Then came closing days at Ocean Cliff, the home of Uncle William and Aunt Emily Minturn at Sunset Beach.School was soon to open, and Mr.and Mrs.Bobbsey were anxious to get back to their town home, for Flossie and Freddie were to start regular lessons now, even though it was but in the kindergarten class.
So goodbyes were said to the ocean, and though Dorothy Minturn cried a little when her cousins Nan and Flossie, and Bert and Freddie, had to leave, still she said she hoped they would come again.And so the Bobbseys were on their way home in the train when the circus accident happened that brought them to a stop.
"And so we nearly ran into an elephant, eh?" said Mr.Bobbsey to the brakeman, who had brought in the news.
"Yes, sir.Our engineer stopped just in time.""If we had hit him we'd gone off the track," said Freddy.
"No, we wouldn't," declared Flossie, who seemed bound to start a dispute.Perhaps she was so tired that she was fretful.
"Say, can't you two stop disputing all the while?" asked Bert, in a low voice."You make papa and mamma nervous." "Well, an elephant is big, anyhow," said Freddie.
"So he is, little Fat Fireman," said Nan, "Come and sit with me, and we can see the men catch the monkeys."The work of getting the escaped animals back into their cages was going on rapidly.Some of the passengers went out to watch, but the Bobbseys stayed in their seats, Mr.Bobbsey thinking this best.The catching of the monkeys was the hardest work, but soon even this was accomplished.
The wait seemed very tiresome when there was nothing more to watch, and Mr.Bobbsey looked about for some railroad man of whom he could inquire how much longer delay there would be.The conductor came through the car.
"When will we start?" asked Mr.Bobbsey.
"Not for some time, I'm afraid," spoke the tickettaker."The wreck is a worse one than I thought at first, and some of the cars of the circus train are across the track so we can't get by.We may be here two hours yet.""That's too bad.Where are we?" "Just outside of Whitewood.""Oh, that's near home!" exclaimed Mrs.Bobbsey."Why can't we get out, Richard, walk across the fields to the trolley line, and take that home? It won't be far, and we'll be there ever so much quicker.""Well, we could do that, I suppose," said her husband, slowly.
"That's what a number of passengers did," said the conductor."There's no danger in going out now - all the animals are back in their cages.""Then that's what we'll do, children," said their father."Gather up your things, and we'll take the trolley home.The moon is coming up, and it will soon be light.""I'm hungry," said Freddie, fretfully."So am I," added his twin sister.
"Well, I have some crackers and cookies in my bag," replied Mrs.Bobbsey." You can eat those on the way.Nan, go tell Dinah that we're going to take a trolley.We can each carry something.""I'll carry Snoop," exclaimed Freddie.He hurried down the aisle to where the cook was now standing, intending to get the box containing his pet cat.""Where's Snoop, Dinah? " he asked.
"Heah he am!" she said, lifting up the slatbox."He ain't made a sound in all dis confusion, nuther."The next moment Freddie gave a cry of dismay:
"Snoop's gone!" he wailed."He broke open the box and he's gone! Oh, where is Snoop?""Ma sakes alive!" cried Dinah.The box was empty!
A hurried search of the car did not bring forth the black pet.Mr.and Mrs.Bobbsey, and some of the passengers, joined in the hunt.But there was no Snoop, and a slat that had pulled loose from one side of the box showed how he had gotten out.
"Most likely Snoop got frightened when the train stopped so suddenly, and broke loose," said Mr.Bobbsey."We may find him outside.""I - I hope an elephant didn't step on him" said Flossie, with a catch in her breath.
"Ohooo! Maybe a tiger or a lion has him!" wailed Freddie."Oh, Snoop!""Be quiet, dear, we'll find him for you," said Mrs.Bobbsey, as she opened her satchel to get out some cookies.Then she remembered something.
"Freddie, where is that silver cup?" she asked."You had it to get a drink.Did you give it back to me?""No, mamma, I-I"
"He gave the fat lady a drink from it," spoke Flossie, "and she didn't give it back.""The train stopped just as she was drinking," went on Freddie."I sat down on the floor - hard, and I saw the water spill on her.The fat lady has our silver cup! Oh, dear!""And she's gone-and Snoop is gone!" cried Flossie."Oh!oh!" "Is that so - did you let her take your cup, Freddie?" asked his papa.Freddie only nodded.He could not speak.
"That fat lady was with the circus," said one of the men passengers."Maybe you can see her outside.""I'll look," said Mr.Bobbsey, quickly."That cup is too valuable tolose.Come, children, we'll see if we can't find Snoop also, and then we'll take a trolley car for home."
