y
in the rug and carpet department she allowed the twins to look at a
number of toys which were located at the other end of the floor.

For a while Freddie and Flossie kept close together, for there was quite
a crowd present and they felt a little afraid. But then Flossie
discovered a counter where all sorts of things for dolls were on sale
and she lingered there, to look at the dresses, and hats, and underwear,
and shoes and stockings, and chairs, trunks, combs and brushes, and
other goods.

"Oh, my, I must have some of those things for my dolls," she said, half
aloud. There was a trunk she thought perfectly lovely and it was marked
39 cents. "Not so very much," she thought.

When Freddie got around to where the elevator was, it was just coming up
again with another load of people. As he had not seen it go down he
concluded that he must go down by way of the stairs if he wanted another
ride.

"I'll get a ride all by myself," he thought, and as quickly as he could,
he slipped down first one pair of stairs and then another, to the ground
floor of the store. Then he saw another stairs, and soon was in the
basement of the department store.

Here was a hardware department with a great number of heavy toys, and
soon he was looking at a circular railroad track upon which ran a real
locomotive and three cars. This was certainly a wonderful toy, and
Freddie could not get his eyes off of it.

In moving around the basement of the store, Freddie grew hopelessly
mixed up, and when he started to look for the elevator or the stairs, he
walked to the storage room. He was too timid to ask his way out and
soon found himself among great rows of boxes and barrels. Then he made a
turn or two and found himself in another room, filled with empty boxes
and casks, some partly filled with straw and excelsior. There was a big
wooden door to this room, and while he was inside the door shut with a
bang and the catch fell into place.

"Oh, dear, I wish I was back with mamma," he thought, and drew a long
and exceedingly sober breath. "I don't like it here at all."

Just then a little black kitten came toward him and brushed up
affectionately. Freddie caught the kitten and sat down for a moment to
pet it. He now felt sleepy and in a few minutes his eyes closed and his
head began to nod. Then in a minute more he went sound asleep.

Long before this happened Mrs. Bobbsey found Flossie and asked her where
Freddie was. The little girl could no