m."

"Oh, goodie!" cried Freddie. "Ice cream's coming!" and he waved his
spoon above his head.

"Freddie--Freddie!" said his mother, in gentle reproof.

Dinah went out on the back stoop, looked around and came running back
to the dining room, where Mrs. Bobbsey was. Dinah's eyes were big with
wonder and surprise.

"Mrs. Bobbsey! Mrs. Bobbsey!" she cried. "Suffin's done gone an'
happened!"

"What is it?" asked Mamma Bobbsey, quickly. "Is anyone hurt?"

"No'm, but dat ice cream freezer hate jest gone and walked right off de
back stoop, an' it ain't dere at all, nohow! De ice cream is all gone!"

The children looked at one another with pained surprise showing on
their faces.

The ice cream was gone!

CHAPTER XIV

A COAT BUTTON

ASTONISHMENT, surprise and disappointment were so great for a few
seconds after the discovery that the best part of the party--the ice
cream--was gone, that no one knew, what to say. Then Flossie burst out
with:

"Are you sure, Dinah? Maybe it fell off the porch."

"Deed an' it didn't, honey gal. I done looked eberywhar fo' dat
freezer, an' it's jest gone complete."

"Maybe Snap took it," suggested Freddie, as a last hope. "Once he took
my book and hid it. Snap, did you take the ice cream?"

Snap barked and wagged his tail, looking rather pained at being asked
such a question.

"No, indeedy, Snap couldn't take off a big freezer like dat," declared
Dinah. "It wasn't Snap."

"Then who could it have been?" asked Nan. Everyone had stopped eating
while this talk went on. "Who could have taken our ice cream?"

"Dat's what I don't know, honey," answered the colored cook. "Dat's
why I comed in heah to tell yo' mamma. I 'spects, Mrs. Bobbsey, dat
we'd better phonograph fo' de police."

"Phonograph--I guess you mean telephone; don't you, Dinah?" asked Mrs.
Bobbsey, with a smile.

"Yes'm, dat's what I done mean. Or else maybe we kin send mah man Sam
down to de station house fo' 'em."

"No, I had better telephone, in case it is necessary. But perhaps I
had better take a look out there. Perhaps the man from the store may
have set the cream off to one side."

"No'm, he didn't do dat. I took p'ticlar notice where he set it.
Dere's a wet ringmark on de porch where de freezer was, 'count of de
salty water leakin' out. An' dat wet ringmark am all dat's left ob de
cream, dar now!" and Dinah, standing with her hands on her hips, looked
at the startled children, wh