Carolyn Keene_Nancy Drew Mysteries 050 by The Double Jinx Mystery Page B

laughing. Nancy and her friends could not figure out what kind of game they were playing.
    “What a noise!” Bess commented, holding her hands over her ears.
    The three callers got out of the car. One boy about twelve who had been throwing a football into the air sent it whizzing directly at George. Before it could hit her, she caught the ball neatly and tossed it back to him. He looked surprised.
    “Good catch!” he said.
    In the meantime Bess had dodged a toy airplane. One little girl, who had made a row of mud pies in a corner of the yard, now picked one up. She threw it straight at Nancy, who quickly jumped out of the way. The mud pie landed on another child. The rest of them giggled and several clapped.
    A woman came from a rear door of the house. She told the children to quiet down.
    Nancy asked for Mr. Tabler and learned that he was not at home. The young detective explained her reason for coming and said, “Will you please pass this information along to Mr. Tabler.”
    “I’ll tell him, but it won’t do any good. He’s made up his mind about the Thurston property. It should be sold. The High Rise people are going to build another complex here. They have offered us a good price for this place.
    “You see, these are not my children, but my grandchildren. They’re here because there’s no other place for them to go. The housing shortage is fierce. My own five children have already signed up for apartments at the Thurston place. They’ll be built first. After that my husband and I could retire on the profit we’d get for this place, and move to a smaller house.” She smiled. “Then maybe we’d have some peace and comfort.”
    Nancy had a hunch she could never convince Mrs. Tabler that her husband should vote against the High Rise Construction Company’s plans. The young detective now used a completely different approach.
    Turning toward the children, she said, “Have you ever been to Mr. Thurston’s zoo and aviary?”
    “No!” they shouted.
    “Would you like to visit it with me right now?” Nancy asked. “That is, if your grandmother will let you go.”
    There were squeals of delight from the younger children and shouts from the older ones.
    “Yes, yes!” they all replied.
    Nancy turned to Mrs. Tabler. “Would it be all right with you?”
    The woman thought a moment. “How would you get them all over there?”
    “We can fit them into my car,” Nancy replied. “The younger ones can sit on the laps of the older children.”
    “All right,” Mrs. Tabler said.
    Nancy opened the car door and at once the youngsters began to pile in. There were a few arguments but Nancy, Bess, and George soon settled them and in a short time Nancy was ready to leave.
    The children waved to Mrs. Tabler and she called, “Have a good time!”
    Nancy headed in the direction of the Thurston farm. A motorcycle policeman passed her and all the children shouted and waved to him.
    Five minutes later Nancy heard a siren. The sound grew louder. Looking in the rear-view mirror, she saw another policeman on a motorcycle coming at high speed toward her. Presently he pulled alongside and signaled her to stop. She did and looked at him questioningly.
    “Young lady,” he said, “don’t you know the law?”

CHAPTER XVI
    Nancy’s Strategy
     
     
     
    THE children in the car sat in silence, stunned by the sudden appearance of the policeman. Bess and George gasped at the idea he evidently was accusing Nancy of breaking the law!
    “I think I know the traffic laws,” she replied. “Is something the matter? Surely I wasn’t speeding.”
    “No, you weren’t. But you are still breaking the law. Your car is overcrowded.” He looked inside. “My word, how many children are in here?”
    Bess answered. “There are nine.”
    “And three adults,” the policeman said. “By my arithmetic that adds up to twelve persons. The most your car can hold is six.”
    Nancy felt very uncomfortable.
    Looking at the officer, she smiled and