Produced by Gordon Keener
The Bobbsey Twins at the Seashore
Laura Lee Hope
"Suah's yo' lib, we do keep a-movin'!" cried Dinah, as she climbedinto the big depot wagon.
"We didn't forget Snoop this time," exclaimed Freddie, following closeon Dinah's heels, with the box containing Snoop, his pet cat, whoalways 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 suresomeone 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'msure. 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'son 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 Billstarted on his usual trot down the country road to the depot.
The Bobbseys were leaving the country for the seashore. As told inour first volume, "The Bobbsey Twins," the little family consisted oftwo pairs of twins, Nan and Bert, age eight, dark and handsome, and aslike as two peas, and Flossie and Freddie, age four, as light as theothers were dark, and "just exactly chums," as Flossie alwaysdeclared.
The Bobbsey twins lived at Lakeport, where Mr. Richard Bobbsey hadlarge lumber yards. The mother and father were quite youngthemselves, and so enjoyed the good times that came as naturally assunshine to the little Bobbseys. Dinah, the colored maid, had beenwith the family so long the children at Lakeport called her DinahBobbsey, although her real name was Mrs. Sam Johnston, and herhusband, Sam, was the man of all work about the Bobbsey home.
Our first volume told all about the Lakeport home, and our secondbook, "The Bobbsey Twins in the Country," was the story of theBobbseys on a visit to Aunt Sarah and Uncle Daniel Bobbsey in theirbeautiful country home at Meadow Brook. Here Cousin Harry, a boyBert's age, shared all the sports with the family from Lakeport. Nowthe Lakeport Bobbseys were leaving Meadow Brook, to spend the month ofAugust with Uncle William and Aunt Emily Minturn at their seashorehome, called Ocean Cliff, located near the village of Sunset Beach.There they were also to meet their cousin, Dorothy Minturn, who wasjust a year older than Nan.
It was a beautiful morning, the very first day of August, that ourlittle party started off. Along the Meadow Brook road everybodycalled out "Good-by!" for in the small country place all the Bobbseyswere well known, and even those from Lakeport had many friends there.
Nettie Prentice, the one poor child in the immediate neighborhood (sheonly lived two farms away from Aunt Sarah), ran out to the wagon asUncle Daniel hurried old Bill to the depot.
"Oh, here, Nan!" she called. "Do take these flowers if you can carrythem. They are in wet cotton battin at the stems, and they won't fadea bit all day," and Nettie offered to Nan a gorgeous bouquet of lovelypure white, waxy li