The Brown Fox Mystery (5 page)

On the screened front porch there was a wicker davenport and two large wicker chairs, a table and a croquet set.

“My good gracious!” said Miss Annie, “there are even electric lights and a bathroom. From the price, I didn’t think it would be half as nice as this.” She looked a little worried for a moment and added, “I hope Clarabelle’s mother didn’t make a mistake!”

“Jeepers, from the way you talked, Miss Annie, I thought we were going to
camp
, almost,” said Tommy. “There are a lot of things here we don’t have at home.”

“That’s right, Tommy,” Miss Annie agreed.

“F’rinstance,” said Djuna, “we can hop out of bed in the morning and run down on the dock and catch some fish for breakfast!”

“Boy!” said Tommy. “Let’s walk back to Lakeville, Miss Annie, so we can get some fishing rods.”

“First,” Miss Annie said, “you’ve both got to unpack your things and put them away. Then we’ve got to make up a shopping list after I’ve taken a look around the kitchen.”

By this time, Champ, who was pretty tired from three hours of travel, and a careful inspection of the cottage, barked a half dozen times to say that he didn’t have anything to unpack, and went out on the porch and went to sleep.

It was nearly twelve o’clock, and Captain Ben had come with their ice and gone, before Miss Annie and the boys had finished with their unpacking and Miss Annie had made up a shopping list, and they had fixed a place on the front porch to leave Champ while they went to Lakeville.

“Well,” Miss Annie said as they found the grass-grown road, behind the house, that circled south to Lakeville, “I hope you boys have enough strength to walk to Lakeville before you get anything to eat.”

“I don’t know,” said Djuna. “I feel as though I could eat an elephant.”

“A
whole
one?” asked Miss Annie, smiling.

“If he couldn’t, I could eat what was left,” Tommy said and he groaned. “Gosh, I’m hungry!”

“Well, if it doesn’t cost too much we’ll have dinner at that big hotel up above the station,” said Miss Annie. “They’ll fill you up.”

“Hoddy-doddy!” Tommy said and licked his lips.

“Do you think you ought to spend so much, Miss Annie?” asked Djuna anxiously.

“This,” said Miss Annie firmly, “is our big day. We’re celebrating something—I’m not sure what.”

An hour and a half later, when Tommy and Djuna arose from a table in the dining room of the Silver Lake Hotel, Miss Annie looked at them with a twinkle in her eyes and said, “Now, boys, what do you think I had better get for supper?”

Miss Annie’s smile turned into a chuckle as they both looked at her with wide eyes and groaned and Djuna said, “Do we
have
to eat supper?”

They had just consumed a dinner that consisted of a fruit cup, clam chowder, an enormous chicken pie, with dumplings and small round potatoes and onions and carrots floating in the rich gravy, a tossed green salad, two large pieces of apple pie with chocolate ice cream on them, each, and two glasses of milk.

“I don’t think I can ever eat anything again,” said Tommy as they made their way down the hill to Scatterly’s store.

“Don’t worry,” Miss Annie said. “You’ll be able to eat, but I’ll get something light for supper.”

When they entered Scatterly’s general store Captain Ben was standing just inside the door talking to a middle-aged woman who had a pencil stuck in her hair.

“Oh, Miss Ellery,” Captain Ben called, “I want you to know Miss Winne. Miss Winne is chief engineer and first mate around here when Mr. Scatterly ain’t here. In fact, she runs the place when he
is
here. She’ll take good care of you.”

“I’m sure she will,” Miss Annie said, and she put out her hand to shake hands with Miss Winne to show that she meant what she said.

“Now,” Captain Ben said to Djuna and Tommy, “do you boys want I should help you pick out a couple o’ fishin’ poles? I know, pretty much, just what you need.”

“Say, would you do that, Captain Ben?” asked Djuna eagerly. “We don’t know just what kind is best to get for all kinds of fishing.”

“I’ll be glad to help you,” Captain Ben said. “Come on over here to the fishin’ department where you won’t be under Miss Ellery’s feet while she’s gettin’ her shoppin’ done.”

When Djuna and Tommy got over in the fishing department, as Captain Ben called it, their eyes nearly popped out of their heads as they gazed at the beautifully colored, delicately tied dry flies, spent wing flies, artificial drakes, streamer flies, twin tail streamers and the artificial plugs and spinners that were made in all kinds of weird patterns and painted with bright colors to attract the attention of game fish. There were all kinds of bait casting reels, single-action and automatic fly casting reels, trolling reels, and a level-winding bait casting reel that was built right into the handle of a casting rod.

When they came to the rods there were so many different kinds that after looking at them for a few minutes they looked at Captain Ben helplessly and Djuna said, “Jeepers, you better show us what we ought to get, Captain Ben. There are so many different kinds we just don’t know.”

Captain Ben chuckled and said, “Well now, there is quite a selection. But this little rod here—” He lifted one out of the rack in which they were kept and whipped the tip gently back and forth. “This one here is a mighty fine rod and gives you action for every type of fresh-water fishin’.”

“How much does it cost?” Tommy asked breathlessly.

“Well,” Captain Ben said, and he chuckled as he looked at the price tag on the rod, but he didn’t show it to the two boys, “you can each get one of these rods for three dollars, if that ain’t too much for you to pay.”

“Oh, we can pay that all right!” said Djuna. “We were afraid they’d be a lot more.”

“This is a mighty fine rod,” Captain Ben said. “You see it’s got a one-piece tip of rapier steel and is clock spring tempered. She’s finished with cadmium plate and the mountings and guides are stainless steel. It’s got an offset reel fastener and a little trigger underneath just like a gun to give you a good grip. That’s the rod I’d git if I was you.”

“Would you get down two of them for us, please, Captain Ben,” said Djuna, “and we’ll take ’em.”

“Surest thing you know,” said Captain Ben. He got another Challenger down from the rack and said, “You each give me three dollars and I’ll go over and pay Miss Winne for ’em.”

Captain Ben took their six dollars and while he was on his way over to Miss Winne and had his back turned to Djuna and Tommy he took a five-dollar bill out of his wallet and put it with the six the boys had given him.

“There’s eleven dollars for two casting rods,” Captain Ben said to Miss Winnie when he reached her, and he looked at her out of the corners of his eyes.

“But Captain Ben,” said Miss Winne, “those rods are seven and a half each.”

“Yep, I know they are,” Captain Ben said with a grin. “But they don’t cost Ben Scatterly more than five and a half apiece. Them boys can’t afford to pay seven and a half for castin’ rods an’ they got as much right to fish as anybody else.”

“Oh dear,” sighed Miss Winne, but she was smiling up at Captain Ben while she sighed, “Mr. Scatterly will have a fit.”

“Let him have a couple,” said Captain Ben. “Might do him good.”

He sauntered back to Tommy and Djuna and said, “It’s all fixed, boys. Come on out on the dock an’ I’ll give you a little lesson in casting. Nothin’ to it, if you know how.”

They followed him out on the dock holding the rods in their hands as though they were made of spun platinum and precious stones. When they were out on the dock Captain Ben snapped his fingers and said, “I clean forgot you ain’t got any line on your rods. I—”

“We have all that stuff over at our cottage,” said Djuna quickly. “All we needed was the rods.” Captain Ben chuckled and his brown eyes danced.

“Kinda like buyin’ the buggy before you buy the horse,” he said. “Well, I can show you how to hold your rod, and the motions you make to cast.” He took Tommy’s rod in one of his big hands and carefully placed his right forefinger around the trigger grip and his thumb over on the left-hand side of the handle. Then he wrapped his other three fingers around the handle so that it came tight against the heel of his hand.

“You see,” said Captain Ben slowly, “your thumb and forefinger and the heel of your palm ’re the pressure points for a wrist action grip, an’ that’s what you’ll be usin’ around here. That’s the way to hold your rod. D’you understand?”

“Oh, sure,” they said.

“Now,” Captain Ben went on, “we’ll pretend you got a bass-bug-spook on the end of your line.”

“Golly, what’s that?” asked Djuna.

“It’s the kind of artificial bait you got on your line,” explained Captain Ben as he chuckled at their wide eyes.

He peered closely at the end of the rod he was holding and said, “You know, boys, I think that bass we just caught is a goin’ to run nigh on to six pounds. What say we fix up a stuffin’ an’ have him for supper?” Tommy and Djuna stared at Captain Ben for a moment and then they looked at each other and began to laugh.

“Well,” said Captain Ben before they could say anything, “shall we catch another one?”

“Oh, Captain Ben!”
Miss Winne called from the sidewalk beside the post office. “Your orders are ready.”

“Drat it!” said Captain Ben. “That’s the way it always is. Jest when you get set f’r some good fishin’ somebody wants you should do somethin’ else. You boys want to help me get my deliveries aboard?”

“Oh, sure, we’d like to,” said Djuna. “I guess we can just leave our rods here on the dock, can’t we?”

“No, sirree!” said Captain Ben. “Them’s good rods an’ you want to take good care of ’em. Stand ’em in the wheelhouse in my boat and nobody’ll get itchy fingers.”

While Tommy and Djuna were helping Captain Ben carry out his delivery orders Miss Annie joined them and asked Captain Ben where she could find a bakery.

“There ain’t none in town, ma’am,” said Captain Ben. “Two, three fellahs tried it an’ couldn’t make a go of it.”

“Well, for mercy’s sake!” Miss Annie said. “Imagine a town this size without a bakery. I’ll have to go back into Scatterly’s and get some bread. I do declare!”

“Ma’am, would you an’ the boys like to ride back to your cottage with me?” Captain Ben called after Miss Annie.

“Why, yes,” said Miss Annie with a smile. “I’ll be right out.”

When Miss Annie came back Clarabelle was with her. She was still panting and her cheeks were flushed from running. “I thought they’d never finish lunch,” Clarabelle said. “They just sat and sat and
sat!
”

“All aboard who’s goin’ aboard!” Captain Ben called out with his cheery voice. “We ain’t got no stop until we get to your place, Miss Ellery.”

They all climbed down the ladder to the deck of the
Little Buttercup
and Tommy and Djuna stood by the mooring lines to cast off when Captain Ben gave the word.

When they were clear of the boats anchored off the landing Djuna turned to Clarabelle suddenly, and said, “Why does Captain Ben call his boat
Little Buttercup?
It’s such a funny name!”

“Why, don’t you know, silly?” Clarabelle said and she tossed her yellow hair ribbon. “It’s from the comic opera called
H.M.S. Pinafore
. There was a song in it named ‘I’m Called Little Buttercup’ about a fat girl who went around in a boat, selling things to sailors in the fleet. Captain Ben used to be a real sailor.”

“How did
you
know that?” Djuna wanted to know.

“My father told me,” said Clarabelle. “He says Captain Ben is a very well-educated man, and has traveled everywhere. Do you want me to sing you the song?”

“Yes. Do, Clarabelle,” said Miss Annie, and she smiled encouragement.

Color crept into Clarabelle’s face and her eyes were a little defiant as Tommy began to squirm and Djuna just stared at her. But she cleared her throat and after humming a few notes to set the pitch she sang in a sweet, clear voice:

“Bully! Bully!
Bully!
” Captain Ben roared as the last notes of the plaintive little song danced through the soft afternoon air and echoed in the woodland.

Clarabelle’s face flamed a beet red as she finished and Miss Annie put an arm around her shoulders and hugged her, while there was nothing but frank admiration in the eyes of Tommy and Djuna.

“Golly, that was
swell!
” said Djuna. “Sing it again so we can learn it.”

“That’s the girl!” shouted Captain Ben. “Sing it again. We’ll
all
sing it.”

Miss Annie, Tommy and Djuna hummed the tune this time while Clarabelle and Captain Ben sang the rollicking words, and when they came near the end Captain Ben couldn’t stand it any longer. He threw his engine out of gear so that the
Little Buttercup
just drifted along while he came out on the deck and did a sailor’s hornpipe while he sang. And when he came to the words where he was supposed to sing, “—sail-ors should nev-er be shy,” he sang, “—sail-ors
never are shy
,” so loud that no one could hear themselves sing. And then all five of them roared the last line:

By the time they had finished there were two or three kids on every dock all the way around the lake and on some of them there were grown people, too, who jumped up and down and shouted and clapped their hands when they finished the song.