ered themselves, when started by the young man,
into the door of a little pasteboard house, where all the toy tin bugs
seemed to live.

"There's Freddie now, buying a bug!" cried Flossie, as she saw through the
store door her brother talking to a clerk. And the clerk was showing
Freddie how the bug "walked" on the wooden roller which answered for legs.

"I want a bug, too!" Flossie cried, and into the store dashed the little
girl. "I've brought back Papa and Mamma and Bert and Nan," Flossie
explained to her brother. "They all want to see the bugs."

"Well!" exclaimed the man in the store. "This is going to be a busy day
for me, I guess," and he smiled at the Bobbsey family.

"Can I have three of these bugs, Daddy?" asked Freddie, just as if he had
caused no trouble at all by going off as he had done.

"I want three, too," echoed Flossie.

"Oh, what funny looking things!" cried Mrs. Bobbsey, as the clerk sent
the bugs crawling "around and around."

"They are very amusing," said the salesman, "and just the thing for
children. They can play many games with them and keep out of mischief."

"They'll have to be pretty good to keep _these_ youngsters out of
mischief," said Mr. Bobbsey, with a smile. "Yes, Freddie, you may have
some bugs, and Flossie also. How about you, Nan and Bert?"

"I'd rather have that small aeroplane," said Bert, pointing to one that
could be wound up with a rubber band and would fly for some distance.

"And I'd like that work basket," said Nan.

"Well, we'll get you all something, and then we must start for our hotel,"
said Mr. Bobbsey. "Come, Freddie, pick out the bugs you want, and don't
run away again. You might get lost, even if you are only in the railroad
station."

"I couldn't get lost--Flossie knew where I was," said Freddie. "I sent her
back to bring you, so you could pay for my bugs."

Then the two younger Bobbseys looked over about all the toy tin bugs in
the station store, and finally picked out those they wanted, though it
took some little time. Bert's and Nan's gifts were wrapped up long before
Freddie could make up his mind whether to take a blue bug, striped with
green, or a purple one, spotted with yellow, finally making up his mind
that the last was best.

Then, after all the baggage had been collected, the family was ready to
start for the hotel where they were to stay while in New York. Mr. Bobbsey
wanted to get a taxicab, but Flossie and Freddie had heard of the eleva