THE MISSING WATCH
"What's the matter? Oh, let me see!" begged Rose, as Russ came in with
a fluttering paper. "Are we going to have another school play?"
There had been one the previous winter, and Rose and Russ had taken
part in it. Their pictures, as well as those of other young performers,
were in the newspaper, and Russ and Rose were quite proud of this.
"No, it isn't another school play," Russ answered. "But there was an
accident at our school, and now it can't open when it was going to.
Oh, I'm glad! Now we don't have to go back to school and we can go to
Captain Ben's bungalow at Grand View!"
"Let me see," requested Mr. Bunker, reaching out one hand for the
paper, while with the other he sought for his glasses in his vest
pocket.
"Yes, that's right," he said, after he had read the item on the front
page, the sight of which had so excited Russ. "There has been an
accident at Montgomery school, where our children go."
"An accident!" exclaimed Mother Bunker. "Was any one hurt?"
"No, it wasn't that sort of accident," her husband answered. "It was
just a break in the water pipes and the boiler that heats the school
in cold weather. Of course they will not need heat right away, but
the boiler will have to be fixed, and it will take over a month. This
article in the paper says that the opening of Montgomery school will be
postponed for a month. That means our six little Bunkers will not have
to go back to their classes as soon as we thought they would," he added.
"All the better for me!" cried Captain Ben. "Now I can take you all to
Grand View in my auto. You won't have any objections now, will you?" he
asked Mr. Bunker.
"No," answered the father of Russ and the other five children, "I don't
see how I can object. As I told you, we came back from the West mainly
on account of school, and if we had known in time that the Montgomery
building was not to open we would have stayed at Uncle Fred's ranch."
"I'm glad you didn't," laughed Captain Ben. "For now I can have you
visit me. I'll go right uptown and get my automobile, as I see you have
a garage here. Then we'll all be ready to start for the seashore in the
morning."
"Oh, my goodness! we can't go so soon as _that_," cried Mrs. Bunker.
"Why not?" asked the captain.
"I have to look over the children's clothes and see what they need for
this second, unexpected vacation. We couldn't possibly get ready for
to-morrow."
"Well, the next day, then," insisted Captain Ben. "I'll go and get my
auto and have it all ready."
"No, we can't go the next day, either," Mrs. Bunker answered with a
laugh. "Why are you in such a hurry?"
"I learned that in the army, I guess," remarked the soldier. "But how
soon can you go?"
"In about a week, I think," was the answer, and with that Captain Ben
must needs be content.
He arose to go after his automobile, which he had left in a public
garage uptown, and Rose and Russ obtained permission to go with him and
ride back. The other children also wanted to go, but it was a little
too far for their short legs.
"Oh, say, this is a dandy big car!" exclaimed Russ, as he and his
sister climbed into it for the ride back home.
"Glad you like it," said Captain Ben. "We'll need all the room there
is to take six little Bunkers and all their baggage to the shore for a
second vacation."
The next few days were busy ones in the Bunker home. Every one was so
occupied, helping to unpack, pack and get ready, that Laddie had no
time to ask Norah or Jerry Simms about the riddle of the mouse and the
squeaking door. But he did not forget it, and he thought he might find
some one at Captain Ben's place at the shore whom he might puzzle with
the riddle.
The damage done by the chimney fire was soon cleared away and the
chimney repaired, and the day after the newspaper contained an account
of the happening. It interested the six little Bunkers almost as much
as did the account of the accident to the Montgomery school.
On making some inquiries, Mr. Bunker found that what the paper had
stated about the needed repairs at the school was true. No classes
could start for more than a month after the date set for the regular
opening of the other schools, and therefore the children could remain
away without getting any black marks. There was no room for the pupils
of Montgomery school in any of the other schools of Pineville.
As I have said, these were busy days at the Bunker home during the
visit of Captain Ben, for he stayed at the Bunker residence until it
was time to go to the seashore. Captain Ben helped pack, too, and he
seemed to know just how to do it.
"This was another thing I learned when I was a marine," he said, as
he showed Mrs. Bunker how to get more into a trunk than she had ever
supposed it would hold.
Margy and Mun Bun, Laddie and Vi and Rose and Russ also helped pack,
though, to tell you the truth, I do not believe that the four smallest
children really did much helping. But they thought they did, and this
gave them as much joy as if they had done it all themselves.
"Time to stop and eat!" exclaimed Captain Ben one noon, when several
valises and trunks had been filled in readiness for the trip next day.
"It's twelve o'clock," and he looked at a watch he wore on his wrist.
"Does your watch keep good time?" asked Violet.
"Yes, it is a very good watch," was the answer. "It was given to me by
a French soldier who was hurt in the great war. I think a great deal of
this watch, and I would not want to lose it. The man who gave it to me
was in great danger, and I was able to help him out of it. He gave me
this wrist watch as a keepsake. I prize it very much."
Though Captain Ben did not say so, he had really saved the life of the
French soldier, venturing out on the battlefield and bringing in the
wounded man.
The watch was an expensive gold one, set in a strong leather strap,
which was buckled about Captain Ben's wrist. Wearing the watch there
enabled the former soldier to see what time it was without stopping to
fish in his pocket for his time piece.
As the watch had indicated, it was noon--twelve o'clock--and soon the
six little Bunkers were sitting down to the table. They talked over
their plans as they ate the meal.
Large as was Captain Ben's auto, it would hardly hold the eight
Bunkers, himself and the baggage that first would be needed. So it was
decided that Mother Bunker would go down to Grand View on the train,
taking Mun Bun and Margy with her. That would leave Daddy Bunker,
Captain Ben, Russ, Rose, Laddie and Vi to come in the soldier's big
car. They would have room enough then for several valises.
The rest of the afternoon and part of the next morning was spent in
packing, while Mrs. Bunker made arrangements for again shutting the
house up, after having opened it on her return from the West.
"This year has been the longest vacation the children ever had," she
remarked. "Goodness! it doesn't seem any time at all since we started
for Uncle Fred's, and here we are starting off on another trip."
"I hope you will like my place," said Captain Ben, as he finished
strapping a large valise. "I wish we might have started a little
earlier to-day, but I think we shall get there before dark."
"I think I shall be there ahead of you, going as I am in the train with
Margy and Mun Bun," said Mrs. Bunker.
"I am not so sure about that!" laughed Captain Ben. "My auto can travel
very fast when I get started. But what time does your train go?"
"At ten o'clock," answered the children's mother. "How much time have
I?"
Captain Ben thrust out his arm as he always did when he wanted to look
at his wrist watch, and, as he glanced down, an appearance of surprise
came over his face.
"Why, my watch is gone!" he exclaimed.
"Gone?" echoed Mrs. Bunker. "Did you take it off and put it down
somewhere?"
"No, I haven't had it off to-day," was the answer. "I had it on just
before I strapped that valise! It must have accidentally come off! I
must find it! I wouldn't have that watch lost for anything!"
He began looking about the room.
"I'll call the children," offered Mrs. Bunker. "One of them may have
seen it. Oh, Russ! Rose!" she called. "Come, children, and see if you
can find Captain Ben's missing watch."