The Lighthouse Mystery Read online

  is Tahiti."

  "Oh, boy!" cried Benny. "Maybe the captain will let us go over the

  ship."

  "Maybe," agreed his grandfather. "It will be a beautiful passenger ship,

  not like the freighter you went to Blue Bay on."

  "Very posh," said Benny.

  68

  "Yes, I guess that is the word," said Grandfather, smiling. "I know the

  company that owns that ship."

  "Then I guess the captain will let us go on," said Jessie, looking at

  Violet. "Grandfather does know a lot of people."

  "I don't know this captain, but I hear he is a very good man with a

  boat. He is young."

  They washed the dishes and then got into the station wagon. Henry backed

  it out and they were soon on their way to Ashland.

  "Boats are always late," said Jessie. "We may have to wait all day."

  "Right," said Mr. Alden. "But there are seats on the wharf and a roof to

  keep the sun off. You will enjoy watching the small boats. They keep

  coming and going."

  "How do you know so much about Ashland?" asked Henry. "I never heard of

  that town."

  "Well, remember I grew up on Aunt Jane's farm. And I have been up here

  with Mr. Carter a

  69

  few times. I am interested in that Tahiti boat."

  "Ah, I thought so," said Jessie. "That's why we are going to see it come

  in."

  Mr. Alden laughed. "I like to see ships come in anyway-any ship."

  The Tahiti was late.

  "I told you boats are always late," said Jessie.

  They all sat down and watched the small boats. There was one big empty

  place for the Tahiti. Small boats came in to get gas and water.

  "See that man having his breakfast on that boat?" said Jessie. "He has

  bacon and eggs."

  "Now his wife is bringing the toast," said Violet. "It must be fun to

  cook and eat on a boat like that."

  One boat had children climbing all over the deck. "Oh, they'll fall in!"

  cried Violet.

  "I don't think so," replied Grandfather. "Those children are used to a

  boat."

  The mother heard this. She looked up at Grandfather and laughed. She

  said, "Don't you worry.

  70

  All these children have been living on a boat since they were born. They

  can all swim and dive."

  Everything was interesting, but still the ship did not come in. At last

  it was time for lunch.

  "We had better get lunch at some place over here," said Mr. Alden.

  "We'll hear the boat whistle if it comes in."

  It seemed good to eat at a real table again. The Aldens had a good lunch

  and finished with apple pie. Then they went back to the wharf.

  "She's coming, sir," said a man in uniform. "She has passed the Point."

  "Good!" said Mr. Alden. "Thanks for telling me."

  Many men began to come down on the wharf to help tie up the big ship.

  Soon they saw it coming in the distance. It was pure white.

  "It has three big whistles," said Violet.

  "No, Vi, those are not whistles," said Benny. "They are smokestacks. See

  the smoke?"

  Violet laughed at her mistake.

  71

  From the South Seas

  The big ship came nearer and nearer. It was very beautiful. A small boat

  went out to meet it. Then it slowly came into the empty place at the

  wharf. People were standing and waving at the rail of the ship. Then

  Jessie noticed that many people had come down to meet them. It was

  exciting to watch them. And Larry Cook was in the crowd. But it seemed

  as if he did not want to be seen. He never looked toward the Aldens.

  "Is that the captain?" asked Benny.

  "Yes. You can tell by his uniform."

  After the crowd had gone, Grandfather went up to the captain and said,

  "Good day, sir. I am James Alden."

  "Are you indeed?" said the captain. "I'm glad to meet you at last."

  "These are my grandchildren. I wonder if they could go aboard," said Mr.

  Alden.

  "Certainly," said the young man, smiling. "My name is Snow. I'll have an

  officer show them around."

  72

  "I don't want to take up your time," said Mr. Alden.

  "Oh, no," said Captain Snow. "I have three days' leave. I live just over

  in Conley."

  "Conley!" said Benny. "That's where we are staying. In the lighthouse."

  "What an adventure that must be," said Captain Snow, "living in a

  lighthouse. Here is an officer. He will show you over the Tahiti."

  The officer showed them everything. They looked in the boiler room, the

  swimming pool, the dining room, the cabins. Everything was much nicer

  than the Sea Star that had taken them to Blue Bay.

  "Have you a big kitchen?" asked Violet.

  "Kitchen? Oh, yes! We call it a galley. We feed hundreds of people. It

  takes a lot of pans and dishes, ranges, and an enormous refrigerator to

  do that. Come this way, and you will see."

  The refrigerator was interesting because it was as big as a small room.

  There were two men in it,

  73

  From the South Seas 73

  [PICTURE NOT SHOWN]

  74

  putting things on the many shelves.

  "Could we go in, too?" asked Benny.

  "Sure," said the officer, smiling. "Plenty of room, but rather cold. You

  won't want to stay there long."

  "Brrr! No, I don't," said Benny. He went out as quickly as he had come

  in. "You've got enough meat for a meat market, I should think."

  "We have enough for many meat markets," said the officer.

  When they had seen the whole ship, the young Aldens were ready to go

  home to supper. They thanked the officer four times over.

  Jessie said, "If Captain Snow lives in Conley, I wonder which house he

  lives in."

  "If he is there for three days, we'll find out," said Henry. "We'll ask

  Mr. Hall. He will know."

  When Benny started to climb up to bed that night, he shouted, "Henry, I

  am the dumbest thing in the world!"

  "Why are you dumb?" Henry shouted back

  75

  "Because I saw two or three long white bags in that refrigerator, just

  the kind you get plankton in, and I never said a word about it."

  "Yes, old boy, I'm dumb, too, because I saw those bags and just didn't

  pay any attention. I was thinking about that refrigerator that we could

  walk into."

  "I saw them, too," said Jessie. "Aren't we all dumb? We could have asked

  the officer what they had them for."

  Grandfather said, "Now just what are you talking about?"

  Benny called down the stairs, "Don't you remember, Grandfather, that's

  the way to get plankton? To drag a long bag through the South Seas?"

  "Of course I remember. Captain Snow was getting plankton for Larry. I

  should say the whole family was quite stupid."

  "Dumb," said Benny.

  "All right. If you like it better-dumb," said Grandfather.

  76

  CHAPTER 9

  Who Needs a

  Friend?

  The Alden family did not stay dumb for long.

  Tuesday Benny said, "Let's see if we can find out where Captain Snow

  lives."

  "Just step down to the store," said Henry, laughing.

  Everyone laughed.

&
nbsp; "Wait just a minute until we finish the breakfast dishes," said Jessie,

  "and we can all go."

  It was Grandfather who asked Mr. Hall, "Do you know Captain Snow of the

  Tahiti?"

  "I'll say I know him," said Mr. Hall. "I've known him ever since he was

  a boy. He's brother to the Cook boy's mother."

  "Aha!" said Jessie.

  "Aha!" said Benny. "That explains a lot of things."

  77

  Mr. Hall leaned on the counter. "Larry always goes over to see his uncle

  when the Tahiti comes in. His uncle gives him something every time, but

  nobody has ever found out what it is."

  "Maybe he gets it in a covered pail," said Benny, looking at Mr. Hall.

  "How did you know that?" asked Mr. Hall.

  "I saw him come home late one night and he had a pail," said Benny.

  "Sometimes his uncle gives him a box," said Mr. Hall, "and sometimes a

  glass can. What do you suppose is in all those things?"

  "We think we know," said Henry. "It's seaweed or plankton."

  "And what's plankton, young feller?"

  "It doesn't grow here close to shore," said Violet.

  "It grows in the deep sea," said Henry. "In some places the deep sea is

  full of it."

  "And what is it?" asked Mr. Hall.

  "It's what a whale eats," said Benny. "It's plants and tiny fish and

  eggs and stuff you can't see with-

  78

  out a microscope, but whales live on it. The whale takes a big mouthful

  and swallows the plankton and strains the water out of his mouth."

  "Fishes eat it, too," Henry added. "It's something like the way land

  animals feed on growing plants and smaller animals."

  "Plankton tastes awful," said Benny. "They say there's enough plankton

  in the deep sea to feed the world."

  "You don't say!" said Mr. Hall. "Too bad it doesn't taste good. But what

  I want to know is what the Cook boy wants it for."

  "We think he studies it and experiments with it," said Henry.

  "He's a smart boy all right," said Mr. Hall. "Maybe Captain Snow would

  know."

  "Where does he live?" asked Henry.

  "Way up the street," said Mr. Hall. "Do you know where they're fixing

  the driveway?"

  "Yes, that's where we got our cement," said Jessie.

  79

  Mr. Hall said, 'There's a white house near that corner and that's

  Captain Snow's. He lives with his mother."

  Benny said, "But most of the time he's out at sea."

  "Yes," said Mr. Hall. "Most of the time."

  Then Watch began to wag his tail. He went to the door.

  A tall man came in and said, "Well, hello, dog. You are a good watchdog.

  Your name ought to be Watch."

  "It is!" cried everybody.

  "You're Captain Snow of the Tahiti," said Benny. "We were just coming

  down to see you."

  "Good," said Captain Snow. "You are the Aldens who went over my ship.

  Just give me some crackers and five pounds of sugar, Mr. Hall. Then I'll

  go right home."

  "Do you have to go home?" asked Benny.

  "No, I'm not in a hurry. I'm on leave from ship just now."

  80

  "Can you come and sit on our rocks for a while?" asked Henry. "Right

  over there," he pointed.

  "Certainly," said Captain Snow. "I'll leave the crackers and get them on

  the way home." All this time he had his hand on Watch's head.

  "Watch likes you," said Violet.

  "I like dogs," said Captain Snow.

  "Let's go," said Benny. "We have five chairs and a table made of rocks."

  "I'll sit on the table," said the captain.

  "No, Henry will sit on the table," said Jessie. "His chair will fit

  you."

  Soon they were sitting on the rocks, talking.

  "You see that little house?" said Jessie, pointing to the little white

  house. "It was a summer kitchen for the lighthouse."

  Henry added, "Mr. Cook, Larry's father, owns it now. That's what Mr.

  Hall told us."

  "I see that it's empty," said the Captain.

  "But it isn't empty," said Benny. "That's where

  81

  Larry does his experiments-at least we think so. He stays up most of the

  night. We don't know how he gets in-he can't have a key."

  "I always wondered where he worked," said Captain Snow. "He doesn't tell

  me much, but I know he's trying to study by himself."

  "He wants to go to college this fall," said Jessie.

  "Everyone in town knows that," said the captain, laughing. "His father

  didn't catch on that Larry was so smart and let him write letters to two

  colleges."

  "Did they want him?" asked Benny.

  "Yes, they both wanted him," said the captain. "They wanted a young man

  who has tried to carry on experiments in science by himself."

  Then Grandfather said, "I think he can get the work he wants at Henry's

  college. I might talk to the teachers there about him."

  "Both colleges he wrote to wanted him. He chose Adams," said the

  captain.

  "That's Henry's very college," shouted Benny.

  82

  "What do you know about that!" said Henry.

  "If he went there, you could take care of him, Henry," said Benny.

  Henry laughed. "He won't need anybody to take care of him," he said.

  "But you could be his friend," said Violet.

  "He'll need a friend," said Captain Snow. "So far his father has said

  no"

  "But why?" said Benny. "And why does Larry have to hide his work?"

  Captain Snow said, "I will tell you that. Tom Cook is a selfish man with

  a quick temper, but I think he really does love Larry."

  "He doesn't show it much," said Benny.

  "No, that's the trouble with them both," agreed the captain. "I think

  Larry is afraid his father would spoil his experiments if he knew about

  them."

  "Larry cooked a wonderful supper," said Violet. "We heard his father was

  proud of him. He made five hundred dollars for the street lights."

  83

  Captain Snow got up. He said, "Well, I'll try to help him all I can. I

  know how interested he is in science. And he seems to have found some

  good friends."

  After a minute Henry said, "Now the next thing is to make Larry really

  friendly."

  "How?" asked Jessie.

  Violet said, "He is a little friendly now, but that's because we helped

  him with the supper."

  "What could we do, Grandfather?" asked Jessie. "Something that would

  give him a good time?"

  "Wait till morning," said Mr. Alden. "Something may come up."

  Something did come up. And it was very different from anything they had

  thought of.

  84

  CHAPTER 10

  Hints and Plans

  The next morning Jessie looked at Violet. "What in the world is the

  matter with you?" she asked.

  "Mosquitoes," said Violet. Her face was red and puffed.

  "Does your face hurt?" asked Jessie. "I would hardly know you. We'll

  have to do something."

  "I can hardly open my mouth," said Violet.

  "I heard the mosquitoes," said Jessie. "Look at my arm."

  The boys came down to breakfast.

  "Hello! Hello!" said Benny. "What happened to you, Violet? You look fat

  in the face."

  "Mosquito bites," said Jess
ie.

  "I had some, too," said Mr. Alden. "The wind has changed. Now it comes

  off the land. That always means mosquitoes."

  85

  Henry said slowly, "We have five windows."

  "We have a screen door but no screens on the windows," said Benny. "I

  have an idea. Let's put screen cloth on the windows and get Larry to

  help us."

  "And what about poor Violet?" asked Mr. Alden.

  "Mr. Hall will have something for her bites," said Jessie. "I hope he

  has screen cloth, too."

  Violet could hardly eat.

  Henry said, "I've finished breakfast. I'll run over to the store."

  Soon he came back with a great many things. He had something for

  Violet's face, a roll of screen cloth, a big box of tacks, and two small

  hammers.

  Jessie covered Violet's face with white stuff from Mr. Hall's.

  "You don't need to help, Violet," said Benny. "You can't see the tacks."

  "The next thing is to find Larry," said Jessie. "Now, Benny, don't say

  anything about seeing him

  86

  out in his father's boat. And don't ask him about what he does in the

  summer kitchen. He'll tell us when he's ready."

  Benny said, "Oh, Jessie, I'm not

  that

  dumb."

  The Aldens walked up and down the street and looked at Larry's house.

  Mrs. Cook was out in the yard.

  "Where's Larry?" asked Henry.

  "I don't know. He's out."

  They could see that the Sea Cook was in.

  At last they went down to the wharf. There was Larry, reading a book.

  "Hi, Larry," shouted Benny. "Will you come and help us?"

  "What doing?" asked Larry, shutting his book. "And where is the other

  sister?"

  "You wouldn't know her," said Benny. "She is all mosquito bites. One eye

  is all shut."

  Jessie said, "We want to put screens on five windows."

  "You don't need me," said Larry.

  87

  "Count us," said Benny. "We have five windows and four people."

  Larry laughed. He got up, put his book under his arm, and they all

  walked down the street.

  Larry looked at the high windows. Then he looked at the screen cloth.

  "You can't put this on from the outside," he said.

  "No," said Benny. "We are going to put it on from the inside. We'll show

  you. We have done it before."

  "I'd like to see how you do it," said Larry.

  Then Violet came out.

  "I'm very sorry about your face," said Larry. Then he began to cut

  screen cloth.

  Grandfather sat out on the rocks. He laughed to himself. Everyone was