As Harry phoned several children, he asked each one if the boy or girl had seen or heard anything of his stolen bull. The police had not tracked down the thieves, and had no report that Major had been sold.
Harry had no luck until he spoke to a boy named Barry Davis. “Who did you say you think those thieves were?” Barry asked.
“Clint and Mitch.”
Barry said excitedly, “I think I saw them.”
“Really? Where?”
“I went fishing the other day,” Barry answered. “Over at the pond above the Burns place, not far from the dam. I dropped my pole in the water and it floated down. I ran after it, planning to grab the pole at the foot of the dam.”
“Yes, go on,” Harry urged, as Barry paused.
“Standing near the foot of the dam,” Barry continued, “were two men. They were arguing so loudly I could hear some of their words, even though the water coming over the dam was making a lot of noise. The men called each other Mitch and Clint, I’m pretty sure.”
“What else did they say?” Harry asked excitedly.
“I only heard words, not sentences. They said ‘sell’ and ‘long wait’ and ‘smart kids.”’
“Nothing about my bull, Major?” Harry asked.
“I didn’t hear anything about him. When the men saw me, they ran away in the woods beyond the dam.”
“Barry, that’s a swell clue,” Harry told his friend. “Thanks a million. Be sure to come to our show. Good-by now.”
After Harry finished calling several other friends, he got hold of Bert and Nan and told them what he had learned about Mitch and Clint. The twins were excited.
“Let’s go over there and look for those two thieves!” Bert urged.
Without hesitation the three children hurried from the house. Harry led the way back toward the Burns farm, then followed the stream that ran near it all the way to the dam.
“Wow! A lot of water comes over that dam!” Bert remarked. “You don’t suppose Major was brought here for a drink and something happened to him?”
“Major was pretty smart, but he could have broken a leg on these stones and drowned,” Harry admitted.
“Oh, I hope not,” said Nan worriedly. “Let’s just think he’s all right and look for hoofprints.”
“Good idea,” Bert agreed. “If we don’t find hoofprints, maybe we can follow the footprints of Mitch and Clint.”
The children began a search. They found many animal foot marks, but none of them had been made by a bull. Harry suggested that he and the twins take off their shoes and socks and wade across the stream. They did this, but had no better luck. The three of them were about to give up when Nan spotted men’s footprints.
“Two sets of them!” she cried out.
Eagerly she and the boys traced the marks for some distance. They ended at a road running through the woods.
“Those men had a truck here,” said Bert. “See the wide tire tracks.”
Harry groaned. “Major was probably in it. Maybe Mitch and Clint went to the brook to get water for him.”
Without thinking, the children began following the tire tracks. They went on and on. Finally Harry said he and the twins were getting farther and farther from their farmhouse.
“And it’s nearly suppertime,” Nan spoke up. “Our families will wonder where we are.”
“Why don’t we go home and phone the police about what we found out?” Bert suggested.
The others nodded. Harry took a short cut through the woods and fields and half an hour later the three children reached Meadowbrook Farm. At once Harry reported his clue to the police.
The whole Bobbsey family waited hopefully for news that Clint and Mitch had been picked up, but none came. “Those men—and Major—are well hidden,” the twins’ father said. “But I’m sure they’ll be caught sometime.”
The next days were busy ones for the children. Besides the farm chores which they did each morning, Bert spent most of his time in the pasture with Rocket. Freddie secluded himself in the basement with Snoop and Fluffy. Nan had taken her mother and Aunt Sarah into her confidence and the three made several trips into town.
Finally, on Monday, Flossie came to her sister with a long face. “I still haven’t any animals for the show,” she complained. “What am I going to do?”
“There must be some kind of animal here that you can use,” Nan replied. “Let’s walk around and see what we can find.”
They went out to the barnyard. Frisky gave a little jump as they approached and ran as far as her rope would permit. Billy and Betty neighed from their stalls. In the chicken yard the hens clucked busily.
“I can’t train any of them!” Flossie cried in despair.
“We’ll keep looking. I’m sure we’ll find something.”
The girls turned toward the orchard. From under a pile of brush at the side a little mouse ran across their path.
“Oh, isn’t she darling?” Flossie cried. “Do you s’pose there are any more under that grass?”
The girls bent down and gently lifted the dried brush. In a small hollow was a nest with five tiny mice in it!
“Oh, Nan!” Flossie exclaimed. “Do you think I can capture them?”
“That must have been the mother we saw,” Nan replied. “She’ll be back. Then maybe we can take all the mice. You stay here and guard them, Flossie. I’ll find Harry and see if he has a cage we can put them in.”
A few minutes later Nan was back, a broad smile on her face. She carried a wire cage. “Harry once had pet mice,” she said. “This was their cage and he says you may use it. Did the mother come back?”
“No.”
Nan was sure she soon would. The girls would wait. Carefully Nan and Flossie lifted the baby mice and placed them in the cage through the door. In less than a minute the mother mouse arrived and scurried in with her children. Nan closed the door.
“I’ll put the mice on a shelf in the barn,” Flossie decided. “Then nothing will hurt them.”
The next morning she ran into the kitchen. “May I have some lettuce, Martha?” she pleaded.
“What do you want lettuce for this early in the morning?” Martha asked in surprise.
“For my mice. Harry says mice get their water from greens!”
“Feeding good lettuce to mice!” Dinah exclaimed, and threw up her hands. “Mercyl Don’t bring those mice into the house, Flossie!”
The little girl explained that the mice were living in a cage in the barn. “There’s a little wheel in the cage and the mice have learned to ride around on it. I’m going to show them this afternoon,” she ended proudly.
The day was bright and sunny and the children got to work early. Mr. Holden had set up the awning and just in front of it were to be the seats for the audience.
Folding chairs, garden furniture, and orange crates were collected and put in rows. Patty Manners had agreed to take in the money so she brought along a small wooden box to put it in.
When Mark Teron had heard the plans for the circus, he wanted to help. The bully had promised earnestly not to play any more mean tricks, so the children had decided to let him be the master of ceremonies.
Mark arrived at the Holden farm wearing long black trousers, a striped vest, and an old top hat. He had even painted a curling black mustache on his upper lip, and carried an old-fashioned buggy whip.
“My mother said I should dress for the part,” he explained with a grin.
“You look wonderful, Mark!” Flossie commented admiringly.
The time set for the show came, and the audience began to take seats. It was a good-sized crowd. Dinah and Martha settled themselves on two orange crates.
Mark stepped out in front with Harry standing just behind him. “Ladeez and gentlemen!” he called. “There will be a slight delay while we are waiting for the opening act.”
The people in the audience looked at one another in amusement. What was holding up the show?
CHAPTER XIII
THE RACE
The boy stepped forward. As he carefully unfastened a capsule from the bird’s leg, he said. “This is one of my homing pigeons. He has brought a message from Mrs. Manily at the Fresh Air Camp.”
Harry pulled out the tiny piece of paper and read it. “Mrs. Manily thanks you all for coming to help Skipper and invites you to visit the camp.”
Mark spoke up again. “This pigeon was trained by Harry Bobbsey,” he explained. “He took it to the camp this morning and Mrs. Manily released it just five minutes ago!”
Everyone clapped loudly.
“The next act,” Mark called, “will be Miss Nan Bobbsey and the Sacred Calf of India!”
From the Holdens’ barn came Nan Bobbsey leading Frisky. The calf’s back was covered with a piece of red cloth bordered in gold braid. It reached nearly to the ground. Over each ear was tied a long-handled feather duster!
Nan wore a length of thin yellow cloth over her blouse and shorts. It was wrapped around her to resemble an Indian sari. At a signal from Nan, Frisky stopped in front of the audience. She nodded her head up and down and pawed the ground.
“That’s wonderful!” Aunt Sarah exclaimed. “I didn’t know we had such a smart calf!”
There was great applause as Nan led Frisky back to the barn.
“Our next event,” Mark said importantly, “is an exhibition of two wildcats straight from the jungle!”
Mark snapped his whip and out came Freddie with a cat on each arm.
“That’s our Snoop!” Dinah chuckled. “And Fluffy!”
Solemnly Freddie held his arms out straight in front of him. Snoop and Fluffy carefully walked along them into his hands. Next Freddie crouched down, making a circle of his arms. First Snoop, then Fluffy jumped through!
“Why, Freddie, that’s marvelous!” exclaimed his mother.
“You’ve trained them very well!” added his father.
When the applause died down, Mark snapped the whip again. “And now,” he called, “we have the famous performing mice exhibited by Miss Flossie Bobbsey!”
The children in the audience giggled as Flossie walked out from the barn proudly holding the wire cage in front of her. She set it down on a box. The little mice were making the wheel spin at a fast rate.
“These mice are not only acrobats,” Mark went on, “but they can also sing!”
“What!” a boy called out,
From inside the barn came a voice which sounded very much like Bert’s, singing Three Blind Mice. Even Flossie could not keep from giggling. The applause which greeted this act was the loudest yet.
Then Mark held up his hand. “Now, if you will turn toward the riding ring,” he said, “you will see a great exhibition of Wild West riding by that daring cowboy, Bert Bobbsey!”
As directed, the spectators turned in their seats until they faced the riding ring. There were several boxes piled up in the middle. On top of them was a canvas school bag.
Mark moved over to the ring. “You will now see the robbing of the stagecoach!” He indicated the boxes. “This is the coach and on top is the mail!”
At this moment Bert rode into the ring mounted on Rocket. He was dressed in the cowboy suit which he had received the previous Christmas. Bert urged the pony into a trot and circled the ring once. In a few more laps Rocket was going at a steady run. Faster and faster he went. Then Bert got a firm hold on the reins, stood up in the stirrups and pulled alongside the box stagecoach. With a flourish he leaned over, grabbed the school bag, and rode off around the ring.
“Yippee!” Freddie yelled.
“Ride’em, cowboy!” came from another boy.
Bert waved his hat as he rode from the ring, amid great applause.
“And now,” Mark announced, “our last attraction is a chariot race!”
The audience burst into laughter as they saw the chariots. High cardboard fronts and sides had been fastened to two little wagons, each pulled by a goat. Standing in the wagons like charioteers were Tom and Bud. They wore white shirts belonging to their fathers, which hung outside their shorts. Around the boys’ heads were bands of ribbon, Tom’s yellow and Bud’s green.
“One, two, three!” Mark yelled.
At the crack of the whip, the goats were off. The race was twice around the ring. At the end of the first lap Tom was ahead. Then Bud’s goat became excited and ran in front of Tom’s.
“Foul!” someone yelled.
Bud succeeded in yanking his goat back into line and the two animals raced around the ring.
“Go it, green!” called Bud’s father excitedly.
“Come on, yellow!” Mr. Holden urged.
Everyone was on his feet as the chariots rounded the corner into the home stretch.
“Hurry!” Nan screamed as she saw Tom’s wagon fall behind.
“Yea, Bud!” Bert yelled, throwing his cowboy hat into the air.
At that moment Bud’s goat put on a burst of speed. He passed the finish line just a foot ahead of Tom’s entry!
“Mr. Bud Stout is the winner!” Mark announced. “And that is the end!”
The spectators stood up and applauded wildly as the performers lined up to take a bow.
“That’s the best show I’ve seen in years!” Mr. Bobbsey commented with a chuckle.
When the audience had left, the children quickly cleaned up the grounds. Then Mrs. Bobbsey asked, “Would you like to take the money you’ve made to Skipper now?”
“Oh yes, Mommy,” Flossie exclaimed. “And we can see Skipper again!”
It was decided that the Bobbsey men would drive Martha and Dinah home while Mrs. Bobbsey and Aunt Sarah took the children to the Fresh Air Camp.
As the group drove up to the log cabin, there was a lively ball game going on in front of it. When Skipper saw the station wagon, he left the game and ran over.
“How are you, Skipper?” Mrs. Bobbsey inquired.
“Do you like camp?” Freddie asked, jumping out of the car.
“It’s great,” Skipper said, his eyes shining with happiness.
At this moment Mrs. Manily hurried out of the cabin to greet her guests. When Nan handed her the money for Skipper, she exclaimed, “This is wonderful! I’ll keep this for him until he goes home. Thank you all so much!”
“The pigeon arrived at just the right time!” Harry told her.
“I’m glad,” Mrs. Manily replied. “Would you all like to look around our camp?”
Before they had a chance to do this, Freddie said, “Mother, Skipper has never ridden in a station wagon. Can’t we take him for a ride?”
Mrs. Bobbsey looked at Aunt Sarah and Mrs. Manily. When they both nodded, she replied, “Of course. But we can’t be gone long. We’ll look around the camp when we get back.”
Freddie and Skipper ran and jumped into the front seat of the car. Skipper sat next to Aunt Sarah. Before they started she let him put his hands on the wheel and pretend to drive.
“You’re a good driver,” Flossie said seriously.
The little boy beamed. “I think I’ll be a truck driver when I grow up,” he decided.
Aunt Sarah now took the wheel and drove out the camp road. In a little while they came to a hill. At the top was a refreshment stand.
“How about some ice cream?” she asked.
“Oh, yes!” Freddie exclaimed. “I’m hungry and thirsty! Let’s have sodas!”
The car was parked on the slope and everyone went inside. The three smaller children scrambled up onto stools at the counter while the older twins and Harry sat at a table with Mrs. Bobbsey and Aunt Sarah.
Everyone ordered his favorite flavor of ice cream. Skipper had a hard time choosing, but finally decided to have strawberry. “It tastes extra good,” he explained.
Freddie and Skipper finished first and ran outside. They climbed into the front seat again.
“I guess I’ll drive!” Skipper anno
unced, slipping behind the wheel and jiggling it.
His fingers moved the lever into “neutral” position. Then accidentally he kicked the brake release. The station wagon began to roll slowly down the hill!
At that moment Bert and Harry came from the restaurant. The boys were horrified when they saw Skipper and Freddie inside the moving car. They started racing after it.
“Put on the brake!” Harry yelled.
CHAPTER XIV
THE FLOOD
SKIPPER did not know how to put on the brake of the station wagon. He was so excited that he kept turning the steering wheel from side to side. This made the car swerve dangerously.
“Steer into the field!” Bert screamed.
At this point the road leveled off and there were no ditches. Open fields stretched on both sides.
Freddie heard him. He grabbed the wheel and pulled it hard to the right. The car turned into the field, hit a haystack, and stopped!
By this time Nan and her mother and aunt had heard the commotion and joined the boys. They all ran down the road and into the field.
“Are you all right?” Mrs. Bobbsey cried anxiously as the car door opened and Freddie and Skipper jumped out.
“Y-yes,” Freddie answered.
Both little boys had bumps on their heads but were otherwise unhurt.
“We’re sorry,” Freddie said.
Skipper was too frightened to say anything.
“I’m sure it was an accident,” Mrs. Bobbsey told the little boy, patting him on the shoulder, “but you must never touch anything on a car.”
Skipper finally managed to speak. “I’ll never, never touch anything again until I’m big enough to drive!” he promised.
“We know you won’t, dear,” Aunt Sarah said kindly. “Now we’d better take you back to camp or Mrs. Manily will be worried about you.”
By the time the party reached the camp the sky was full of dark clouds and the wind had begun to blow hard.
“We’re going to have a storm,” Aunt Sarah said. “I think we’d better hurry home. We’ll see the camp some other time.”
They let Skipper out and drove directly to the farm. Just as they reached the house, the clouds burst and the rain came down in torrents. It rained hard all night and was still coming down the next morning when the children got up.
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