Read Online Password to Larkspur Lane by Carolyn Keene - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Carolyn Keene
Tags: Fiction, General, Mystery & Detective, Women Sleuths, Juvenile Fiction, Detective and Mystery Stories, Mystery Fiction, Women Detectives, Swindlers and Swindling, Girls & Women, Adventure and Adventurers, Adventure stories, Mysteries & Detective Stories, Mystery and detective stories, Kidnapping, Drew; Nancy (Fictitious Character), Older People
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“Excuse me,” said Nancy, “we’re trying to find a large house in this area that has lots of larkspur or bluebells around it. Do you know of such a place?”
“Can’t say I do,” the woman replied.
“What’d she say?” the old lady asked loudly.
“Nothing, Mother. Just some house they’re looking for. She’s deaf,” the woman added to Nancy.
“I heard that !” the mother said tartly. “And I heard ‘house’ and ‘bluebells.’ They’re lookin’ for the bluebell house. And I know just where it is!”
CHAPTER X
An Unwelcome Gift
“You girls listen to me!” the old lady shouted. “The house you want is over in the next township, just outside of Milford. Go right down Elm Road. You can’t miss it.”
The woman standing by the hedge shook her head. “I never heard you mention that place before, Mother.”
The old lady’s black eyes snapped. “I know lots I don’t tell,” she said.
The girls thanked the two women and drove off, excited at the lead. But as they neared the small town of Milford, Bess looked worried. “I’m beginning to wish I’d stayed home,” she said. “I really don’t want to meet any kidnappers.”
“Now don’t be a snob,” George teased her cousin.
“It’s all right for you to make jokes,” Bess replied, “but I can’t help it if I’m not brave like you two.”
Nancy smiled. “I can remember times on some of my cases when you were way ahead of us.”
“I surprised myself,” Bess admitted.
Nancy spotted the sign marking Elm Road and turned into the narrow, treeless street.
“There it is!” exclaimed George. In the middle of the block was a yard full of bluebells.
“You mean there it isn’t,” Nancy said gloomily as she pulled up in front of the white cottage. A faded sign BLUEBELL HOUSE hung by the door. “No mansion, no fence, no gate!”
“But whoever lives here must be interested in bluebells,” said Bess. “Maybe they could help you.”
“Good idea,” Nancy said, and the three girls went up the walk to the door.
Their knock was answered by a thin, young woman wearing an apron. “Hello, girls,” she said cheerfully. “I guess you want to see the china. Come on in!”
She walked quickly into a room off the hall, beckoning them to follow. Nancy tried to explain, but stopped short at the door of the room. Shelves and tables were filled with flowered china.
“All hand-painted,” the girl said. “The prices are marked.”
“Oh, how beautiful!” Bess exclaimed.
While she and George looked around, Nancy explained to the girl why they had called.
“There’s no place like that around Milford,” she said, “but have you tried the Brookdale section west of River Heights? I’ve heard there used to be lots of estates out that way.”
Nancy thanked her and Bess bought three hand-painted cups and saucers.
“There’s one for each of us,” she said when they reached the car. “A souvenir of a wild-goose chase.”
“It may not have been so hopeless after all,” said Nancy, and repeated what the girl had said.
George looked thoughtful. “You told us Dr. Spire rode about an hour to get to the house. Can’t we narrow the search by going only to places that are about an hour from the road where the old sedan was parked?”
“We could,” Nancy said. “But the chances are that the kidnappers drove a little longer than necessary just to confuse the doctor.”
George grinned. “Nancy, you never miss a trick!”
A further search continued for some time but without success. Finally Bess reminded Nancy of the dance that night. “We’d better go home,” she advised.
Hours later Nancy was seated with Ned on a bench outside the gaily lighted porch of the yacht club. Lively music and singing came pulsing out the wide open doors and windows.
“On a hunch I brought something for the chemistry expert,” she said, and handed him the envelope containing the bits of paper she had picked up in the woods.
“I’m no
“Excuse me,” said Nancy, “we’re trying to find a large house in this area that has lots of larkspur or bluebells around it. Do you know of such a place?”
“Can’t say I do,” the woman replied.
“What’d she say?” the old lady asked loudly.
“Nothing, Mother. Just some house they’re looking for. She’s deaf,” the woman added to Nancy.
“I heard that !” the mother said tartly. “And I heard ‘house’ and ‘bluebells.’ They’re lookin’ for the bluebell house. And I know just where it is!”
CHAPTER X
An Unwelcome Gift
“You girls listen to me!” the old lady shouted. “The house you want is over in the next township, just outside of Milford. Go right down Elm Road. You can’t miss it.”
The woman standing by the hedge shook her head. “I never heard you mention that place before, Mother.”
The old lady’s black eyes snapped. “I know lots I don’t tell,” she said.
The girls thanked the two women and drove off, excited at the lead. But as they neared the small town of Milford, Bess looked worried. “I’m beginning to wish I’d stayed home,” she said. “I really don’t want to meet any kidnappers.”
“Now don’t be a snob,” George teased her cousin.
“It’s all right for you to make jokes,” Bess replied, “but I can’t help it if I’m not brave like you two.”
Nancy smiled. “I can remember times on some of my cases when you were way ahead of us.”
“I surprised myself,” Bess admitted.
Nancy spotted the sign marking Elm Road and turned into the narrow, treeless street.
“There it is!” exclaimed George. In the middle of the block was a yard full of bluebells.
“You mean there it isn’t,” Nancy said gloomily as she pulled up in front of the white cottage. A faded sign BLUEBELL HOUSE hung by the door. “No mansion, no fence, no gate!”
“But whoever lives here must be interested in bluebells,” said Bess. “Maybe they could help you.”
“Good idea,” Nancy said, and the three girls went up the walk to the door.
Their knock was answered by a thin, young woman wearing an apron. “Hello, girls,” she said cheerfully. “I guess you want to see the china. Come on in!”
She walked quickly into a room off the hall, beckoning them to follow. Nancy tried to explain, but stopped short at the door of the room. Shelves and tables were filled with flowered china.
“All hand-painted,” the girl said. “The prices are marked.”
“Oh, how beautiful!” Bess exclaimed.
While she and George looked around, Nancy explained to the girl why they had called.
“There’s no place like that around Milford,” she said, “but have you tried the Brookdale section west of River Heights? I’ve heard there used to be lots of estates out that way.”
Nancy thanked her and Bess bought three hand-painted cups and saucers.
“There’s one for each of us,” she said when they reached the car. “A souvenir of a wild-goose chase.”
“It may not have been so hopeless after all,” said Nancy, and repeated what the girl had said.
George looked thoughtful. “You told us Dr. Spire rode about an hour to get to the house. Can’t we narrow the search by going only to places that are about an hour from the road where the old sedan was parked?”
“We could,” Nancy said. “But the chances are that the kidnappers drove a little longer than necessary just to confuse the doctor.”
George grinned. “Nancy, you never miss a trick!”
A further search continued for some time but without success. Finally Bess reminded Nancy of the dance that night. “We’d better go home,” she advised.
Hours later Nancy was seated with Ned on a bench outside the gaily lighted porch of the yacht club. Lively music and singing came pulsing out the wide open doors and windows.
“On a hunch I brought something for the chemistry expert,” she said, and handed him the envelope containing the bits of paper she had picked up in the woods.
“I’m no
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