CHAPTER XXWHAT TROUBLE FOUND

Casting a backward glance over her shoulder as she ran along with her brother, Janet saw Mr. Narr making his way toward the Martin cottage. As yet the rich old gentleman had not seen the Curlytops.

“If we can only find the keys before he asks Mr. Keller about them, it will be all right,” said Ted.

“Yes,” agreed Janet. “But we’ve got to look fast and we’ve got to look terrible hard in the sand.”

“We’ll do it!” declared Teddy.

Down to the stretch of sand hurried the Curlytops. They knew where to find the place where the keys and wedding ring had been lost. Some of the stones and pieces of driftwood that Teddy had put in a circle to mark the spot were still in place. The post Mr. Keller set up was also there. The sand was not near enough the water to make it a favorite playing ground for the children, and no waves had washed over it.

So, as it happened, the sand had not been much disturbed except by the digging and sifting that Mr. Keller had had done. There were holes and hills where the men had taken out the sand, to pass it through their sieves in the search for the lost articles.

“You begin on that side, and I’ll start over here,” suggested Ted to his sister, when they reached the place. “Look over every bit of sand.”

“I will,” she answered. “But there’s an awful lot of sand to look over, Teddy.”

“I know there is, Jan.”

“If we had somebody to help us,” went on the little Curlytop girl. “Couldn’t you get Jimmie?”

“I might get him,” Ted admitted. “But it would take half an hour, and I’d have to leave you alone and maybe Mr. Narr might come along and—and——”

“Oh, well, never mind—we’ll hunt by ourselves,” Janet decided.

So the children began delving in the sand again, looking for the lost wedding ring and the keys, as they had looked many times before. Handful after handful of the shifting, white grains they picked up. They looked carefully in each handful before casting it aside. But nothing rewarded them.

“The keys’ll be easier to find than the ring,” said Ted, pausing a moment to straighten his little, aching back.

“Yes. But I’d like to find the ring too—Mrs. Keller would be so glad,” murmured Janet.

“Maybe we can find ’em both,” said Ted, hopefully.

However, as five—ten—fifteen minutes passed, and they found nothing, the Curlytops began to be discouraged.

There was still a great deal of sand to look over, even within the circle of stones and sticks. Janet stood up a moment to get the kinks out of her legs and, as she did so, a shadow fell across the sand in front of her and her brother.

“Oh!” murmured Janet, for she thought it might be Mr. Narr coming with his gold-headed cane—Mr. Narr who would be so angry because Mr. Keller had lost his keys. “Oh!” said Janet again, and then she looked up.

Her heart did not beat so fast when she saw only her mother and Trouble. Teddy, too, who had glanced up at the movement of the shadow and who had heard his sister’s murmured cry, looked pleased when he saw who it was.

“Well, I wondered what had become of you two,” said Mrs. Martin, who had brought William out to get the sunshine and fresh air, for he now was over the worst of his illness.

“We came down to look for Mr. Keller’s keys and Mrs. Keller’s ring,” explained Teddy.

“I see you have.”

“And Mr. Narr—we saw him going up to our house,” added Janet.

“Yes, he’s up there now, talking to your father,” Mrs. Martin said.

“Does he know about the lost keys yet?” Ted wanted to know.

“No, not yet. Of course he will have to be told,” said Mrs. Martin. “But your father thought Mr. Keller had better tell Mr. Narr himself. So your father has telephoned to Mr. Keller to come over to our cottage. Mr. Keller is on his way now, I think, to meet his employer.”

“And will he get discharged, Mother?” asked Janet.

“I don’t know, my dear. But I came to tell you that I think it isn’t of any use to look longer for the lost things.”

“Why not?” Ted asked, digging feverishly in the sand.

“Because I don’t believe you’ll find them. They must either have been washed out to sea, or some one has picked them up and taken them away. Yes, William,” she said to the little fellow, “you may play in the sand. But don’t go far away.”

She put him down on the beach, and Trouble began walking about, stopping now and then to dig with a stick.

“Well, I don’t guess we’re going to find them,” said Teddy, with a sigh. “We’ve looked hard, haven’t we, Jan?”

“Terrible hard,” answered the little girl, with a sigh even more sorrowful than the one her brother emitted.

“It can’t be helped,” said Mrs. Martin. “Mr. Narr will soon know the truth—that Mr. Keller has lost his keys. Perhaps, after all, Mr. Narr will be kind and overlook the loss.”

“He was kind to us,” said Teddy. “He gave us something to eat.”

“Yes; perhaps he isn’t as cross as he looks,” Mrs. Martin said, with a smile. “Oh, Trouble! what have you there?” she suddenly cried, for she saw that the little fellow had picked up something from the sand and was bringing it to her. “What have you found?” she asked.

“Clam shell,” answered the little boy. “It’s a clam shell an’ it’s got suffin inside. Maybe it’s a little nellifunt inside,” he added, as he shook the shell and held it up to his ear.

“It isn’t a clam shell—it’s a whole clam!” exclaimed Ted. “A whopping big one, too. Let me see it, Trouble.”

“No! No!” murmured the little fellow, holding the object behind him. “Dis my nellifunt clam!”

“Give it to Mother, dear,” said Mrs. Martin, gently.

Trouble held it out to her.

“It is a big double clam shell,” she said, taking it in her hands. “The clam has been taken out, though,” she went on. “But thereissomething inside,” and she shook it. The Curlytops could hear a rattling noise.

“Oh, Mother! what you s’pose it is?” cried Janet, her eyes shining eagerly.

“Perhaps the poor, old clam that used to live in the shell has dried up and gone to sleep,” suggested Mrs. Martin. “Or it may be some pebbles or sand or dried seaweed inside. I’ll open it and look.”

The two curved halves of the clam shell were still joined together at the hinged back, but, unlike most shells of this kind, when the clam has been taken out, this one was closed, and not gaping wide open.

“Here’s a stick to pry it open with,” offered Teddy, handing his mother a stick with which he had been digging in the sand.

Using this, Mrs. Martin opened the shell. Crowding about her and looking over her shoulders, the Curlytops saw within the shell something that made their eyes open wide with wonder.

“Oh!” cried Janet. “There’s Mrs. Keller’s gold wedding ring!”

“And Mr. Keller’s bunch of keys!” added Ted.

“I believe that’s just what Trouble found!” exclaimed Mrs. Martin, shaking the sand out of the shell and revealing more clearly a bunch of jingling keys and a gold ring. The ring was bright, but the keys were red with rust.

“How did they get there?” asked Teddy.

“It would be hard to say,” answered his mother. “They may have been brushed into the open shell when the search was going on. Or some children playing here, and not knowing the keys and ring were lost, may have found them and put them in the shell for fun. Then they buried the shell, keys and ring and Trouble just found them. At any rate, they must have been here for some time. But they surely are the things Mr. and Mrs. Keller lost. Oh, I’m very glad, for the dear old couple worried so about them.”

“Let’s take them over now!” suggested Janet.

“Yes, right away!” added her brother.

“I want my shell!” demanded Trouble. “I want my little nellifunt clam shell.”

“You shall have it, dearie!” laughed Janet, giving him a hug. “You don’t know what you found! You’re a lucky little boy, Trouble.”

“Um!” was all he answered.

Carrying the keys and ring carefully, Mrs. Martin and the three children started back toward the cottage. They saw Mr. and Mrs. Keller just going in.

“Oh, I must hurry and give Mr. Keller his keys before Mr. Narr asks for them,” said Mrs. Martin. “Here, Ted, you run on ahead with them. Tell Mr. Keller, as quietly as you can, how we found them. Of course, later on, he will explain to Mr. Narr how they were lost. But I don’t want Mr. Narr to be cross and scold, as he is sure to do when he learns that the keys were lost.”

Taking the rusty bunch, Teddy started off, but he had not gone more than a few steps before they all saw Mr. Martin and Mr. Narr coming out of the cottage to meet the elderly couple.

“Oh, now it is too late!” murmured Mrs. Martin, sadly. “You can’t give the keys to Mr. Keller without Mr. Narr seeing it—and then he will guess what has happened!”

Hardly knowing what to do, Mrs. Martin and the children, with Ted still carrying the keys, walked on toward Mr. Narr and Mr. Martin, who were about to meet Mr. and Mrs. Keller.

“Ah, here are my little shipwrecked friends!” exclaimed Mr. Narr, playfully shaking his gold-headed cane at Ted and Janet. “Have you been catching any more crabs?” he asked.

“No—no, sir!” faltered Ted, wondering what to do with the keys.

“Hello, Mr. Keller! How are you?” went on Mr. Narr, taking off his hat to Mrs. Keller. “I came over to find out where you lived,” he went on. “I have been asking the direction from Mr. Martin—the father of the shipwrecked children,” and he laughed. “I wanted to see you about the bank keys,” he went on.

“Yes—yes, sir,” faltered Mr. Keller. Now was the critical moment, thought the old gentleman. “I shall have to tell him they are lost and he will discharge me.”

Ted was wishing there was some way of slipping the keys into Mr. Keller’s pocket, but it could not be done without Mr. Narr seeing it.

“Yes, about your bunch of my keys,” went on the rich man, with a chuckle. “I just came to tell you that you needn’t bother about letting me take your bunch. I’ve found my own keys, so I won’t need yours!”

Mr. Keller did not seem to know what to say.

“You—you won’t need my keys?” he stammered. “You—you——”

“No, I have my own,” and Mr. Narr drew a jingling bunch from his pocket. “I thought I had left them at my town house, but I found them in the island cottage. So I came over to tell you I wouldn’t need yours. I sent word by the shipwrecked children, you know, for you to have your bunch ready for me.”

“Yes,” murmured Mr. Keller, “I know, and——”

Just then Teddy dropped the bunch of keys which fell with a jingle on the sand.

“Hello!” exclaimed Mr. Narr, looking at them sharply. “They look just like my keys.”

“I—I think they’re my keys—the bunch I lost!” said Mr. Keller. “I was going to tell you, Mr. Narr, that I had lost your keys. My wife lost her wedding ring at the same time, but how my keys came here I don’t know! Oh, I don’t know—I——”

He seemed much confused.

“Trouble found them!” cried Janet, with a laugh.

“In a clam shell!” added Teddy.

“And here is your wedding ring! Oh, I am so glad I can give it back to you!” said Mrs. Martin to Mrs. Keller, handing her the band of gold. “Now all the lost is found!”

“Well! well!” laughed Mr. Narr. “And did you worry, Mr. Keller, because you had lost my keys?”

“Yes, Mr. Narr, I worried a lot,” answered the old man. “I feared you would discharge me and——”

“Nonsense! Nonsense!” laughed the rich old man. “I’m not such a bear as that! Of course if the keys had been lost it might have made a little trouble. But I could easily get others. I’m sorry you had all this worry. But now it is all over!”

“Yes,” murmured Mrs. Keller, as she slipped her wedding ring back on her finger, “our worries are all over now—thanks to the Curlytops!”

“And thanks to Trouble!” added her husband, with a laugh. “We mustn’t forget Trouble and his clam shell.”

“It didn’t have no little nellifunt in, though!” complained William. “And I want a little nellifunt! Or else maybe I want a story about a bear.”

“Come here, little man, and I’ll tell you a story about a bear!” said Mr. Narr, holding out his hands. “I haven’t told a bear story to a little chap like you for many a year.”

“Does you know a story about a bad bear?” demanded Trouble.

“Yes, indeed I do!”

“’Bout a nawful bad bear—anawfulbad bear? A terrible bad bear?” and Trouble opened his eyes wide.

“Yes, about the worst bear in the world.”

“Go on, nen. Tell it, please,” begged the little boy, nestling into the rich man’s arms.

And then every one was happy—but happiest of all were the Curlytops.

THE END

THE CURLYTOPS SERIESBy HOWARD R. GARIS12mo. Cloth. Illustrated. Jacket in full colorsPrice per volume, 50 cents. Postage 10 cents additional.

1. THE CURLYTOPS AT CHERRY FARM,or Vacation Days in the Country

A tale of happy vacation days on a farm.

2. THE CURLYTOPS ON STAR ISLAND,or Camping Out with Grandpa

The Curlytops camp on Star Island.

3. THE CURLYTOPS SNOWED IN,or Grand Fun with Skates and Sleds

The Curlytops on lakes and hills.

4. THE CURLYTOPS AT UNCLE FRANK’S RANCH,or Little Folks on Ponyback

Out West on their uncle’s ranch they have a wonderful time.

5. THE CURLYTOPS AT SILVER LAKE,or On the Water with Uncle Ben

The Curlytops camp out on the shores of a beautiful lake.

6. THE CURLYTOPS AND THEIR PETS,or Uncle Toby’s Strange Collection

An old uncle leaves them to care for his collection of pets.

7. THE CURLYTOPS AND THEIR PLAYMATES,or Jolly Times Through the Holidays

They have great times with their uncle’s collection of animals.

8. THE CURLYTOPS IN THE WOODS,or Fun at the Lumber Camp

Exciting times in the forest for Curlytops.

9. THE CURLYTOPS AT SUNSET BEACH,or What Was Found in the Sand

The Curlytops have a fine time at the seashore.

10. THE CURLYTOPS TOURING AROUND,or The Missing Photograph Albums

The Curlytops get in some moving pictures.

11. THE CURLYTOPS IN A SUMMER CAMP,or Animal Joe’s Menagerie

There is great excitement as some mischievous monkeys break out of Animal Joe’s Menagerie.

12. THE CURLYTOPS GROWING UP,or Winter Sports and Summer Pleasures

Little Trouble is a host in himself and his larger brother and sister are never still a minute, but go from one little adventure to another in a way to charm all youthful readers.

Send for Our Free Illustrated Catalogue.CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY,PublishersNEW YORK

BUDDY SERIESBy HOWARD R. GARISAuthor of the Famous “Curlytops Series”12 mo. Cloth. Illustrated. With colored jacket.Price 50 cents per volume.Postage 10 cents additional.

The author presents a distinctly modern juvenile series of stories for boys. Here we observe a really fascinating character-study of an up-to-date young lad, whose exceedingly energetic mind, and whose overflowing youth and vitality, are constantly leading him into new and more tangled situations, from which by wit, courage and luck, he manages to extricate himself in safety. You will more than like Buddy with his carefree ways, his cheerful smile, his boundless enthusiasm, and his overflowing youth. Buddy is certain to linger in your memory long after you have finished these stories.

1. BUDDY ON THE FARMOr, A Boy and His Prize Pumpkin2. BUDDY IN SCHOOLOr, A Boy and His Dog3. BUDDY AND HIS WINTER FUNOr, A Boy in a Snow Camp4. BUDDY AT RAINBOW LAKEOr, A Boy and His Boat5. BUDDY AND HIS CHUMSOr, A Boy’s Queer Search6. BUDDY AT PINE BEACHOr, A Boy on the Ocean7. BUDDY AND HIS FLYING BALLOONOr, A Boy’s Mysterious Airship

CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY,PublishersNEW YORK

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