But I'm not afraid any more."

"Why not?" asked Uncle Daniel.

"'Cause," answered Bob, "I heard Mr. Blipper and his partner, a man
named Hardy, quarreling to-day. First it started over bad business on
account of the rain and nobody riding on the merry-go-round because the
balloon was going up. Then I heard my name mentioned and the quarrel
grew worse. Mr. Hardy said Mr. Blipper didn't have any right to treat me
as mean as he does. Mr. Blipper said he'd do as he pleased, and then Mr.
Hardy said if he did he'd tell on Mr. Blipper."

"What did he mean--tell on him?" asked Bert.

"I don't know, exactly," answered Bob Guess. "It was all sort of queer.
Maybe Mr. Hardy meant he was going to tell about Mr. Blipper taking your
father's coat and the lap robe."

"I'm sure Mr. Blipper must have daddy's coat," declared Nan. "This
letter dropped from the pocket, and there was money and there were other
papers, too."

"I don't know anything about them," murmured Bob.

"Well, I know something!" cried Bert. "And that is this! What Mr. Hardy
said he was going to tell on Blipper about was you, Bob Guess!"

"Me?" cried the strange boy.

"Yes, you! I don't believe you belong to Mr. Blipper at all!"

CHAPTER XXII

JOYOUS TIMES

Bob Guess could, for a moment, only stare at Bert after this strange
remark.

"What do you mean?" asked the boy from the merry-go-round. "Don't I have
to stay with Mr. Blipper if I don't want to?"

"I don't believe you do," went on Bert. "I heard my father and mother
talking about it," he explained to the others. "My father said he was
going to find out if Mr. Blipper had really adopted you. And if you stay
here until my father comes back he'll have this Mr. Blipper arrested for
taking his coat. Just you stay here, Bob!"

"I'd like to," sighed the unhappy lad. "I don't like Blipper. And if I
go back now, after having run away again, he'll beat me!"

"We won't let him!" exclaimed Aunt Sarah. "Here, I'll get you some dry
clothes. Harry has a suit you can wear. And then we'll see about this
Blipper man!"

As she started to leave the room to get some dry clothing for Bob Guess,
who was soaking wet, there was a noise and some excitement out in the
yard. Then Nan caught the sound of a voice she well knew.

"Oh, it's Flossie!" she cried. "It's Flossie! They've found them!"

Instantly there was a mad rush for the door, and a little later into the
warm, comfortable farmhouse came Mr. and Mrs. B