added Flossie.

"And then it will be time for the balloon to go up," added Bert. "Do you
think the wind is too strong?" he asked his father.

"Well, it is blowing pretty hard, and it's getting worse. I think there
is going to be a storm. But I see men working around the balloon, and I
think they are going to send it up. Perhaps they think they can send it
up and let it come down again before the storm."

"Oh, let's hurry and see it!" cried Nan, who was as much interested in
the big gas bag as were the boys.

"First we'll give Flossie and Freddie a ride on the merry-go-round, I
think," suggested Mrs. Bobbsey. So they all voted to have a ride, as Mr.
Bobbsey wanted a chance to speak to Mr. Blipper.

But, just as had happened the other time, Mr. Blipper was not there. Bob
Guess was taking tickets, and when he saw Nan he smiled.

"I'll get you the brass ring," he promised, and he did.

The children liked the lively music, and also the whirling ride on the
backs of the wooden animals. Even Mrs. Bobbsey took one ride, but she
said that was enough. Nan had a special ride, because Bob Guess had
saved for her the brass ring, and when the other children learned that
Nan was to ride for nothing, of course they wanted an extra ride, for
which Mr. Bobbsey had to pay.

"When do you think Mr. Blipper will be here?" Mr. Bobbsey asked of Bob,
as the party was leaving. "I want to talk to him."

"I don't know," was the boy's answer. "He doesn't stay at the
merry-go-round as much as he used to. He lets me and one of his men run
it. He's away a lot."

"Well, you tell him I want to see him," went on Mr. Bobbsey. "I shall be
here to-morrow and the next day."

"I'll tell him," promised Bob Guess.

"Now let's go see the balloon," suggested Bert.

"They're getting ready to send it up!" exclaimed Harry, as they neared
the place where the big bag, already partly filled with gas, was swaying
to and fro. Over the bag was a net work of strong cords, and the cords
were fastened to the rim of a large square basket. To the basket were
tied ropes, and to the ends of these ropes were bags of sand, thus
holding the balloon to the ground.

"What makes it go up?" asked Flossie, as she watched the swaying bag.

"Gas," explained Mr. Bobbsey. "They put in the big bag some gas,
sometimes one kind and sometimes another, just like the gas in your toy
balloons. This gas is so very light--it's not even so heavy as air--that
it wants to go up into t