hipple.

"I should say I did!" cried her husband, and he told all that had
happened, while Mrs. Whipple related how Laddie, Flossie and Freddie had
come to know one another in the theatre.

Mr. Whipple, at another time, once more met Mr. Bobbsey, whom he had seen
that day in the store, and the two families became very good friends,
though Mr. Whipple was so busy he did not have much time for calling.

One evening, however, Mr. Whipple came home from the store rather earlier
than usual, and, finding Flossie and Freddie in his apartments playing
with Laddie, the store-owner asked:

"How would you youngsters like to come and see a woodland camp--a camp
with tents, a real fire, where a man is cooking his dinner and all that?
How would you like it?"

"Oh, please take us!" begged Laddie.

"Where is it?" Freddie asked, ready to go at once.

"In my store," said Mr. Whipple.

"A store is a funny place for a camp in the woods," said Freddie. He and
Flossie had often pretended to camp out in a tent made from a blanket or
quilt, and they knew what it meant.

"Well, you just come and see it," laughed Mr. Whipple. "If your folks say
it's all right, I'll take you all to-morrow."

"Oh, we'll come!" cried Freddie. "I love a camp!"

CHAPTER XV

SAD NEWS

Bert and Nan Bobbsey were so interested when they heard that Freddie and
Flossie were going to see some sort of a camping scene at Mr. Whipple's
store that they, too, begged to be allowed to join the party.

"Come right along!" exclaimed the merchant. "The more the merrier. I hope
you'll like it."

"Is it a real camp, with trees and all?" asked Freddie.

"Well, there are some real bushes, and make-believe trees," said Mr.
Whipple. "I couldn't grow real big woodland trees in my store, you know.
But the tent is real, so is the fire, and the men who are camping out eat
real food."

"I'd like that part," said Flossie.

"Well, come along, then," invited Mr. Whipple.

Mrs. Bobbsey, as well as Mrs. Whipple, were to go with the five children,
and they made up a merry party as they set out for the uptown department
store.

"Oh, we're going in an automobile!" cried Freddie, as they came out of the
Parkview Hotel and saw a big car standing at the curb. The chauffeur got
down off his seat and opened the door as he saw Mr. and Mrs. Whipple.

"Yes, this is our machine," said the merchant. "I don't care much for
riding around New York, though in the Summer I take long