The Bobbsey Twins at the Seashore

  CHAPTER IX

  FUN ON THE SANDS

  "How many shells did you get in your hunt?" Bert asked the girls, whenthe excitement over the pond lilies had died away.

  "We never went," replied Dorothy. "First, Freddie fell down and hadto cry awhile, then he had to stop to see the gutter band, next he hada ride on the five-cent donkey, and by that time there were so manypeople out, mother said there would not be a pretty shell left, so wedecided to go to-morrow morning."

  "Then Hal and I will go along," said Bert. "I want to look for nets,to put in my den at home."

  "We are going for a swim now," went on Dorothy; "we only came back forour suits."

  "There seems so much to do down here, it will take a week to have atry at everything," said Bert. "I've only been in the water once, butI'm going for a good swim now. Come along, Hal."

  "Yes, we always go before lunch," said Hal starting off for his suit.

  Soon Dorothy, Nan, Nellie, and Flossie appeared with their suits doneup in the neat little rubber bags that Aunt Emily had bought at ahospital fair. Then Freddie came with Mrs. Bobbsey, and Dorothy, withher bag on a stick over her shoulder, led the procession to the beach.

  As Dorothy told Nan, they had a comfortable bathhouse rented for theseason, with plenty of hooks to hang things on, besides a mirror, tosee how one's hair looked, after the waves had done it up mermaidfashion.

  It did not take the girls long to get ready, and presently allappeared on the beach in pretty blue and white suits, with the largewhite sailor collars, that always make bathing suits look just right,because real sailors wear that shape of collar.

  Flossie wore a white flannel suit, and with her pretty yellow curls,she "looked like a doll," so Nellie said. Freddie's suit was whitetoo, as he always had things as near like his twin sister's as a boy'sclothes could be. Altogether the party made a pretty summer picture,as they ran down to the waves, and promptly dipped in.

  "Put your head under or you'll take cold," called Dorothy, as sheemerged from a big wave that had completely covered her up.

  Nellie and Nan "ducked" under, but Flossie was a little timid, andheld her mother's right hand even tighter than Freddie clung to herleft.

  "We must get hold of the ropes," declared Mrs. Bobbsey, seeing a bigwave coming.

  They just reached the ropes when the wave caught them. Nellie and Nanwere out farther, and the billow struck Nellie with such force itactually washed her up on shore.

  "Ha! ha!" laughed Dorothy, "Nellie got the first tumble." And thenthe waves kept dashing in so quickly that there was no more chance forconversation. Freddie ducked under as every wave came, but Flossiewas not always quick enough, and it was very hard for her to keep holdof the ropes when a big splasher dashed against her. Dorothy had notpermission to swim out as far as she wanted to go, for her mother didnot allow her outside the lines, excepting when Mr. Minturn wasswimming near her, so she had to be content with floating around nearwhere the other girls bounced up and down, like the bubbles on thebillows.

  "Look out, Nan!" called Dorothy, suddenly, as Nan stood for a momentfixing her belt. But the warning came too late, for the next minute awave picked Nan up and tossed her with such force against a pier, thateverybody thought she must be hurt. Mrs. Bobbsey was quitefrightened, and ran out on the beach, putting Freddie and Flossie at asafe distance from the water, while she made her way to where Nan hadbeen tossed.

  For a minute or so, it seemed, Nan disappeared, but presently shebobbed up, out of breath, but laughing, for Hal had her by the hand,and was helping her to shore. The boys had been swimming around bythemselves near by, and Hal saw the wave making for Nan just in timeto get there first.

  "I had to swim that time," laughed Nan, "whether I knew how or not."

  "You made a pretty good attempt," Hal told her; "and the water is verydeep around those piles. You had better not go out so far again,until you've learned a few strokes in the pools. Get Dorothy to teachyou."

  "Oh, oh, oh, Nellie!" screamed Mrs. Bobbsey. "Where is she? She hasgone under that wave!"

  Sure enough, Nellie had disappeared. She had only let go the ropesone minute, but she had her back to the ocean watching Nan's rescue,when a big billow struck her, knocked her down, and then where wasshe?

  "Oh," cried Freddie. "She is surely drowned!"

  Hal struck out toward where Nellie had been last seen, but he had onlygone a few strokes when Bert appeared with Nellie under his arm. Shehad received just the same kind of toss Nan got, and fortunately Bertwas just as near by to save her, as Hal had been to save Nan. Nellie,too, was laughing and out of breath when Bert towed her in.

  "I felt like a rubber ball," she said, as soon as she could speak,"and Bert caught me on the first bounce."

  "You girls should have ropes around your waists, and get someone tohold the other end," teased Dorothy, coming out with the others on thesands.

  "Well, I think we have all had enough of the water for this morning,"said Mrs. Bobbsey, too nervous to let the girls go in again.

  Boys and girls were willing to take a sun bath on the beach, so, whileHal and Bert started in to build a sand house for Freddie, the fourgirls capered around, playing tag and enjoying themselves generally.Flossie thought it great fun to dig for the little soft crabs thathide in the deep damp sand. She found a pasteboard box and into thisshe put all her fish.

  "I've got a whole dozen!" she called to Freddie, presently. ButFreddie was so busy with his sand castle he didn't have time to botherwith baby crabs.

  "Look at our fort," called Bert to the girls. "We can shoot rightthrough our battlements," he declared, as he sank down in the sand andlooked out through the holes in the sand fort.

  "Shoot the Indian and you get a cigar," called Dorothy, taking herplace as "Indian" in front of the fort, and playing target for theboys.

  First Hal tossed a pebble through a window in the fort, then Berttried it, but neither stone went anywhere near Dorothy, the "Indian."

  "Now, my turn," she claimed, squatting down back of the sand wall andtaking aim at Hal, who stood out front.

  And if she didn't hit him--just on the foot with a little whitepebble!

  "Hurrah for our sharpshooter!" cried Bert.

  Of course the hard part of the trick was to toss a pebble through thewindow without knocking down the wall, but Dorothy stood to one side,and swung her arm, so that the stone went straight through and reachedHal, who stood ten feet away.

  "I'm next," said Nellie, taking her place behind "the guns."

  Nellie swung her arm and down came the fort!

  "Oh my!" called Freddie, "you've knocked down the whole gun wall.You'll have to be---"

  "Court-martialed," said Hal, helping Freddie out with his war terms.

  "She's a prisoner of war," announced Bert, getting hold of Nellie, whodropped her head and acted like someone in real distress. Just as ifit were all true, Nan and Dorothy stood by, wringing their hands, inhorror, while the boys brought the poor prisoner to the frontier,bound her hands with a piece of cord, and stood her up against anabandoned umbrella pole.

  Hal acted as judge.

  "Have you anything to say why sentence should not be pronounced uponyou?" he asked in a severe voice.

  "I have," sighed Nellie. "I did not intend to betray my country. Theenemy caused the--the--downfall of Quebec," she stammered, justbecause the name of that place happened to come to her lips.

  "Who is her counsel?" asked the Judge.

  "Your honor," spoke up Dorothy, "this soldier has done good service.She has pegged stones at your honor with good effect, she has evencaptured a company of wild pond lilies in your very ranks, and now,your honor, I plead for mercy."

  The play of the children had, by this time, attracted quite a crowd,for the bathing hour was over, and idlers tarried about.

  "Fair play!" called a strange boy in the crowd, taking up the spiritof fun. "That soldier has done good service. She took a sassy littlecrab out of my ear this ver
y day!"

  Freddie looked on as if it were all true. Flossie did not laugh abit, but really seemed quite frightened.

  "I move that sentence be pronounced," called Bert, being on the sideof the prosecution.

  "The prisoner will look this way!" commanded Hal.

  Nellie tossed back her wet brown curls and faced the crowd.

  "The sentence of the court is that the prisoner be transported forlife," announced Hal, while four boys fell in around Nellie, and shesilently marched in military fashion toward the bathing pavilion, withDorothy and Nan at her heels.

  Here the war game ended, and everyone was satisfied with that day'sfun on the sands.