The Mystery of the Monster Mountain - M. V. Carey [10]
He deposited the trash in the can, then covered it and started up the porch steps.
Pete and Bob were standing innocently near the sink when Havemeyer and Jupe stepped into the kitchen.
“Morning,” said Havemeyer. “Want to see my pool?”
The three boys got their shoes and followed Havemeyer to the excavation fifty feet behind the inn.
“I had a couple of men come up from Bishop with heavy equipment to do the actual digging,” said Havemeyer. “I’ll put up the forms and pour the concrete myself, but I figured I’d be at it all year if I tried to dig it myself.”
“I see what you mean,” said Pete. “That must be ten feet deep!”
“Twelve,” said Havemeyer.
“But,” said Pete, “there’s no shallow end.”
“That’s right,” Havemeyer said.
Pete frowned. “I never., saw a pool like this. If you don’t have a shallow part, what about the people who can’t swim and just like to go in and bob around?”
“I see you get the idea,” said Havemeyer. “People who can’t swim won’t be able to use the pool. I once saw a man who couldn’t swim lose his footing in a pool. It wasn’t funny.”
“Oh,” said Pete.
Hans and Konrad hallooed cheerfully from the house.
“We’re out here,” called Havemeyer.
The brothers came hurrying down the steps and across the yard.
“Ho!” said Hans, when he caught sight of Havemeyer’s excavation.
“Swimming pool, huh?” He had the air of one who is determined to be pleasant.
“The swimming pool,” said Havemeyer.
“You are making it yourself?” asked Konrad.
Havemeyer nodded. “It’ll keep me out from under Anna’s feet for a while.”
“Making a pool is hard work,” said Hans. “We have a holiday. We will help.”
“Oh, no, no, no!” said Havemeyer quickly. “You’re on your vacation. I wouldn’t think of having you …”
“What better thing can we do with our vacation than help our cousin’s husband ?”
said Konrad. The words were friendly enough, but Konrad’s voice was very firm, as if he would not stand for any argument.
Havemeyer shrugged and began to explain his plans for the pool to the brothers.
The Three Investigators wandered back toward the inn.
“Hans and Konrad have just earned the right to stay here,” murmured Jupe.
“Helping with the pool will give them an excuse to stick around and find out more about Joe Havemeyer.”
“I’m not sure his head is screwed on the right way,” declared Pete. “I mean. I never saw a swimming pool that didn’t have a shallow end.”
Breakfast that morning was a tense meal.
Mr. Jensen spoke to no one and he avoided even looking at Mr. Smathers. Mr.
Smathers openly disapproved of eating eggs and was horrified when Cousin Anna carried in a platter of sausages. Cousin Anna herself ate almost nothing. She sat and twisted the wedding ring on her finger, urging everyone to have second helpings.
Havemeyer refused, and he and Hans and Konrad went out to the back yard to start work on the pool. Mr. Smathers took a muffin, stuffed it in his shirt pocket, and went out and down the road toward the campground. Mr. Jensen said a rather sullen thank you to Anna and announced that he had business in Bishop.
Cousin Anna looked sadly at the leftover food. “I think no one was very hungry,”
she said to the boys.
“Everything was very good,” said Jupiter quickly. “In fact, you remind me of my Aunt Mathilda.”
“Aunt Mathilda?” Anna said. “Oh, yes. The lady who has been so kind to Hans and Konrad.”
“She’s a great cook, too,” Jupiter told her.
Pete chuckled, “That accounts for Jupe’s heft.”
“Aunt Mathilda and I are going on a diet,” said Jupe, “as soon as I get back to Rocky Beach.”
Bob laughed. “I’ve heard that before. I’ll believe it when I see it. Baby Fatso.”
“All right! All right!” Jupe was so nettled that he almost shouted.
“Baby Fatso?” said Anna. “I think I have heard that name before.”
“If you watch the late, late, late show on television, you may catch Jupe. He was a child star — practically an American institution.