



Produced by Gordon Keener









The Bobbsey Twins at the Seashore

Laura Lee Hope




CHAPTER I

CHASING THE DUCK


"Suah's yo' lib, we do keep a-movin'!" cried Dinah, as she climbed
into the big depot wagon.

"We didn't forget Snoop this time," exclaimed Freddie, following close
on Dinah's heels, with the box containing Snoop, his pet cat, who
always went traveling with the little fellow.

"I'm glad I covered up the ferns with wet paper," Flossie remarked,
"for this sun would surely kill them if it could get at them."

"Bert, you may carry my satchel," said Mrs. Bobbsey, "and be careful,
as there are some glasses of jelly in it, you know."

"I wish I had put my hat in my trunk," remarked Nan.  "I'm sure
someone will sit on this box and smash it before we get there."

"Now, all ready!" called Uncle Daniel, as he prepared to start old
Bill, the horse.

"Wait a minute!" Aunt Sarah ordered.  "There was another box, I'm
sure.  Freddie, didn't you fix that blue shoe box to bring along?"

"Oh, yes, that's my little duck, Downy.  Get him quick, somebody, he's
on the sofa in the bay window!"

Bert climbed out and lost no time in securing the missing box.

"Now we are all ready this time," Mr. Bobbsey declared, while Bill
started on his usual trot down the country road to the depot.

The Bobbseys were leaving the country for the seashore.  As told in
our first volume, "The Bobbsey Twins," the little family consisted of
two pairs of twins, Nan and Bert, age eight, dark and handsome, and as
like as two peas, and Flossie and Freddie, age four, as light as the
others were dark, and "just exactly chums," as Flossie always
declared.

The Bobbsey twins lived at Lakeport, where Mr. Richard Bobbsey had
large lumber yards.  The mother and father were quite young
themselves, and so enjoyed the good times that came as naturally as
sunshine to the little Bobbseys.  Dinah, the colored maid, had been
with the family so long the children at Lakeport called her Dinah
Bobbsey, although her real name was Mrs. Sam Johnston, and her
husband, Sam, was the man of all work about the Bobbsey home.

Our first volume told all about the Lakeport home, and our second
book, "The Bobbsey Twins in the Country," was the story of the
Bobbseys on a visit to Aunt Sarah and Uncle Daniel Bobbsey in their
beautiful country home at Meadow Brook.  Here Cousin Harry, a boy
Bert's age, shared all the sports with the family from Lakeport.  Now
the Lakeport Bobbseys were leaving Meadow Brook, to spend the month of
August with Uncle William and Aunt Emily Minturn at their seashore
home, called Ocean Cliff, located near the village of Sunset Beach.
There they were also to meet their cousin, Dorothy Minturn, who was
just a year older than Nan.

It was a beautiful morning, the very first day of August, that our
little party started off.  Along the Meadow Brook road everybody
called out "Good-by!" for in the small country place all the Bobbseys
were well known, and even those from Lakeport had many friends there.

Nettie Prentice, the one poor child in the immediate neighborhood (she
only lived two farms away from Aunt Sarah), ran out to the wagon as
Uncle Daniel hurried old Bill to the depot.

"Oh, here, Nan!" she called.  "Do take these flowers if you can carry
them.  They are in wet cotton battin at the stems, and they won't fade
a bit all day," and Nettie offered to Nan