"All right - go ahead - we're with you," said Charley.
Bert and the others advanced.As they walked on they could see the light in the barn more plainly.And, as they stopped for a moment they could hear voices talking in low tones.
"More than one," whispered Charley."Yes, three or four," said Bert.
They walked ahead again, when suddenly Charley stepped on a stick that broke with a loud snap.In an instant the light in the barn went out, and then could be heard the footsteps of several persons running away.
"There they are!" shouted Bert, dashing forward."Come on, fellows! We'll get 'em now!""That's right!" cried Charley."Come on, surround 'em!"Of course this was all said for effect, as the boys had no idea of trying to capture the tramps, or whoever it was that had taken the ice cream.But Bert thought that they could scare the thieves away, for the latter could not tell, in the darkness, how many, nor who were after them.
Flashing his light, Bert dashed ahead, followed by the others.Into the big barn they went, and, just as they entered the main part, they had a glimpse of someone running out of a side door.
"There they go!" cried Charley."We can catch 'em!""No, let 'em go," advised Bert."Here's our ice cream.Let's see if there's any left.If there is we'll take it back to the party.We might get into trouble if we went after those fellows."By the gleam of the electric light they could all see the freezer of cream in the middle of the barn floor, near some upturned boxes.A hasty look showed that only a little had been taken out.
"There's plenty left!" said Bert."We surprised 'em just in time.Now let's get beck to the house."It was rather a triumphant procession that went back to the home of the Bobbsey twins, carrying the recovered ice cream freezer.And such a shout of delight from Flossie, Freddie and the others as greeted the boys!
"Is there any left?" asked Freddie."Plenty," said Bert.
"And did you catch the bad tramps?" Flossie wanted to know.
"They got away," her brother said."But never mind, we scared them before they had a chance to eat much.""I 'clar t' goodness sakes alive!" gasped Dinah, when she saw the ice cream freezer carried into her kitchen, "yo' am suttinly a smart boy, Massa Bert - dat's what yo' suah am!""Oh, well, the others helped me find it," said Bert, modestly.
As Dinah and Mrs.Bobbsey were dishing out the cream, the colored cook uttered a cry.
"Look out!" she exclaimed."Dere's suffin black in dere, Mrs.Bobbsey.Maybe it's a stone dem careless tramps put in.Wait 'till I gits it out."With a longhandled spoon Dinah fished for the black thing, and got it.She put it in a dish, with a small portion of the ice cream, and when the latter had melted, Bert, who was inspecting the object, gave a cry of surprise.
"Why, it's a button-a coat button!" he exclaimed.
"A button? How in the world could that get in there?" asked his mother."Unless you boys dropped it in when you were carrying the cream."Bert and the other boys quickly looked at their coats.There were no buttons missing.
"An' it suah wasn't in when de cream come heah," said Dinah."I knows, fo I took off de kiver an' looked in t' see how hard it were froze.Dat button got in since!""Yes, and I think I know how, too!" exclaimed Bert."How?" asked Freddie.
"It was dropped in by whoever took the freezer.They must have been eating the cream right out of the can, and maybe they dropped the button in.I'll save it.""What for?" asked Nan, wonderingly.
"I may be able to find out by it, who took the freezer," went on Bert."I'm going to look at the coats of all the fellows in school next week, and if I find one with the button like this missing, I'll know what to think.""Be careful not to accuse anyone wrongly," cautioned his mother.
Bert put the button carefully away, and the party guests were soon eating their ice cream, and discussing the disappearance of the freezer and the finding of it by the boys.Then with the playing of more games, and the singing of songs, the affair came to a close, and goodnights were said.
"We've had a lovely time!" said the boys and girls to Flossie and Freddie, as they left."Glad you did - come again," invited the small Bobbsey twins.
Even Snap seemed to have enjoyed himself.
And when the house was settling down to quietness for the night, and when Dinah and Mrs.Bobbsey were picking up the dishes, the circus dog marched around like a soldier, with a stick for a gun, and one of the fancy caps, that came in the "surprise" packets, on his head.
When Bert went to bed that night he laid the button found in the ice cream where he would be sure to see it in the morning.
"I'm going to find out whose coat that came off of," he said to himself.The little Bobbsey twins slept late the next morning, and so did Nan,but Bert was up early.
"I'm going over to the barn, and see if I can tell by looking around it,how many were at our freezer," he said.
But there was nothing there to help him in his search.Some old boxes, placed in a sort of circle, showed where the ones who had taken the ice cream, had rested to eat it.
"They must have had spoons with them," said Bert to himself, as he looked about, "That shows they came all prepared to take our ice cream.So they must have known it was going to be here.Well, I'll see whose coat has a button missing."It took Bert some days to look carefully at the coats of the various boys in school, who might have been guilty of taking the cream.For a time he had no luck, and then, one afternoon, as he noticed Danny Rugg wearing a coat he seldom had on, Bert walked slowly up to him, clasping the button, with his hand, in his pocket.
His heart beat fast as he noticed that from the middle of Danny's coat a button was gone.
And a glance at the others showed Bert that they were just like the one found in the ice cream freezer.
"I see you've lost a button, Danny," said Bert, slowly."Hey?" exclaimed the bully, with a start.
"I see you've lost a button," repeated Bert.
"Yes, I guess it dropped off.Maybe it's home somewhere," said Danny.
"No, it isn't - it's here!" exclaimed Bert, suddenly holding the button out to him.
