The Bobbsey Twins at the Seashore

  CHAPTER VI

  THE OCEAN

  Is there anything more beautiful than sunrise on the ocean?

  Nan crept out of bed at the first peep of dawn, and still in her whiterobe, she sat in the low window seat to see the sun rise "under herwindow."

  "What a beautiful place!" Nan thought, when dawn gave her a chance tosee Ocean Cliff. "Dorothy must be awfully happy here. To see theocean from a bedroom window!" and she watched the streaks of dawn makemaps on the waves. "If I were a writer I would always put the oceanin my book," she told herself, "for there are so many children whonever have a chance to see the wonderful world of water!"

  Nettie's flowers were still on the dresser.

  "Poor little Nettie Prentice," thought Nan. "She has never seen theocean and I wonder if she ever will!"

  Nan touched the lilies reverently. There was something in thestillness of daybreak that made the girl's heart go out to poorNettie, just like the timid little sunbeams went out over the waters,trying to do their small part in lighting up a day.

  "I'll just put the lilies out in the dew," Nan went on to herself,raising the window quietly, for the household was yet asleep."Perhaps I'll find someone sick or lonely to-morrow who will likethem, and it will be so much better if they bring joy to someone, forthey are so sweet and pretty to die just for me."

  "Oh!" screamed Nan the next minute, for someone had crept up behindher and covered her eyes with hands. "It is you, Dorothy!" shedeclared, getting hold of the small fingers. "Did I wake you with thewindow?"

  "Yes, indeed, I thought someone was getting in from the piazza. Theyalways come near morning," said Dorothy, dropping down on the cushionsof the window seat like a goddess of morn, for Dorothy was a beautifulgirl, all pink and gold, Bert said, excepting for her eyes, and theywere like Meadow Brook violets, deep blue. "Did you have thenightmare?" she asked.

  "Nightmare, indeed!" Nan exclaimed. "Why, you told me the sun wouldrise under my window and I got up to---"

  "See it do the rise!" laughed Dorothy, in her jolly way. "Well, if Ihad my say I'd make Mr. Sol-Sun wear a mask and keep his glare tohimself until respectable people felt like crawling out. I lower myawning and close the inside blinds every night. I like sunshine inreasonable doses at reasonable hours, but the moon is good enough forme in the meantime," and she fell over in a pretty lump, feigningsleep in Nan's cushions.

  "I hope I did not wake anyone else," said Nan.

  "Makes no difference about me, of course," laughed the jolly Dorothy."Well, I'll pay you back, Nan. Be careful. I am bound to get even,"and Nan knew that some trick was in store for her, as Dorothy had thereputation of being full of fun, and always playing tricks.

  The sun was up in real earnest now, and the girls raised the windowsash to let in the soft morning air.

  "I think this would really cure Nellie, my little city friend," saidNan, "and you don't know what a nice girl she is."

  "Just bring her down and I'll find out all about her," said Dorothy."I love city girls. They are so wide awake, and never say sillythings like--like some girls I know," she finished, giving her owncousin a good hug that belied the attempt at making fun of her.

  "Nellie is sensible," Nan said, "and yet she knows how to laugh, too.She said she had never been in a carriage until she had a ride with usat Meadow Brook. Think of that!"

  "Wait till she sees my donkeys!" Dorothy finished, gathering herselfup from the cushions and preparing to leave. "Well, Nannie dear, Ihave had a lovely time," and she made a mock social bow. "Come to seeme some time and have some of my dawn, only don't come before elevenA.M. or you might get mixed up, for its awful dark in the blue roomuntil that hour." And like a real fairy Dorothy shook her golden hairand, stooping low in myth fashion, made a "bee-line" across the hall.

  "She doesn't need any brother," Nan thought as she saw Dorothy bolt inher door like a squirrel; "she is so jolly and funny!"

  But the girls were not the only ones who arose early that morning, forBert and his father came in to breakfast from a walk on the sands.

  "It's better than Meadow Brook," Bert told Nan, as she took her placeat the table. "I wish Harry would come down."

  "It is so pleasant we want all our friends to enjoy it," saidMrs. Bobbsey. "But I'm sure you have quite a hotel full now, haven'tyou, Dorothy?"

  "Lots more rooms up near the roof," replied Dorothy, "and it's a pityto waste them when there's plenty of ocean to spare. Now, Freddie,"went on Dorothy, "when we finish breakfast I am going to show you mydonkeys. I called one Doodle and the other Dandy, because papa gavethem to me on Decoration Day."

  "Why didn't you call one Uncle Sam?" asked Freddie, remembering hispart in the Meadow Brook parade.

  "Well, I thought Doodle Dandy was near enough red, white, and blue,"said Dorothy.

  The children finished breakfast rather suddenly and then made theirway to the donkey barn.

  "Oh, aren't they lovely!" exclaimed Nan, patting the pretty grayanimals. "I think they are prettier than horses, they are not sotall."

  "I know all about goats and donkeys," declared Freddie.

  "I know Nan likes everything early, so we will give her an earlyride," proposed Dorothy.

  The Bobbseys watched their cousin with interest as she fastened allthe bright buckles and put the straps together, harnessing thedonkeys. Bert helped so readily that he declared he would do all theharnessing thereafter. The cart was one of those pretty, littlebasket affairs, with seats at the side, and Bert was very proud ofbeing able to drive a team. There were Dorothy, Nan, Freddie,Flossie, and Bert in the cart when they rode along the sandy driveway,and they made a very pretty party in their bright summer costumes.Freddie had hold of Doodle's reins, and he insisted that his horsewent along better than did Dandy, on the other side.

  "Oh, won't Nellie enjoy this!" cried Nan, thinking of the little citygirl who had only had one carriage ride in all her life.

  "Mrs. Manily is going up to the city to bring her to-day," said Bert."Aunt Emily sent for the depot wagon just as we came out."

  Like many people at the seashore, the Minturns did not keep their ownhorses, but simply had to telephone from their house to the liverystable when they wanted a carriage.

  "Oh, I see the ocean!" called out Freddie, as Bert drove nearer thenoise of the waves. "Why didn't we bring Downy for his swim?"

  "Too early to bathe yet!" said Dorothy. "We have a bathing house allto ourselves,--papa rented it for the summer,--and about eleveno'clock we will come down and take a dip. Mamma always comes with meor sends Susan, our maid. Mamma cannot believe I really know how toswim."

  "And do you?" asked Nan, in surprise.

  "Wait until you see!" replied the cousin. "And I am going to teachyou, too."

  "I'd love to know how, but it must be awfully hard to learn," answered Nan.

  "Not a bit," went on Dorothy; "I learned in one week. We have a pooljust over there, and lots of girls are learning every day. You candrive right along the beach, Bert; the donkeys are much safer thanhorses and never attempt to run away."

  How delightful it was to ride so close to the great rolling ocean!Even Freddie stopped exclaiming, and just watched the waves, as oneafter another they tried to get right under Dorothy's cart.

  "It makes me almost afraid!" faltered little Flossie, as the great bigwaves came up so high out on the waters, they seemed like mountainsthat would surely cover up the donkey cart. But when they "broke" onthe sands they were only little splashy puddles for babies to washtheir pink toes in.

  "There's Blanche Bowden," said Dorothy, as another little cart, a ponycart, came along. "We have lovely times together. I have invited herup to meet us this afternoon, Nan."

  The other girl bowed pleasantly from her cart, and even Freddieremembered to raise his cap, something he did not always thinknecessary for "just girls."

  "Some afternoon our dancing class is going to have a matinee," saidDorothy. "Do you like dancing, Bert?"

  "Some
," replied her cousin in a boy's indifferent way. "Nan is a gooddancer."

  "Oh, we don't have real dances," protested Nan; "they are mostlydrills and exercises. Mamma doesn't believe in young children goingright into society. She thinks we will be old soon enough."

  "We don't have grown-up dances," said Dorothy, "only the two-step andminuet. I think the minuet is the prettiest of all dances."

  "We have had the varsovienne," said Nan, "that is like the minuet.Mother says they are old-time dances, but they are new in our class."

  "We may have a costume affair next month," went on Dorothy. "Some ofthe girls want it, but I don't like wigs and long dresses, especiallyfor dancing. I get all tangled up in a train dress."

  "I never wore one," said Nan, "excepting at play, and I can't see howany girl can dance with a lot of long skirts dangling around."

  "Oh, they mostly bow and smile," put in Bert, "and a boy has to beawfully careful at one of those affairs. If he should step on a skirtthere surely would be trouble," and he snapped his whip at the donkeyswith the air of one who had little regard for the graceful art ofdancing.

  "We had better go back now," said Dorothy, presently. "You haven'thad a chance to see our own place yet, but I thought you wanted to getacquainted with the ocean first. Everybody does!"

  "I have enjoyed it so much!" declared Nan. "It is pleasanter now thanwhen the sun grows hot."

  "But we need the sun for bathing," Dorothy told her. "That is why we'go in' at the noon hour."

  The drive back to the Cliff seemed very short, and when the childrendrove up to the side porch they found Mrs. Bobbsey and Aunt Emilysitting outside with their fancy work.

  Freddie could hardly find words to tell his mother how big the oceanwas, and Flossie declared the water ran right into the sky it was sohigh.

  "Now, girls," said Aunt Emily, "Mrs. Manily has gone to bring Nelliedown, so you must go and arrange her room. I think the front roomover Nan's will be best. Now get out all your pretty things, Dorothy,for little Nellie may be lonely and want some things to look at."

  "All right, mother," answered Dorothy, letting Bert put the donkeysaway, "we'll make her room look like--like a valentine," she finished,always getting some fun in even where very serious matters wereconcerned.

  The two girls, with Flossie looking on, were soon very busy withNellie's room.

  "We must not make it too fussy," said Dorothy, "or Nellie may not feelat home; and we certainly want her to enjoy herself. Will we put apink or blue set on the dresser?"

  "Blue," said Nan, "for I know she loves blue. She said so when wepicked violets at Meadow Brook."

  "All right," agreed Dorothy. "And say! Let's fix up something funny!We'll get all the alarm clocks in the house and set them so they willgo off one after the other, just when Nellie gets to bed, say aboutnine o'clock. We'll hide them so she will just about find one whenthe other starts! She isn't really sick, is she?" Dorothy asked,suddenly remembering that the visitor might not be in as good spiritsas she herself was.

  "Oh, no, only run down," answered Nan, "and I'm sure she would enjoythe joke."

  So the girls went on fixing up the pretty little room. Nan randownstairs and brought up Nettie Prentice's flowers.

  "I thought they would do someone good," she said. "They are sofragrant."

  "Aren't they!" Dorothy said, burying her pretty nose in the whitelilies. "They smell better than florists' bouquets. I suppose that'sfrom the country air. Now I'll go collect clocks," and without askinganyone's permission Dorothy went from room to room, snatching alarmclocks from every dresser that held one.

  "Susan's is a peach," she told Nan, apologizing with a smile, for theslang. "It goes off for fifteen minutes if you don't stop it, and itsounds like a church bell."

  "Nellie will think she has gotten into college," Nan said, laughing."This is like hazing, isn't it?"

  "Only we won't really annoy her," said Dorothy. "We just want to makeher laugh. College boys, they say, do all sorts of mean things. Makea boy swim in an icy river and all that."

  "I hope Bert never goes to a school where they do hazing," said Nan,feeling for her brother's safety. "I think such sport is justwicked!"

  "So do I," declared Dorothy, "and if I were a new fellow, and theyplayed such tricks on me, I would just wait for years if I had to, topay them back."

  "I'd put medicine in their coffee, or do something."

  "They ought to be arrested," Nan said, "and if the professors can'tstop it they should not be allowed to run such schools."

  "There," said Dorothy, "I guess everything is all right for Nellie."She put a rose jar on a table in the alcove window. "Now I'll windthe clocks. You mustn't look where I put them," and she insisted thatnot even Nan should know the mystery of the clocks. "This will be areal surprise party," finished Dorothy, having put each of five clocksin its hiding place, and leaving the tick-ticks to think it over, allby themselves, before going off.