Part 5 (1/2)

Who would miss now? Everybody waited to see. The train struck a curve! Bert threw a wild ball and Nan missed it.

”Foul ball!” called the umpire, and Bert did not dispute it.

Then Nan delivered the ball.

”Oh, mercy me!” shrieked the old lady, who had thrown the handbag at Downy, the duck, ”my gla.s.ses!” and there, upon the floor, lay the pieces. Nan's ball had hit the lady right in the gla.s.ses, and it was very lucky they did not break until they came in contact with the floor.

”I'm so sorry!” Nan faltered. ”The car jerked so I could not keep it.”

”Never mind, my dear,” answered the nice old lady, ”I just enjoyed that game as much as you did, and if I hadn't stuck my eyes out so, they would not have met your ball. So, it's all right. I have another pair in my bag.”

So the game ended with the accident, for it was now time to gather up the baggage for the last stop.

CHAPTER IV

NIGHT IN A BARN

”Beach Junction! All off for the Junction!” called the train men, while the Bobbseys and Mrs. Manily hurried out to the small station, where numbers of carriages waited to take pa.s.sengers to their cottages on the cliffs or by the sea.

”Sure we haven't forgotten anything?” asked Mrs. Bobbsey, taking a hasty inventory of the hand baggage.

”Bert's got Snoop and I've got Downy,” answered Freddie, as if the animals were all that counted.

”And I've got my hatbox and flowers,” added Nan.

”And I have my ferns,” said little Flossie.

”I guess we're all here this time,” Mr. Bobbsey finished, for nothing at all seemed to be missing.

It was almost nightfall, and the beautiful glow of an ocean sunset rested over the place. At the rear of the station an aged stage driver sat nodding on his turnout. The stage coach was an ”old timer,” and had carried many a merry party of sightseers through the sandy roads of Oceanport and Sunset Beach, while Hank, the driver, called out all spots of interest along the way. And Hank had a way of making things interesting.

”Pike's Peak,” he would call out for Cliff Hill.

”The Giant's Causeway,” he would announce for Rocky Turn.

And so Hank was a very popular stage driver, and never had to look for trade--it always came to him.

”That's our coach,” said Mr. Bobbsey, espying Hank. ”h.e.l.lo there!

Going to the beach?” he called to the sleepy driver.

”That's for you to say,” replied Hank, straightening up.

”Could we get to Ocean Cliff--Minturn's place--before dark?” asked Mr. Bobbsey, noticing how rickety the old stagecoach was.

”Can't promise,” answered Hank, ”but you can just pile in and we'll try it.”

There was no choice, so the party ”piled” into the carryall.