Bobbsey Twins 03: The Secret at the Seashore

“THE third prize,” said the judge, “goes to the one who gave us the biggest laugh—Freddie Bobbsey and his black panther Snoop!”

Freddie grinned at the announcement that he and Snoop had won a prize. “I’m sorry Snoop wouldn’t play dead,” he said to Bert, “but I guess the judges liked him anyway!”

The band struck up another lively tune as the winning boats swung around to the judges’ stand to receive their prizes. The designers of the fiery dragon won sets of flippers, face masks, and snorkel tubes.

The girls’ prize was an inflatable rubber raft with paddles. “We can have a lot of fun with this!” Dorothy exclaimed after they had thanked the judges and moved away.

Hal held his canoe steady while Freddie leaned forward to take his prize from the head judge. It was a large toy sailboat with three masts and several sails.

Freddie’s eyes shone with happiness. “Thank you!” he cried. “She’s a beauty!”

That night as the girls were talking about the carnival before going to sleep, Dorothy suddenly sat up in bed. “You know, we’ve never done anything to get even with Bert and Harry for sewing up our swim suits!”

“That’s right!” Nan said. “What can we do?”

There was silence for a moment, then Dorothy giggled. “I have an idea,” she said.

When she told Nan and Flossie her plan, they too laughed. “That’s good, Dorothy,” Nan said. “I’m sure Dinah will help us.”

After breakfast the next morning, Bert and Harry wandered out to the porch while the girls went into the kitchen.

“Dinah,” Flossie said, “remember, you said you’d help us play a trick on the boys?”

“I sure will, honey,” the cook said. “What you all got in mind?”

The girls told her what they needed. In a few minutes the articles were collected and they went to work. Finally Dorothy stood up and started toward the door.

“Come on!” she said. “I think that’s all we can do. I hope it works!”

Nan and Flossie followed their cousin upstairs and they got into their bathing suits. When they went out onto the porch, Bert pointed to a yellow rubber boat.

“We blew up your raft for you,” he said. “Harry and I’ll get on our trunks, then we can try it out!”

While the boys were upstairs, Nan, Flossie, and Dorothy ran down to the sand. “I’ll hide it here by this driftwood,” Dorothy said, putting something down and covering it with sand.

By the time Bert and Harry reached the beach the girls were already pulling the raft out onto the water. For the next half hour the six children played with the rubber boat. Bert took Freddie and Flossie for a ride in it. Then the others took turns paddling around.

Finally, tired out, they all flopped down on the sand. Dorothy took a seat near the pile of driftwood. In a few minutes she stood up.

“I’m going in again and get a little of this sand off,” she said. As Dorothy walked past Nan she winked.

Dorothy waded out until the waves splashed over her shoulders, then came in and sat down by Bert. He and Harry were busy discussing the events of the day before.

“I think we ought to go back up there where we found Hal’s canoe,” Bert said. “We might—” He stopped, his attention caught by something bobbing in the water. “Say! That looks like another bottle!”

Bert got up hurriedly and ran down to the water’s edge. He waded out a short distance then turned around triumphantly, a brown bottle held high in his hand.

“I’ve found one!” he exclaimed. “Maybe it’s another message from Captain Weller!”

All the children jumped to their feet. Harry was particularly excited. “I’m glad I’m here,” he said. “I missed seeing the one Nan found.”

Bert had been examining the bottle. “I think it’s one of those from the Hydrographic Office,” he said excitedly. “See, it has real sealing wax around the cork!”

“Why don’t you open it, Bert?” Flossie cried impatiently, her blue eyes snapping with mischief.

“Okay.” Bert looked around. “Maybe I can get the seal off with this.” He picked up a sharp shell and began to chip off the wax.

Finally it came loose, revealing the cork which stuck up slightly from the neck of the bottle. Using the sharp point of another shell, Bert managed to pry it out.

Eagerly Bert pushed his finger into the bottle and worked out a rolled-up piece of paper.

Bert’s face was a study in bewilderment as he read the message:

At the sound of laughter from Dorothy, Nan, and Flossie, Bert looked up. “So that’s it!” he said with a grin. “Just you wait!”

The girls were still laughing at the success of their trick when Hal came over after lunch. “Did you know that Bert found another floating bottle this morning?” Dorothy greeted him.

“Nan and Dorothy think they’re very clever,” Bert said with a sheepish grin. “I’ll get even with them !”

Hal laughed. “How about running up a white flag of truce? Come with me to the cove where we found the canoe yesterday. That fellow Garry hasn’t been caught yet.”

“Sounds great!” Bert said. “We can follow those footprints and maybe find a clue to that thief.”

Nan, Dorothy, and Harry were eager to go too. But Freddie and Flossie decided they would rather stay at home and sail the new toy boat.

“May I paddle, Hal?” Dorothy asked hopefully. “I’d like to see how your canoe handles.”

“Sure, get in the bow,” Hal replied as he walked back to the stern.

When the others were seated, Dorothy gave the silvery craft a push and jumped in. Then, with strong, even strokes, she and Hal paddled the canoe up the lake. In a few minutes they had passed the water carnival area.

“It was about the fourth or fifth cove above here, wasn’t it?” Hal called up to the two boys in the center.

They both nodded. Everyone was quiet for a while as the children peered into each little inlet they passed.

“There I” Bert cried. “I think it was this one.”

Dorothy and Hal turned the canoe and headed for the shore. “You’re right!” Hal called. “I see where Garry beached.”

When the canoe touched the shore Dorothy leaped out and held the craft while the others walked forward and got out. Then they pulled the canoe up onto the narrow, sandy beach.

“I hope no one’s rubbed out the footprints,” Harry said worriedly.

“Are these the same ones you saw?” Dorothy pointed to deep marks in the sand, leading away from the water.

“Yes,” replied Bert, and ran on ahead, following the shoe tracks. When he reached the spot where the sand ended, Bert cried, “There’s a path here !”

A narrow lane ran from the beach through the low underbrush. The ground was marshy and the path was muddy. The footprints were easily traced. The children followed them until they reached the highway which ran parallel to the ocean.

“Which way now?” Hal asked as they all paused by the side of the road.

“He could have gone in either direction from here,” Nan said, in discouragement. “Or a car might have picked him up.”

“Maybe he crossed the road.” Bert ran to the other side of the highway and peered carefully around. “Can’t make out anything here,” he said sadly.

“We may as well go back to the lake,” Dorothy said after Bert joined them again.

The children walked back across the stretch of land between the highway and the lake. Nan, who had knotted her favorite red scarf around her neck, took it off and trailed it from one hand.

Suddenly she felt a tug on the scarf which pulled her backwards. “Oh!” she screamed, looking down. “It’s a huge turtle!”

Hal ran to her side. “Watch out!” he warned. “He’s a snapper! Better let go of the scarf!” Quickly Nan dropped it.

The turtle was about a foot long. He had a grayish brown shell with regular, square-shaped markings. His little head with beady eyes protruded some distance from the shell.

“I’ll see if I can rescue your scarf,” Hal said. “Oh, let it go!” Nan said with a shiver. “He might hurt you!”

“Snapping turtles are rather dangerous,” Hal admitted, “but maybe I can fool him!” The boy picked up a stick and prodded the creature’s long neck.

Immediately the turtle let go of the scarf and grabbed the stick. Then he waddled awkwardly away. The children stood still until they saw him slide into the lake.

“That’s funny,” Harry remarked. “We find turtles on our farm and they always pull their heads and tails in under the shell when they see anyone.”

“Those are probably box turtles,” Hal explained. “A snapping turtle’s head is too big to get under the shell. This one must have been out looking for something different to eat. They don’t usually get very far away from the water.”

“You seem to know a lot about turtles, Hal,” Nan said admiringly.

“I’ve read a bit about them,” the boy replied, picking up Nan’s scarf and handing it to her. “That large upper shell is called the carapace and the bottom shell the plastron. You’d be surprised at the different markings on turtles’ shells.”

“Turtles are fun,” Dorothy joined in. “I’ve had them for pets. Some of them will even eat from your hand!”

“That’s right,” Hal agreed. “You just happened to run into the mean type, Nan. Most of them are harmless.”

“Well, if you think Nan’s friend is safely in the water,” Bert said with a grin, “let’s see if we can discover anything on the lake shore.”

The children walked along the edge of the lake a short distance in both directions from the spot where Hal’s canoe had been found. They scanned the ground carefully, but found nothing unusual. Finally they turned back to the canoe.

As Harry started to step into the craft a small piece of paper at the edge of the water caught his eye. He bent down and picked it up. Then he called to the others, “Look at this!”

Bert ran up and took the paper. “Why,” he cried, “it’s a ticket to the Underground City!”