at
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 obj