The Story
It's 1931, and the Great Depression hasn't hit the little coastal town of Seaview too badly. Last summer, the shops on the boardwalk had done well. The beach had been packed with tourists who bought hot dogs and ice cream, and the boarding houses and hotels were full all summer.
This summer looks to be the same. Twins Louise and Ruthie Foster are so excited! Mama has finally decided that the girls can stay in Seaview for the summer. After all, the girls will be off to business college in the fall and will be on their own - sort of - in New York City. Louise and Ruthie will be staying at Mrs. Miggs' Boarding House in Seaview only a block away from the beach, two blocks from The Kettle Restaurant, and three blocks from The Sylvan Playhouse. Aunt Cora will be with them, of course, as a chaperone.
Arrangements had been made in the spring. The girls would work in the morning at The Kettle, Aunt Cora would help out at Mrs. Miggs', thus defraying the cost of the rent. Mrs. Foster didn't like the idea of her girls being gone all summer, but it wasn't that far, and her sister Cora would be with them.