For a while Freddie and Flossie kept close together, for there was quite a crowd present and they felt a little afraid. But then Flossie discovered a counter where all sorts of things for dolls were on sale and she lingered there to look at the dresses, and hats, and underwear, and shoes and stockings, and chairs, trunks, combs, and brushes, and other goods.
"Oh, my, I must have some of those things for my dolls," she said, half aloud. There was a trunk she thought perfectly lovely and it was marked 39 cents. "Not so very much," she thought.
When Freddie got around to where the elevator was, it was just coming up again with another load of people. As he had not seen it go down he concluded that he must go clown by way of the stairs if he wanted another ride.
"I'll get a ride all by myself," he thought, and as quickly as he could, he slipped down first one pair of stairs and then another, to the ground floor of the store. Then he saw another stairs, and soon was in the basement of the department store.
Here was a hardware department with a great number of heavy toys, and soon he was looking at a circular railroad track upon which ran a real locomotive and three cars. This was certainly a wonderful toy, and Freddie could not get his eyes off it.
In moving around the basement of the store, Freddie grew hopelessly mixed up, and when he started to look for the elevator or the stairs, he walked to the storage room. He was too timid to ask his way out and soon found himself among great rows of boxes and barrels. Then he made a turn or two and found himself in another room, filed with empty boxes and casks, some partly filled with straw and excelsior. There was a big wooden door to this room, and while he was inside the door shut with a bang and the catch fell into place.
"Oh, dear, I wish I was back with mamma," he thought, and drew a long and exceedingly sober breath. "I don't like it here at all."
Just then a little black kitten came toward him and brushed up affectionately. Freddie caught the kitten and sat down for a moment to pet it. He now felt sleepy and in a few minutes his eyes closed and his head began to nod. Then in a minute more he went sound asleep.
Long before this happened Mrs. Bobbsey found Flossie and asked her where Freddie was. The little girl could not tell, and the mother began a diligent search. The floorwalkers in the big store aided her, but it was of no avail. Freddie could not be found, and soon it was time to close up the establishment for the day. Almost frantic with fear, Mrs. Bobbsey telephoned to her husband, telling him of what had occurred and asked him what had best be done.
CHAPTER X
LOST AND FOUND
WHEN Freddie woke up all was very, very dark around him. At first he thought he was at home, and called out for somebody to pull up the curtain that he might see.
But nobody answered him, and all he heard was a strange purring, close to his ear. He put up his hand and touched the little black kitten, which was lying close to his face. He had tumbled in the straw and this had proved a comfortable couch upon which to take a nap.
"Oh, dear me, I'll have to get back to mamma!" he murmured, as he struggled up and rubbed his eyes. "What can make it so awful dark? They ought to light the gas. Nobody can buy things when it's so dark as this."
The darkness did not please him, and he was glad to have the black kitten for a companion. With the kitten in his arms he arose to his feet and walked a few steps. Bump! he went into a big box. Then he went in another direction and stumbled over a barrel.
"Mamma! Mamma!" he cried out. "Mamma, where are you?"
No answer came back to this call, and his own voice sounded so queer to him that he soon stopped. He hugged the kitten tighter than ever.
He was now greatly frightened and it was all he could do to keep back the tears. He knew it must be night and that the great store must be closed up.
"They have all gone home and left me here alone," he thought. "Oh, what shall I do?"
He knew the night was generally very long and he did not wish to remain in the big, lonely building until morning.
Still hugging the kitten, he felt his way around until he reached the big wooden door. The catch came open with ease, and once more he found himself in that part of the basement used for hardware and large mechanical toys. But the toy locomotive had ceased to run and all was very silent. Only a single gas jet flickered overhead, and this cast fantastic shadows which made the little boy think of ghosts and hobgoblins. One mechanical toy had a very large head on it, and this seemed to grin and laugh at him as he looked at it.
"Mamma!" he screamed again. "Oh, mamma, why don't you come?"
He listened and presently he heard footsteps overhead.
"Who's there?" came in the heavy voice of a man.
The voice sounded so unnatural that Freddie was afraid to answer. Perhaps the man might be a burglar come to rob the store.
"I say, who's there?" repeated the voice. "Answer me."
There was a minute of silence, and then Freddie heard the footsteps coming slowly down the stairs. The man had a lantern in one hand and a club in the other.
Not knowing what else to do, Freddie crouched behind a counter. His heart beat loudly, and he had dim visions of burglars who might have entered the big store to rob it. If he was discovered, there was no telling what such burglars might do with him.
"Must have been the cat," murmured the man on the stairs. He reached the basement floor and swung his lantern over his head, "Here, kitty, kitty, kitty!" he called.
"Meow!" came from the black kitten, which was still in Freddie's arms. Then the man looked in that direction.
"Hello!" he exclaimed, staring in amazement. "What are you doing here? Are you alone?"
"Oh, please, I want my mamma!" cried Freddie.
"You want your mamma?" repeated the man. "Say!" he went on suddenly. "Are you the kid that got lost this afternoon?"
"I guess I did get lost," answered Freddie. He saw that the man had a kindly face and this made him a bit braver. "I walked around and sat down over there--in the straw--and went to sleep."
"Well, I never!" cried the man. "And have you been down here ever since?"
"Yes, sir. But I don't want to stay--I want to go home."
"All right, you shall go. But this beats me!"
"Are you the man who owns the store?" questioned Freddie curiously.
At this the man laughed. "No; wish I did. I'm the night watchman. Let me see, what is your name ?"
"Freddie Bobbsey. My papa owns the lumber yard."
"Oh, yes, I remember now. Well, Freddie, I reckon your papa will soon come after you. All of 'em are about half crazy, wondering what has become of you."
The night watchman led the way to the first floor of the department store and Freddie followed, still clutching the black kitten, which seemed well content to remain with him.
"I'll telephone to your papa," said the watchman, and going into one of the offices he rang the bell and called up the number of the Bobbsey residence.
In the meantime Mrs. Bobbsey and the others of the family were almost frantic with grief and alarm. Mr. Bobbsey had notified the police and the town had been searched thoroughly for some trace of the missing boy.
"Perhaps they have stolen Freddie away!" said Nan, with the tears starting to her eyes. "Some gypsies were in town, telling fortunes. I heard one of the girls at school tell about it."
"Oh, the bad gypsies!" cried Flossie, and gave a shudder. The idea that Freddie might have been carried off by the gypsies was truly terrifying.
Mr. Bobbsey had been out a dozen times to the police headquarters and to the lake front. A report had come in that a boy looking like Freddie had been seen on the ice early in the evening, and he did not know but what the little fellow might have wandered in that direction.
When the telephone bell rang Mr. Bobbsey had just come in from another fruitless search. Both he and his wife ran to the telephone.
"Hullo!" came over the wire. "Is this Mr. Bobbsey's house?"
"It is," answered the gentleman quickly. "What do
you want? Have you any news?"
"I've found your little boy, sir," came back the reply. "He is safe and sound with me."
"And who are you?"
"The night watchman at the department store. He went to sleep here, that's all."
At this news all were overjoyed.
"Let me speak to him," said Mrs. Bobbsey eagerly. "Freddie dear, are you there?" she asked.
"Yes, mamma," answered Freddie, into the telephone. "And I want to come home."
"You shall, dear. Papa shall come for you at once."
"Oh, he's found! He's found!" shrieked Nan. "Aren't you glad, Bert?"
"Of course I am," answered Bert. "But I can't understand how he happened to go to sleep in such a lively store as that."
"He must have walked around until he got tired," replied Nan. "You know Freddie can drop off to sleep very quickly when he gets tired."
As soon as possible Mr. Bobbsey drove around to the department store in his sleigh. The watchman and Freddie were on the lookout for him, the little boy with the kitten still in his arms.
"Oh, papa!" cried Freddie. "I am so glad you have come! I--I don't want to go to sleep here again!"
The watchman's story was soon told, and Mr. Bobbsey made him happy by presenting him with a two-dollar bill.
"The little chap would have been even more lonely if it hadn't been for the kitten," said the man. "He wanted to keep the thing, so I told him to do it."
"And I'm going to," said Freddie proudly. " It's just the dearest kitten in the world." And keep the kitten he did. It soon grew up to be a big, fat cat and was called Snoop.
By the time home was reached, Freddie was sleepy again. But he speedily woke up when his mamma and the others embraced him, and then he had to tell the story of his adventure from end to end.
"I do not know as I shall take you with me again," said Mrs. Bobbsey. "You have given us all a great scare."
"Oh, mamma, I won't leave you like that again," cried Freddie quickly. "Don't like to be in the dark 'tall," he added.
"Oh, it must have been awful," said Flossie. "Didn't you see any--any ghosts?"
"Barrels of them," said Freddie, nodding his head sleepily. "But they didn't touch me. Guess they was sleepy, just like me." And then he dropped off and had to be put to bed; and that was the end of this strange happening.
CHAPTER XI
THE CRUISE OF THE "ICE BIRD"
THE building of the ice boat by Bert and Charley Mason interested Nan almost as much as it did the boys, and nearly every afternoon she went down to the lumber yard to see how the work was getting along.
Mr. Bobbsey had given Bert just the right kind of lumber, and had a man at the saw-mill saw the sticks and boards to a proper size. He also gave his son some ropes and a pair of old iron runners from a discarded sleigh, so that all Charley had to provide was the bed-sheet already mentioned, for a sail.
The two boys worked with a will, and by Thursday evening had the ice boat completed. They christened the craft the Ice Bird, and Bert insisted upon it that his father come and see her.
"You have certainly done very well," said Mr. Bobbsey. "This looks as if you were cut out for a builder, Bert."
"Well, I'd like to build big houses and ships first-rate," answered Bert.
The sail was rigged with the help of an old sailor who lived down by the lake shore, and on Friday afternoon Bert and Charley took a short trip. The Ice Bird behaved handsomely, much to the boys' satisfaction.
"She's a dandy!" cried Bert. "How she can whiz before the wind."
"You must take me out soon," said Nan.
"I will," answered Bert.
The chance to go out with Bert came sooner than expected. On Monday morning Mrs. Mason made up her mind to pay a distant relative a visit and asked Charley if he wished to go along. The boy wanted to see his cousins very much and said yes; and thus the ice boat was left in Bert's sole charge.
"I'll take you out Monday afternoon, after school," said Bert to his twin sister.
"Good!" cried Nan. "Let us go directly school is out, so as to have some good, long rides."
Four o'clock in the afternoon found them at the lake shore. It was a cloudy day with a fair breeze blowing across the lake.
"Now you sit right there," said Bert, as he pointed to a seat in the back of the boat. "And hold on tight or you'll be thrown overboard."
Nan took the seat mentioned, and her twin brother began to hoist the sail of the Ice Bird. It ran up easily, and caught by the wind the craft began to skim over the surface of the lake like a thing of life.
"Oh, but this is lovely!" cried Nan gleefully. "How fast the boat spins along!"
"I wish there were more ice boats around," answered Bert. "We might then have a race."
"Oh, it is pleasure enough just to sail around," said Nan.
Many other boys and girls wished a ride on the ice boat, and in the end Bert carried a dozen or more across the lake and back. It was rather hard work tacking against the wind, but the old sailor had taught him how it might be done, and he got along fairly well. When the ice boat got stuck all the boys and girls got off and helped push the craft along.
"It is 'most supper time," said Nan, as the whistle at the saw-mill blew for six o'clock. "We'll have to go home soon, Bert."
"Oh, let us take one more trip," pleaded her twin brother.
The other boys and girls had gone and they were left alone. To please Bert, Nan consented, and their course was changed so that the Ice Bird might move down the lake instead of across.
It had grown dark and the stars which might have shone in the sky were hidden by heavy clouds.
"Not too far now, remember," said Nan.
The wind had veered around and was blowing directly down the lake, so, almost before they knew it, the Ice Bird was flying along at a tremendous rate of speed. Nan had to hold on tight for fear of falling off, and had to hold her hat, too, for fear that would be blown away.
"Oh, Bert, this is too fast!" she gasped, catching her breath.
"It's just glorious, Nan!" he cried. "Just hold on, it won't hurt you."
"But--how are we to get back?"
Bert had not thought of that, and at the question his face fell a little.
"Oh, we'll get back somehow." he said evasively.
"You had better turn around now."
"Let us go just a little bit further, Nan," he pleaded.
When at last he started to turn back he found himself unable to do so. The wind was blowing fiercely and the Ice Bird swept on before it in spite of all he could do.
"Bert! Bert! Oh, why don't you turn around?" screamed Nan. She had to scream in order to make herself heard.
"I--I can't," he faltered. "She won't come around."
Nan was very much frightened, and it must be confessed that Bert was frightened too. He hauled on the sail and on the steering gear, and at last the Ice Bird swung partly around. But instead of returning up the lake the craft headed for the western shore, and in a few minutes they struck some lumpy ice and some snow and dirt, and both were thrown out at full length, while the Ice Bird was tipped up on one side.
Bert picked himself up without difficulty and then went to Nan's aid. She lay deep in the snow, but fortunately was not hurt. Both gazed at the tipped-up ice boat in very great dismay.
"Bert, whatever shall we do now?" asked Nan, after a spell of silence. "We'll never get home at all!"
"Oh, yes, we shall," he said, bravely enough, but with a sinking heart. "We've got to get home, you know."
"But the ice boat is upset, and it's so dark I can't see a thing."
"I think I can right the ice boat. Anyway, I can try."
Doing his best to appear brave, Bert tried to shove the Ice Bird over to her original position. But the craft was too heavy for him, and twice she fell back, the second time coming close to smashing his toes.
"Look out, or you'll hurt your foot," cried Nan. "Let me help you."
Between them they presently g
ot the craft right side up. But now the wind was blowing directly from the lake, so to get the Ice Bird out on the ice again was beyond them. Every time they shoved the craft out, the wind drove her back.
"Oh, dear, I guess we have got to stay here after all!" sighed Bert, at last.
"Not stay here all night, I hope!" gasped Nan. "That would be worse than to stay in the store, as Freddie did."
It began to snow. At first the flakes were but few, but soon they came down thicker and thicker, blotting out the already darkened landscape.
"Let us walk home," suggested Nan "That will be better than staying out here in the snow storm."
"It's a long walk. If only we had brought our skates." But alas! neither had thought to bring skates, and both pairs were in the office at the lumber yard.
"I don't think we had better walk home over the ice," said Bert, after another pause. "We may get all turned around and lost. Let us walk over to the Hopedale road."
"I wish we had some crullers, or something," said Nan, who was growing hungry. They had each had a cruller on leaving home, but had eaten them up before embarking on the ice-boat voyage.
"Please don't speak of them, Nan. You make me feel awfully hollow," came from her twin brother. And the way he said this was so comical it made her laugh in spite of her trouble.
The laugh put them both in better spirits and leaving the Ice Bird where she lay, they set off through the snow in the direction of the road which ran from Lakeport to the village of Hopedale, six miles away.
"It will take us over an hour to get home," said Nan.
"Yes, and I suppose we'll catch it for being late," grumbled Bert. "Perhaps we won't get any supper."
"Oh, I know mamma won't scold us after she finds out why we are late, Bert."
They had to cross a pasture and climb a fence before the road was reached. Here was an old cow-shed and they stood in the shelter of this for a moment, out of the way of the wind and driving snow.
"Hark!" cried Bert as they were on the point of continuing their journey.
"It's a dog!" answered Nan. "Oh, Bert, he's coming this way. Perhaps he is savage!"
They listened and could hear the dog plainly. He was barking furiously and coming toward them as fast as he could travel. Soon they made out his black form looming into view through the falling snow.
The Bobbsey Twins; or, Merry Days Indoors and Out / by Laura Lee Hope Page 5