_Cottage on the Curve_ _By_ MARY LAMERS _Sketches by the Author_ [Illustration] The Bruce Publishing Company Milwaukee (Second Printing--1947) Copyright, 1945 By Mary Lamers Printed in the U. S. A. To the memory of my mother BESSIE MURRAY McGUIRE _Foreword_ This story was written in time of war, in the memory of peace. Once upon a time there were happy times like these. There were trips and steaks and tennis balls, and even double-decker ice-cream cones. But the children who played on the shores of Oak Lake have sailed away. In jungle heat they remember her cool depths. In the hot blare of battle they remember the quiet just as the moon rose over the tamarack swamp. Come back, long-legged little boys! Come back to the summer days we used to know. M. M. L. Summer, 1945. _Contents_ PAGE Foreword 7 CHAPTER 1. The Last Day of School 11 2. Who Peppered the Cake 26 3. The Purse in the Trash Pile 38 4. The Turtle Who Towed the Boat 51 5. Grandma Always Brought Presents 63 6. Buick the Detective 74 7. A Trip to Deerpath 94 8. The Fourth Was Full of Fun 104 9. Billy Battles the Storm 116 10. Janie Earns a Dollar 136 11. The Front Seat on the Bus 150 12. The Bear Who Loved Apple Pie 168 13. An Honest Reward 183 14. Dad Finds a Treasure 193 15. Good-by Summer 212 _Chapter One_ _The Last Day of School_ [Illustration] Jane Murray walked slowly down the wide corridor. It was the last day of school. Her desk was empty. For the first time since last September her locker stood neat and bare. Gone were the old gym socks, the forgotten rainhat that had been wedged under an old theme cover, the candy bar wrappers, and the umbrella with the split seam. Patsy and Dor had reached the street ahead of her and were screaming at the top of their lungs. “Janie, oh, Janie! Hurry! We’re going to have an ice-cream cone.” Janie shook her head regretfully. “Run along with the others, my funny friends. I must go home and put a fresh dressing on Butchie’s paw.” They were off like race horses. “Perhaps I should have gone,” she thought. The back of her neck was just a little damp under the light brown curly mop. A cone or a swim. Oh boy! I could do with a swim right now, and with her head full of summer dreams she started off down the maple-shaded street.