The Secret at the Seashore

by Laura Lee Hope

  “I never thought of that,” Dorothy cried. “Let’s follow that boy!”

  With a hurried word to Mrs. Weller, the two girls left the booth. When they caught up to the boy, they found him standing by a drinking fountain. He looked puzzled.

  “Did the cap fit?” Dorothy asked as they walked up to him.

  “I don’t know,” the boy replied. “The man told me to bring it here to him, but he’s gone!”

  “That’s too bad,” Nan said sympathetically. “But perhaps he’ll be back.”

  They left the boy standing uncertainly by the fountain and returned to the booth. “If it was Garry, we’ve missed him again,” Nan remarked with a sigh.

  In the meantime Bert, Harry, and the small twins had made their way toward Fairyland.

  Flossie skipped along beside Bert. “Perhaps if we took the fairy some candy she’d let us catch her,” Flossie said with a little grin.

  “Or maybe the Bobbseys’ little sweet fairy wants some!” Bert teased her.

  “Look, Bert!” Freddie called. “There are some candy apples!” He pointed to a stand where a man was selling bright red apples mounted on sticks.

  “I’ll treat you!” Harry suggested, pulling some coins from his pocket.

  Freddie and Flossie each picked up one of the sticks. The large apples had been coated with a thick layer of hardened syrup.

  “Ooh, it’s heavy!” Flossie said as she lifted the sweet to her mouth.

  “Let’s have a duel, Flossie!” Freddie cried. He held out the stick with the apple on it and lunged toward his twin.

  But as he did so, the stick broke and the apple landed plop on Flossie’s toe!

  “Ow!” she cried. “That hurt, Freddie!”

  “I’m sorry,” Freddie apologized. “And I lost my apple!”

  “If you’ll promise to eat it and not throw it around, I’ll buy you another,” Bert said.

  Freddie said he would be careful, so in a minute the small twins were hurrying toward the fairy castle, trying to finish the apples before they went in to see the fairy.

  When they reached the little castle, Flossie pointed out the sign to Harry. “We saw the fairy the other time we were here,” she explained, “but when we tried to catch her she went behind a curtain and disappeared!”

  “Bert and I’ll get her this time !” Harry said with a grin.

  “Sure,” Bert agreed. “We should be smart enough to figure out what happens!”

  As had occurred before, when the children pushed open the little front door, a bell tinkled its welcome.

  “The fairy’s in here!” Flossie whispered as she tiptoed toward the wide door leading from the entrance hall.

  The children entered the room, then stopped. The brown curtain hung in front of the fireplace.

  “Something’s behind there!” Freddie declared. He ran across the room and jerked the curtain aside. As he did this the children saw two tiny silver slippers disappearing up the chimney.

  A voice drifted back to them. “Catch me if you can!”

  CHAPTER XIV

  A CHIMNEY HUNT

  AS THE voice of the fairy died away, Bert dashed to the fireplace. He bent over and peered up the chimney.

  “That’s funny!” he exclaimed. “Steps go up inside. There weren’t any the other time. I remember looking for them!”

  “Hurry, Bert!” Freddie exclaimed impatiently. “Let’s follow the fairy!”

  The stairs were narrow and very steep. Bert made his way first, then Flossie, followed by Freddie, and Harry at the end.

  “Ooh! It’s dark!” Flossie said as she pulled herself up after Bert.

  “I think we’re coming to the end,” Bert called to the others. The next minute he pushed open a door and stepped out onto a little balcony. The others followed.

  “But the fairy’s not here!” Flossie cried, looking all around.

  “Here are some more stairs,” Freddie announced. He had been walking around the balcony and had seen steps which led down to the ground in back of the castle.

  Quickly the four children ran down the stairs and around the little castle. But there was still no sign of the fairy.

  “Maybe the chimney stairs go up farther,” Bert finally suggested. “The fairy may be on the roof.”

  Freddie led the way this time. They climbed back up to the balcony.

  “The steps don’t go any farther,” he reported. “The fairy must have gone out to the balcony.”

  “But where is she now?” Flossie wailed, as they stepped outside.

  “She probably went into the house,” Harry said. “Let’s look around there.”

  “I think she’s one of Santa Claus’s fairies,” Flossie said suddenly.

  “Why, Flossie?” Freddie asked.

  “Because she went up the chimney,” Flossie stated with an impish grin.

  The others laughed and agreed.

  “Maybe she went down the chimney again while we were looking around on the ground,” Harry suggested.

  “Then we should go down, too,” Bert said. He went into the chimney and started the descent, followed by the others.

  When they reached the bottom of the steps Freddie and Flossie ran out into the entrance hall. There stood the fairy!

  Now the children could see that she was a very small young lady. She had wavy golden hair, shining blue eyes, and a happy smile. She wore a ballet costume and wings and carried a wand with a star on top.

  “Come!” She beckoned to the twins. “You have found me! Tell me your wishes and I will see if they can be granted.”

  “I’d like a new fire engine!” Freddie said at once.

  “And I want a new doll,” Flossie declared.

  The fairy smiled. “I’m sure your wishes will be granted at Christmas,” she said, “if you are good children.

  “And now,” she continued, “since you caught me in my castle, you are members of Fairyland! Here are your rewards!”

  The fairy went to a table in the hall and returned with two little packages. “Open them!” she said with a smile.

  Eagerly Freddie and Flossie untied the gold cord and opened the boxes. In Flossie’s was a little wand with a tinsel star at the top! Freddie received a tiny silver horn.

  There stood the fairy!

  “Thank you!” the small twins chorused, their blue eyes shining with delight.

  Bert and Harry had been looking on with interest. Now Bert spoke up. “Could you tell us how you vanished the other day? I didn’t see any stairway then.”

  “You may call me Hada,” the young woman said. “That is the Spanish word for fairy. Yes, I will tell you my secret. There is a little button at the top of the stairs. When I push it, the steps fold up flat against the side of the chimney and are not noticed. The castle has many doors. So I run down the stairs from the balcony and slip back indoors without being seen.”

  “So that’s what happened the first time we were here!” Bert exclaimed.

  “That’s right!” Hada laughed. “It wouldn’t be so much fun if you caught the fairy the first time you tried, now would it?”

  Freddie and Flossie shook their heads in agreement.

  “Do you always tell children their wishes will come true?” Harry asked curiously.

  Hada said this was only when children wished for something which would be good for them, and she thought it was possible for the parents to see that the wishes were granted.

  The four children said good-by to Hada and hurried over to Mrs. Weller’s booth to tell the girls of their adventure. Nan and Dorothy, in turn, told of their suspicion that Garry was in the park.

  “We think he sent that boy to buy him a cap to replace the one he lost when he stole Hal’s canoe,” Nan said.

  “Did you tell all this to the police?” Bert asked.

  “Not yet,” Nan replied. “Do you want to come with us?”

  Bert, Nan, and Dorothy found Officer Weaver at the entrance to the Underground City. When Nan and Dorothy told their story, the
policeman pushed his hat to the back of his head and mopped his forehead.

  “I don’t see how Garry could be in the park,” he said. “We’ve been watching this place pretty carefully all during the past week. But thanks anyhow for telling me.”

  As the children left the park a short time later, Dorothy remarked, “We’ll have time for a swim before supper if you want. It’s just between high and low tides now, and the water will be nice.”

  “Good!” Bert exclaimed. “I’d like to get in a little practice on my crawl.”

  Freddie and Flossie decided just to go wading. The four older children dashed upstairs when they reached the Minturns’ house and a few minutes later met on the porch ready for a swim.

  “The water looks great!” Bert said as they ran down to the beach.

  The ocean was covered with large swells which broke into whitecaps as they neared the shore. The children dashed into the water and dived under the waves.

  When they came up, shaking the water from their eyes, Dorothy said, “How about giving Nan and me a chance to duck fight?”

  “Sure!” Bert agreed. “Climb on!” He hoisted Dorothy to his shoulders while Harry did the same to Nan. Then the boys stood close together, facing each other.

  This time, instead of merely splashing water, Nan and Dorothy decided to try to unseat each other. They pushed and pulled, each one trying to make the other fall from her perch.

  Between the undertow which had begun to swirl about their legs and the struggles of the girls, Bert and Harry had difficulty keeping their footing. Suddenly Nan landed a lucky push and Dorothy slid off Bert’s shoulders !She came up spouting water and laughing.

  “Okay,” she said, “I guess you won this time, but watch out!”

  Nan, Dorothy, and Harry waded ashore and sat on the sand to rest, but Bert stayed out in the water. He swam with strong, even strokes in a course parallel to the beach. Then he turned and swam back.

  When at last he came out and dropped down beside the others, the lifeguard strolled over. “I’ve been watching you, Bert,” he said. “You’re going great guns with that crawl!”

  Bert reddened with pleasure. “Thanks,” he said. “I’ve been working hard on it.”

  “Well, keep it up !” the young man said cheerfully. He scanned the shoreline and saw no one in the water. “It’s time for me to go off duty now. Guess I’ll go change into my clothes. Be seeing you !” He walked up the beach and disappeared into the beachhouse.

  Dorothy stood up. “I’m starved,” she said. “It must be about time for supper.”

  But before the children could start back, a cry reached their ears.

  “What’s that?” asked Nan.

  “I think it came from the water,” Dorothy said. She peered out over the ocean.

  “Look!” Harry cried, pointing. “There’s a man’s head bobbing out there!”

  “Help !” came the cry again. “Help !”

  “He’s in trouble !” Bert shouted and started to run.

  He reached the water and plunged into the surf. Bert swam strongly toward the spot where the head had been seen.

  The other five raced to the edge of the water. “I’ll help Bert!” Harry said. “You girls and Freddie stay here !”

  But Dorothy, who had become an excellent swimmer since she lived by the ocean, had already started after Bert. Although Nan was a good swimmer, she knew she was not strong enough to help now. She turned and dashed down the beach to summon the lifeguard.

  Freddie and Flossie watched anxiously from the water’s edge.

  By this time Harry and Dorothy had reached Bert. They saw the Bobbsey boy’s head appear above the water.

  “I have him !” Bert said. Then he gasped, “Help me! He‘s—”

  CHAPTER XV

  ISLAND HIDE-OUT

  BERT disappeared under the water. The swimmer in distress had become panicky and grabbed the boy around the neck. There was a brief struggle, then Bert rose to the surface again, holding the man.

  “I had to hit him to make him let go,” Bert panted. “But he’s all right.”

  The man shook his head and looked around. “I’m okay now.”

  “Just rest your hands on my shoulder,” Bert directed, “and I’ll tow you to shore.”

  The man did as he was told. Dorothy and Harry swam alongside Bert, ready to help if needed. When the four staggered onto the beach, the lifeguard, Nan, and the small twins ran up.

  “Are you all right, Mr. Cole?” the guard asked. “What happened?”

  “I’m okay,” the man said. “I got a cramp out there and couldn’t swim. This boy saved my life !”

  The lifeguard turned to Bert and put out his hand. “You did a wonderful jobl I didn’t know Mr. Cole was out there or I never would have left the beach!”

  “Well, everything’s turned out all right,” Mr. Cole said, “thanks to this young man here!”

  Bert reddened at the praise. “I’m glad we heard you call,” he said modestly.

  After a few more words of thanks, Mr. Cole went off with the lifeguard, who had offered to drive him home. The six children climbed the path to the Minturns’ house.

  “You really were brave, Bert!” Flossie said admiringly, and the others agreed heartily.

  Bert grinned. “I just happened to get there first! Dorothy and Harry would have saved him if I hadn‘t!”

  But at the supper table when the grownups heard the story, they all declared that Bert had been a real hero. To change the subject, Bert asked if there were any report about the stolen boat.

  “I’ve just called the police,” Uncle William spoke up. “They haven’t found it yet.”

  “Maybe someone along the lakeshore has seen it,” Bert suggested. “Do you mind if we ask?”

  “It’s a good idea.”

  The older children went over to the lake. They walked along the shore road, stopping at each cottage to ask about the missing motorboat. No one remembered having seen it since Sunday evening after the water carnival.

  “It must have been taken during the night,” Dorothy decided, “or someone would have noticed it. We may as well give up for tonight.”

  The next morning Bert thought of his resolve to explore the island where Freddie and Flossie had heard the threatening voice. When he mentioned it to Dorothy, she had a suggestion.

  “Let’s all go there and have a picnic!” she said. “Maybe Hal will take us in his canoe.”

  Bert ran to the telephone and called Hal. When he heard the plan Hal agreed at once. “I don’t think my canoe will hold us all. But I can get that rowboat Freddie and Flossie borrowed the other day. I’ll meet you at the boathouse at eleven.”

  Dorothy took the telephone from Bert. “We’ll bring the picnic,” she said. “Is there anything you especially like?”

  “I could go for some chocolate cake!” Hal replied with a laugh.

  “You’ll have it!” Dorothy promised.

  Dinah chuckled when Dorothy told her about Hal’s request. “I’ll make the biggest, most chocolatey cake you ever saw!” she said, hurrying to get out the ingredients.

  By eleven o‘clock the lunch was packed in a straw basket. “Now you watch this cake!” Dinah warned, as she handed Nan a big paste-board box tied with string.

  Hal was waiting at the boathouse when the Bobbseys and Dorothy arrived. The canoe and the rowboat were drawn up on the bank, side by side.

  “We have a choc‘late cake with marshmallow frosting!” Flossie said with a giggle.

  “Wow!” Hal exclaimed. “That sounds great!”

  It was decided that Bert, Nan, and Flossie would go in Hal’s canoe, while Dorothy and Harry would take Freddie in the borrowed craft. Bert got in first and went forward to the bow paddle. Then Hal helped Nan and Flossie in. They settled themselves on cushions in the bottom. Nan held the cake box.

  The lunch basket was put in the rowboat with Freddie. Hal and Harry pushed the two craft out into the water and jumped in. Soon they were gliding a
long quietly side by side.

  “It’s fun to have a lake picnic even if we don’t find anyone on the island!” Dorothy called.

  Presently the boats rounded the bend in the shoreline and the island lay before them. In another few minutes they touched shore. Bert jumped out and held Hal’s canoe steady.

  “Hold this, Flossie, while I get out,” Nan directed, handing the cake box to Flossie, who stood behind her.

  Nan stepped ashore and turned to take the cake from Flossie. At that moment the canoe tipped. Flossie tried desperately to keep her balance. As she teetered back and forth the paste-board box slipped from her grasp!

  “Look out!” Hal shouted. “The cake!” Nan made a quick lunge forward. With one hand she caught the string on the box!

  “Good catch!” Hal and Bert cried at the same time. Then Hal shook his head in mock despair. “I thought my cake was going to the fishes for sure!” he said with a grin.

  By this time Harry and Dorothy had beached their rowboat. Freddie ran up with the picnic basket.

  “Shall we eat first or explore?” Nan asked.

  “Let’s eat!” Freddie spoke up. “I’m hungry!”

  “Okay!” Dorothy rumpled her little cousin’s hair. “We don’t want anyone dying of starvation!”

  “This looks like a good place here,” Hal observed, indicating the clean, white beach.

  The island was thickly wooded, but on three sides it was bordered by white sand. Nan and Dorothy, with Flossie’s help, quickly spread out the picnic cloth and set out paper plates and napkins. Bert opened the soft drinks and poured them into paper cups.

  “Dinah gave us a good picnic!” Dorothy said as they began to eat the chicken and ham sandwiches and the potato salad.

  “I’m saving room for the cake!” Hal announced as he turned down a third sandwich.

  “Ooh, isn’t it bee-yoo-ti-ful!” Flossie exclaimed when the lid of the cake box was lifted. The big round cake was covered with a snowy white frosting from which bumps of marshmallow rose in little mounds.

  Each of the children had two pieces. Freddie considered having a third. “You’d better not!” Flossie giggled. “You’ll be so heavy you’ll sink the boat!”