-go-round. And then the rain came down, and Blipper seemed to blame
me for that."

"He isn't a very fair sort of man, even if he has his machine at a
county fair," joked Uncle Daniel.

"He's terribly ugly," blurted out Bob Guess. "And I think he's worse
than that!"

"What do you mean?" asked Bert.

"Well, I think he takes things that don't belong to him," went on Bob.
"Your father lost a coat some time ago, didn't he?" the strange boy
asked the older Bobbsey twins.

"Yes, at our Sunday school picnic," answered Nan.

"And a lap robe was taken from our auto about the same time," added
Bert.

"That's what I thought," said Bob. "Well, would you know any of your
father's papers if you saw them?" he asked, as he began to fumble in his
pocket. "I mean would you know his writing on a letter, or something
like that?"

"Of course I know my father's writing!" declared Bert.

"Well, look at this!" said Bob Guess suddenly. He held out an envelope,
torn open at one end as if the letter had been taken out.

"That's father's writing!" exclaimed Bert. "This is a letter he wrote to
Mr. Clarkson who buys lumber from dad. I know, for I've been in the
office when he called. I guess my father must have been in a hurry and
he addressed this letter himself with a pen, and didn't wait for his
typewriter to do it. That's my father's writing!"

"Well," said Bob slowly, "I found that letter in the tent where Mr.
Blipper and I live. We sort of camp out at the different fair grounds
where we set up the merry-go-round," he added. "I have to live with Mr.
Blipper. He claims I'm his adopted son, but I don't like him for an
adopted father. Anyhow, I saw this letter drop out of his coat. He
didn't see it, and I picked it up."

"Was it my father's coat?" asked Nan.

"That I don't know," Bob answered. "I never saw your father wearing his
coat. But Mr. Blipper used to have an old ragged coat, and right after
we had that breakdown at the Sunday school picnic grounds he had a new
coat.

"I asked him where he got it, 'cause I thought maybe he'd get me one, I
was so ragged, and he said it wasn't any of my affair where he got his
coats. Then the next day I noticed he had a new robe as a blanket for
his bed. I asked him about that, too, 'cause I had only a ragged quilt,
and he told me to keep still.

"So when you folks asked me if I had seen your father's coat and the lap
robe I didn't know for sure, and, anyhow, I was afraid to say anything.