CHAPTER 16 A MOONLIGHT SWIM

CONNIE started directly for the front door of the ship cabin. Vevi followed close behind, though she was a trifle nervous.

“Aren’t you afraid to walk in there?” she whispered. “We don’t know who may be hiding inside.”

“I know!” Connie answered. “At least I think I do. Captain Tarwell gave us permission to be here. So we have a right to go inside if the door is unlocked.”

At the front entrance to the cottage the two children paused to listen. The door was slightly ajar. But they could not hear anyone moving about inside.

Vevi pounded on the door and called: “Is that you, Captain Tarwell?”

There was no answer. But the girls were certain they heard someone tiptoeing away from the front room.

“Someone is hiding in there!” Connie said grimly.

“Let’s not go inside,” Vevi murmured, holding back.

“You may stay here if you like,” Connie answered. “I’m going in. Captain Tarwell would want us to find out who is sneaking in and out of his cottage.”

“Maybe he already knows, Connie. He acted funny when I tried to tell him about it.”

Connie paid no heed to Vevi’s protests. She turned the knob, slowly pushing open the door.

“Who’s there?” she called.

Her own voice echoed through the empty house, but there was no answer.

“I’ll go one way and you go the other,” she directed Vevi. “Then we’ll be sure to catch him.”

Vevi did not want to set foot inside the cottage. She was unwilling, though, to admit to Connie that she was afraid, so she reluctantly followed her friend over the threshold.

“You go to the left and I’ll go to the right,” Connie instructed in a whisper. “We’ll meet in the kitchen.”

Vevi’s heart began to pound as she tiptoed across the empty living room. She reached the corridor opening into the kitchen just as Connie entered it from the opposite direction.

“Ha!” cried Connie. “Just as I thought!”

Jamie Curry stood there in his faded jeans, fairly trapped. His hair had not been combed and his eyes were red from lack of sleep.

“So you’re the one who has been sneaking into Captain Tarwell’s cottage!” accused Vevi.

“I am not either a sneak,” the boy denied.

“You were in here the day of the heavy fog,” Connie insisted. “When we came in, you ran away.”

“All right, maybe I was here that day without permission. But that was because the door was open.”

“Captain Tarwell put a new lock on,” Vevi reminded him.

“And he knows I’m sleeping here too,” Jamie insisted stubbornly. “It’s the only place I have to stay.”

Jamie’s face puckered up and the girls thought he was going to cry. He fought back the tears and said defiantly:

“Girls are tattle tales. I suppose you’ll run to my father and tell him you saw me here.”

“You shouldn’t have run away,” Connie replied severely. “Your father has been trying to find you. You must go back home.”

Jamie thrust his feet apart, glaring at the two girls.

“Not on your life!” he announced. “I’ll never go back—not even if I starve.”

“Does your father make you work too hard?” asked Vevi. “Is that why you don’t want to go home?”

“No,” Jamie answered sullenly. “That’s not the reason.”

“Is he mean to you?”

“No-o,” Jamie replied, dragging out the word. “He treats me all right most of the time.”

“Then what is wrong?”

“I can’t tell you,” the boy muttered. “Don’t ask me. Go away and leave me alone.”

“We have a perfect right to be here,” Connie told him firmly. “Captain Tarwell gave the Brownies permission to hold a shell exhibition here Sunday. We’re going to fix up the cottage and invite a lot of people.”

“Then everyone will be coming here.” Jamie was aghast. “I won’t be able to stay?”

“Not unless you want to be seen,” Connie informed him.

Jamie was silent awhile, thinking matters over.

“I won’t go back home,” he announced. “Mr. Green has promised me a job at his pigeon loft. I start in there tomorrow morning. Maybe he will let me sleep at his house.”

“Your father won’t like it,” Connie said severely. “We can’t promise not to tell him we’ve seen you either.”

“Tell if you want to,” Jamie shrugged. “He can’t make me go back because I know—”

The boy broke off quickly, acting as if he had said too much.

As Jamie started to leave, Vevi remembered to thank him for finding Clover.

“It was nothing,” the boy answered. “I caught him easy. He ought to win the race Saturday for the Brownies. Just be careful you don’t scare him when you start him off.”

“I’ve never raced a turtle,” Vevi said anxiously. “Why don’t you come and show me how?”

Jamie shook his head. “Turtle races are old stuff to me,” he said. “Besides, I’m not going back. Goodbye.”

He moved off again, intending to leave.

“Jamie, it was you, wasn’t it, who fed Clover and Snow White?”

“Sure,” the boy admitted. “You didn’t want ’em to die, did you? I’ll give you a tip. I won’t be here tonight, and it’s too cold outside for your pigeon. Unless you want him to get sick, you’d better take him somewhere that’s warm.”

Then, although Connie and Vevi tried to persuade Jamie to stay, he sauntered off. The girls locked the cottage, hiding the key under the shingle.

“We’ll have to take Snow White and Clover with us,” Vevi decided.

“I’ll carry Snow White’s cage,” Connie said quickly. “You look after Clover.”

Vevi was a little afraid of the turtle, but she drained off all the water in the pan and carried him in that. Clover did not like it very well. He kept clawing at the sides of the container, trying to crawl out.

At Starfish Cottage, Miss Gordon and Mrs. Williams were none too happy to see the pets arrive. However, they said Vevi might keep the pigeon over-night and the turtle until after the Saturday race.

“I hope Clover wins,” Vevi declared. “Just think of winning ten dollars for the Brownies!”

“You haven’t won it yet,” Jane reminded her. “What time is the race?”

“Two o’clock.”

“How can you enter Clover in the race if the Brownies are going for a ride in Mrs. Allison’s boat?”

“Oh, we’ll be back in plenty of time,” Vevi said. “The boat ride is at seven.”

The Brownies’ vacation at Silver Beach fast was drawing to a close. Everyone hated to leave, even Mrs. Williams and Miss Gordon. Vevi especially, had a million things she wanted to do. And one in particular.

Ever since the little girl had been told that giant turtles sometimes came up on the beach at night to lay their eggs, she had wanted to view the strange sight.

Starfish Cottage was only a few steps from the beach, so close that Vevi could hear the roar of the surf. Often at night she would lie awake in her bed, listening to the pounding of each wave on the sand. Several times, when she was not too sleepy, she looked out the bedroom window. But she never had seen even one of the huge turtles.

Now Vevi knew that if ever the big loggerheads came out of the sea it would be on a moonlight night. On this particular evening the moon would rise early. It would be a full one too, for she had heard Mrs. Williams tell Sunny so.

As the afternoon wore on, Vevi became more and more quiet, thinking over her plans.

“You’re not ill, are you, dear?” inquired Mrs. Williams.

“Oh, no! I feel fine!”

Vevi had made up her mind not to tell anyone of her plan to watch for the big turtles.

After dinner, the Brownies all gathered for a songfest at Starfish Cottage. Later, they arranged shells, printing cards for each one.

Vevi began to squirm restlessly.

“How long before we go to bed?” she asked, looking at the clock.

“Why, it’s only ten minutes after eight,” Rosemary protested. “You don’t look a bit sleepy either, Vevi McGuire!”

“We have to get up early tomorrow for the boat ride,” Vevi answered quickly.

“Yes, seven o’clock will be tapping on our door almost before we know it,” Mrs. Williams agreed. “‘Early to bed, early to rise.’”

“This is the first time I ever heard Vevi ask to go to bed early,” grumbled Jane.

Vevi paid no attention to the teasing of the other Brownies. After Mrs. Williams had taken Jane, Rosemary and Sunny to Oriole Cottage, Vevi undressed as fast as she could. Before she leaped into bed though, she folded her clothes carefully, leaving them where they could be found easily even in the dark.

It took Connie a long while to get ready for bed. She spent ten minutes brushing her hair. Finally though, the light was turned out.

Vevi lay perfectly still, pretending to be asleep. At first she felt very wide awake. The bed covers were pleasantly warm. The little girl snuggled deeper into them, closing her eyes.

When she opened them again with a start, Vevi knew she had fallen asleep by mistake. The bedroom she shared with Connie was very quiet. In the next room Mrs. Williams was sleeping soundly. It was late, for moonlight streamed in the open window.

Dismayed to have slept so long, Vevi crept from bed. Connie stirred but did not awaken.

The bedroom floor was cold and a chill wind came in from the sea.

Her teeth chattering, Vevi put on all her clothes except her shoes. Then she took a blanket from the bed, and wrapping it around her, sat down by the window. From where she watched, Vevi could see a long stretch of deserted beach. The sand gleamed ghostly white in the moonlight. Not a person was astir.

“I wish the turtles would hurry and come,” Vevi thought. “I don’t want to sit and wait all night.”

The little girl did not have a watch but she thought it must be at least midnight. Only a few automobiles were parked along the beach beside some of the cottages. Often renters who had no garages, left them there all night.

Vevi kept her gaze on the roaring surf, watching the fringe of foam. She began to feel very drowsy. Finally a shoe which she held in her hand, slipped from her fingers. It struck the floor with a loud thump.

Hearing the noise, Connie sat up in bed. She rubbed her eyes. As the cobwebs of sleep cleared away, she saw Vevi huddled in her blanket.

“Why, Vevi!” she exclaimed. “What are you doing out of bed?”

“Sh!” warned Vevi. “Don’t wake anyone. I’m watching for turtles.”

Connie threw off the covers and came over to the window.

“Vevi McGuire! You’re walking in your sleep!”

“I am not,” Vevi whispered hotly. “I’m not even sitting in my sleep. I’m just watching.”

“You won’t be able to get up in time for the boat ride tomorrow,” Connie predicted. “Get back into bed this minute.”

“But I want to see a big turtle lay its eggs on the beach.”

“You might watch all night and not see one, Vevi.”

“I s’pose so,” Vevi admitted unwillingly. Already she had grown tired of sitting so long in a chair. “I’ll come to bed—say! What’s that?”

Greatly excited, she reached out in the darkness to grasp Connie’s hand.

Vevi’s sharp eyes had detected movement on the beach. A dark object had emerged from the sea.

Connie began to giggle, smothering the sound with her hand.

“You think that’s a turtle?” she teased. “Why, it’s only a man swimming in the ocean.”

By this time Vevi too was able to see that the dark object was a bather. The man had come from the direction of the pier and now was moving across the sand toward the row of cars.

“It’s Raymond Curry,” Connie recognized him. “Why does he swim so late at night?”

“And on our beach instead of his own,” whispered Vevi. “He’s acting awfully queer. Let’s watch and see where he goes.”