mollie," answered the little girl, who had come tovisit her friends. "I guess she's a gypsy by this time."
"Helen, are you sure a gypsy man took your doll?" asked Nan, who hadbeen sent out by her mother to see if the little ones were all right.
"Yes, I'm sure," answered Helen. "I left her in the yard; and, besides,didn't Johnnie Marsh and me both see the gypsy man runnin' off withher?"
"Well, maybe it did happen that way," said Nan. "But what makes youthink we might have seen that gypsy man here, Helen?"
"'Cause Johnnie Marsh said gypsies were camped on Blueberry Island."
"We haven't seen any yet," remarked Bert, who had come out to ask thelittle girl visitor about some of his boy friends in Lakeport.
"Maybe they're hiding 'cause they've got Helen's doll," said Flossie."And maybe they're in the cave Freddie and I found."
"Did you find a cave?" asked Helen. "My mamma read me a story once abouta cave and a giant that lived in it. Did your cave have a giant inside?"
"It had a noise!" answered Flossie excitedly. "Me and Freddie heard it!But we didn't go see what it was. Are you hungry, Helen?" she asked,suddenly changing the subject.
"Yes, I am. I only had some cake and ice-cream on the boat."
"We're goin' to have ice-cream!" Freddie cried. "Sam chopped up the icethis morning and I heard him turning the freezer. I wish dinner wouldhurry up and be ready."
It was not long after this that fat Dinah rang the gong which told thatthe meal was cooked, and soon they were all seated in the dining tentmaking merry over it. Mrs. Porter told how Helen had been teasing, eversince the Bobbseys had come to Blueberry Island, to be brought for avisit.
"She says that maybe the gypsies who took her doll are here," went onMrs. Porter; "though I tell her she will never see Mollie again. ButHelen begged hard to come, and so--here we are."
"And we're very glad to see you," said Mrs. Bobbsey. "Can't you staylonger than just until this evening?"
"No, not this time, as we didn't bring any extra clothes with us. ButHelen might come later for a visit of a few days."
"Oh, yes, please let her come!" begged Flossie.
"We'll see," said Mrs. Porter. "Did you find Snap?" she asked Bert.
"No, we haven't heard anything of him. I was going to ask if you had,"and he looked anxiously at Helen's mother.
"No, I haven't heard a word about your pet," answered Mrs. Porter,"though I've asked all your boy friends, and so has Helen. Tommy Toddand the others say they are keeping watch for Snap, and if they see himthey'll let you know. Has anything else happened since you've beenhere?" she asked Mr. and Mrs. Bobbsey.
"Nothing much," answered Nan's mother. "We have had a lovely timecamping, and----"
"Flossie's and my go-around bugs broke out of their box!" cried Freddie,and then he begged his mother's pardon for interrupting her when she wasspeaking. His mother smiled, excused him, and then she let him andFlossie, in turn, tell about the missing bugs.
"Come on, we'll play hide-and-go-to-seek," proposed Flossie afterdinner, while her father and mother and Mrs. Porter were still sittingabout the table talking. "Do you and Nan want to play, Bert?" she askedher older brother.
"No, Flossie," he answered with a smile. "I'm going to help Sam cut woodfor the campfire. We're going to have a marshmallow roast to-night."
"Oh, I just wish I could stay!" cried Helen. "I love roastmarshmallows!"
"We'll roast some when you come again," said Nan, who was going to dosome sewing, so she could not play with the smaller children just then.Soon the game of hide-and-go-to-seek began.
Freddie said he would hide first, and let both girls hunt for him. Hethought he could hide so well that he could fool them both, and stillget "home safe" before they spied him.
So while Flossie and Helen "blinded" by hiding their faces in their armsagainst a tree, Freddie stole quietly off to hide. He found a good placebehind a pile of brush-wood, and there he cuddled up in a little bunchand waited, after calling "coop!", until he heard the two girlssearching for him.
By peeping through the brush Freddie could see Helen and his sisterlooking all about for him--behind trees, down back of fallen logs, andin clumps of ferns.
Then Freddie saw the girls go far enough away from "home," which was abig oak tree, so that he thought he would have a chance to run in"free."
This he did, and how surprised Flossie and Helen were when they saw himdash out from the pile of brush-wood!
"I'll blind now and let you hide," said Freddie, though if the game wasplayed by the rules it would be his turn to hide again, as he had notbeen caught.
So this time the little boy hid his head in his arms and began countingup to a hundred by fives, and when he had called out loudly:"Ninety-five--one hundred! Ready or not, I'm coming!" he opened his eyesand began searching.
Freddie had to be more careful about going away from the "home" treethan had the two little girls. Either one of them could have spied himand have run to touch "home" before he did. But Freddie was all alonehunting for his sister and Helen, and when he had his back turned one orthe other might run in ahead of him.
"But I'll find 'em," he told himself. "I'll spy 'em both and then itwill be my turn to hide again."
Meanwhile, Flossie and Helen were well hidden. Flossie had found twologs lying on a pile of leaves, not far from the "home" tree, and shehad crawled down in between them pulling leaves over her. Only her nosestuck out, so she could breathe, and no one could have seen her untilthey were very close.
Helen had picked out a hollow stump in which to hide. It was deep enoughfor her to get inside, and the bottom was covered with old leaves, so itwas soft and not very dirty. Helen had been given an old dress ofFlossie's to put on to play in, so she would not soil her own white one.
"I'm going to have a good place to hide," thought Helen, as she climbedup on a pile of stones outside the old stump and jumped down inside,crouching there.
Then she waited for Freddie to come to find her, and as there was acrack in the stump, she could look out and see where he was. As soon ashe got far enough away from "home," Flossie, who was nearer the oaktree, would run in free,--and then she would try to reach it.
Meanwhile she crouched in the hollow stump, trying not to laugh or coughor sneeze, for if she did that Freddie would hear and know where shewas. Helen saw something white in the stump with her. At first shethought it was a piece of paper, but when she picked it up she knew itwas cloth. And as she looked at it her eyes grew big with wonder.
Without stopping to think that she was playing the hide-and-go-to-seekgame Helen suddenly stood up in the hollow stump, her head and waistshowing above the edge like a Jack-in-the-box. In her hand she held thewhite thing she had found.
Flossie, from her hiding place between the two logs, could look over andsee what Helen was doing. Seeing her standing up in plain sight Flossie,in a loud whisper, called to her friend:
"Get down! Get down! Freddie will see you and then you'll be it! Getdown!"
"But look! Look at what I found! In the hollow stump!" answered Helen."Oh, I must show you!"
"No! Get down!" cried Flossie, pulling more leaves over herself. "Herecomes Freddie. He'll see you!"
The little boy was coming from the "home" tree. He caught sight ofHelen, and cried:
"Tit-tat, Helen! Tit-tat, Helen! I see her in the hollow stump!"
"I don't care if I am it," Helen answered. "Look what I found!"
"What is it?" asked Flossie, sitting up amid the leaves.
"It's the dress Mollie wore when the gypsy took her away!" exclaimedHelen. "Oh, my doll must be somewhere on this island!" and holding thewhite object high above her head she ran toward Flossie.
The Bobbsey Twins on Blueberry Island Page 15