en.

"Your father is probably on his way up to get you now," said Mr. Whipple.
"He'll expect to find you in the elevated station, but you will not be
there. I'll send one of my clerks over to tell the agent you are here, and
to send your father over when he comes. But I think I'll keep you two tots
here, because----"

"We might get lost again--we get lost lots of times," said Freddie with a
smile. "It's nice here. I like it!" and, very much at home, he looked
around the office of the store owner. It was almost closing time, and Mr.
Whipple was wondering whether in case the children's father did not come
it would not be better to take them to his own home, when the clerk came
back from the elevated station with Mr. Bobbsey himself.

"Oh, Daddy!" cried Flossie and Freddie.

"Well, you two certainly gave me a fine chase!" exclaimed Mr. Bobbsey,
with a smile, hugging his "little fat fireman" and his "fat fairy," one
after the other. "Where in the world have you been?"

"Oh, we heard a hand organ and we went to look at the monkey and it chewed
Flossie's hat and we're here!" gasped Freddie, all in one breath.

"And I got a new hat, and you'll please pay for it, Daddy," added Flossie.
"And did you bring my bugs--the ones that go around and around and
around?" she asked.

"Yes, Flossie, I have them. But what's all this about a hat?"

"I bought her a new one," explained Freddie, "but I didn't have any money
to pay for it, so we charged it."

"The little girl seemed to need one, Mr. Bobbsey," said the store owner.

"Oh, that will be all right, I'm glad to pay for it, Mr.--er----"

"Whipple is my name," said the store man. "Daniel Whipple."

"Whipple!" exclaimed Mr. Bobbsey, and a thoughtful look came over his
face. "Daniel Whipple," and he seemed to be trying to think of something
he had heard a long while before.

"Yes; you may have seen it in my advertisements. I advertise in the
papers every day."

"Ah, yes, I presume so," said Mr. Bobbsey. "Thank you very much, Mr.
Whipple, for looking after the children for me. I reached the One Hundred
and Twenty-fifth Street elevated station a little while ago, and the
ticket agent there was very much excited because the children had slipped
out while he was in his office.

"We were just trying to think where they could have gone, when your clerk
came up to say they were here. Now I'll take them to their mother, who is
quite anxious about them."

"I can well believe she