CHAPTER II
SNOOP IS GONE
"Papa, do you think a tiger would come in here?" asked Freddie,remembering all the stories of wild animals he had heard in hisfour years.
"Or a lion?" asked Flossie.
"Of course not!" exclaimed Nan. "Can't you see that all the wildanimals are still in their cages?"
"Maybe some of 'em are loose," suggested Freddie, and he almosthoped so, as long as his father was there to protect him.
"I guess the circus men can look after them," said Bert. "May Iget off, father, and look around?"
"I'd rather you wouldn't, son. You can't tell what may happen."
"Oh, look at that man after the monkey!" cried Nan.
"Yes, and the monkey's gone up on top of the tiger's cage," addedBert. "Say, this is as good as a circus, anyhow!"
Some of the big, flaring lights, used in the tents at night, hadbeen set going so the circus and railroad men could see to work,and this glare gave the Bobbseys and other passengers on the traina chance to see what was going on.
"There's a big elephant!" cried Freddie. "See him push the lion'scage around. Elephants are awful strong!"
"They couldn't push a railroad train," said Flossie.
"They could too!" cried her little brother, quickly.
"They could not. Could they, papa?"
"What?" asked Mr. Bobbsey, absent-mindedly.
"Could an elephant push a railroad train?" asked Flossie.
"I know they could," declared Freddie. "Couldn't they, papa?"
"Now, children, don't argue. Look out of the windows," advisedtheir mother.
And while the circus men are trying to catch the escaped animalsI will tell you something more about the Bobbseys, and about theother books, before this one, relating to their doings.
Mr. Richard Bobbsey, and his wife Mary, the parents of the Bobbseytwins, lived in an Eastern city called Lakeport, on Lake Metoka.Mr. Bobbsey was in the lumber business, and the yard, with itsgreat piles of logs and boards, was near the lake, on which thetwins often went in boats. There was also a river running into thelake, not far from the saw mill.
Their house was about a quarter of a mile away from the lumber yard,on a fashionable street, and about it was a large lawn, while inthe back Sam Johnson, the colored man of all work, and the husbandof Dinah, had a fine garden. The Bobbseys had many vegetables fromthis garden.
There was also a barn near the house, and in this the children hadmany good times. Flossie and Freddie played there more than didNan and Bert, who were growing too old for games of that sort.
As I have said, Bert and Nan were rather tall and thin, whileFlossie and Freddie were short and fat. Mr. Bobbsey used oftento call Flossie his "Fat Fairy," which always made her laugh. AndFreddie had a pet name, too. It was "Fat Fireman," for he oftenplayed that he was a fireman; putting out make-believe fires, andpretending he was a fire engine. Once or twice his father hadtaken him to see a real fire, and this pleased Freddie very much.
In the first book of this series, called "The Bobbsey Twins," Itold you something of the fun the four children had in their hometown. They had troubles, too, and Danny Rugg, one of the few badboys in Lakeport, was the cause of some. Also about a certain brokenwindow; what happened when the twins went coasting, how they hada good time, in an ice boat, and how they did many other things.
Snoop, the fat, black kitten, played a part in the story also. TheBobbsey twins were very fond of Snoop, and had kept him so manyyears that I suppose he ought to be called a cat, instead of akitten, now.
After the first winter's fun, told of in the book that began anaccount of the doings of the Bobbseys, the twins and their parentswent to the home of Uncle Daniel Bobbsey, and his wife, Aunt Sarah,in Meadow Brook.
In the book called "The Bobbsey Twins in the Country," I wrote downmany of the things that happened during the summer.
If they had fun going off to the country, taking Snoop with them,of course, they had many more good times on arriving at the farm.There was a picnic, jolly times in the woods, a Fourth of Julycelebration, and though a midnight scare alarmed them for a time,still they did not mind that.
But, though the twins liked the country very much, they soon hada chance to see something of the ocean, and in the third book ofthe series, called "The Bobbsey Twins at the Seashore," my readerswill find out what happened there.
There was fun on the sand, and more fun in the water, and oncethe little ones got lost an an island. A great storm came up, anda ship was wrecked, and this gave the twins a chance to see thelife savers, those brave men who risk their lives to help others.
Then came closing days at Ocean Cliff, the home of Uncle Williamand Aunt Emily Minturn at Sunset Beach. School was soon to open,and Mr. and Mrs. Bobbsey were anxious to get back to their townhome, for Flossie and Freddie were to start regular lessons now,even though it was but in the kindergarten class.
Sa good-byes were said to the ocean, and though Dorothy Minturn crieda little when her cousins Nan and Flossie, and Bert and Freddie,had to leave, still she said she hoped they would come again. Andso the Bobbseys were on their way home in the train when the circusaccident happened that brought them to a stop.
"And so we nearly ran into an elephant; eh?" said Mr. Bobbsey tothe 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 Freddie.
"No, we wouldn't," declared Flossie, who seemed bound to start adispute. Perhaps she was so tired that she was fretful.
"Say, can't you two stop disputing all the while?" asked Bert, ina 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 wasgoing on rapidly. Some of the passengers went out to watch, butthe Bobbseys stayed in their seats, Mr. Bobbsey thinking this best.The catching of the monkeys was the hardest work, but soon eventhis 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 couldinquire how much longer delay there would be. The conductor camethrough the car.
"When will we start?" asked Mr. Bobbsey.
"Not for some time, I'm afraid," spoke the ticket-taker. "The wreckis a worse one than I thought at first, and some of the cars ofthe circus train are across the track so we can't get by. We maybe 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 getout, Richard, walk across the fields to the trolley line, and takethat 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 intheir cages."
"Then that's what we'll do, children," said their father. "Gatherup your things, and we'll take the trolley home. The moon is comingup, 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 cookie in my bag," replied Mrs.Bobbsey. "You can eat those on the way. Nan, go tell Dinah thatwe're going to take a trolley. We can each carry something."
"I'll carry Snoop," exclaimed Freddie. He hurried down the aisle towhere the cook was now standing, intending to get the box containinghis pet cat "Where's Snoop, Dinah?" he asked.
"Heah he am!" she said, lifting up the slat-box. "He ain't made asound 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 oneside 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 acatch in her breath.
"Oh--o--o--o! Maybe a tiger or a lion has him!" wailed Freddie."Oh, Snoop!"
"Be quiet, dear, we'll find him for you," said Mrs. Bobbsey, asshe opened her satchel to get out some cookies. Then she rememberedsomething.
"Freddie, where is that silver cup?" she asked. "You had it to geta drink. Did you give it back to me?"
"No, mamma, I--I--"
"He gave the fat lady a drink from it," spoke Flossie, "and shedidn't give it back."
"The train stopped just as she was drinking," went on Freddie. "Isat down on the floor--hard, and I saw the water spill on her. Thefat 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 hispapa. 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 valuableto lose. Come, children, we'll see if we can't find Snoop also,and then we'll take a trolley car for home."