a cat,
or even a boy or a girl, at first look, would take it for something
real.

"Well, Snoop had a good time with it, while it lasted," said Mr.
Bobbsey, with a laugh.

"And my fur wouldn't have lasted much longer with him, if he'd started
to claw and bite it," remarked Mrs. Bobbsey. "I'm glad you called me in,
Dinah."

"Yessum, Ah thought maybe yo'd better see what the cat had, 'cause Ah
couldn't make out what 'twas," the cook answered.

"Well, now that the excitement is over, we'd better have supper," said
Mr. Bobbsey. "Or did you youngsters have enough at the picnic to last
until morning?"

"We want to eat now!" decided Bert. "That wasn't so much we had at the
picnic."

"I guess you were extra hungry, from being out of doors all day," his
mother said. "Well, supper will soon be ready."

As they ate they talked over the fun they had had at Pine Grove, and
Flossie remarked:

"I'm going to ride on a wooden lion, I am--on the merry-go-round. I'm
going to ride on the lion."

"So'm I," declared Freddie. "There are two lions, an' I'm going to ride
on one an' Flossie on the other one."

"Where's your merry-go-round?" asked Nan.

"At the fair--the Bolton County Fair," said Freddie. "I heard that funny
red-faced man say so."

"But the Bolton Fair is a long way off," went on Nan.

"Daddy will take us; won't you?" asked Flossie. "Can't we go to the
fair and ride on the merry-go-round?" she teased.

"Well, I don't know," answered Mr. Bobbsey slowly. "I suppose it would
be a good thing to visit a big county fair, and this is one of the
largest."

"But we'd have to go and stay for some time," said Mrs. Bobbsey. "Bolton
is a long way off. We couldn't go and come the same day."

"One ought to spend more than a day at a big fair if he wants to see
everything," went on Mr. Bobbsey. "I never could stay as long as I
wanted to when I was a boy. Now, I was thinking perhaps we could all go
to Meadow Brook Farm for a little visit. From Meadow Brook it isn't far
to the Bolton County Fair."

"Oh, let's go!" cried Bert and Nan.

"What about school?" asked their mother.

"School doesn't open until later this fall than usual," explained Mr.
Bobbsey. "They are repairing the school house and the work will not be
finished in time for the regular fall opening. I know, for the school
board buys lumber of me.

"So, as long as the children don't have to be back until the middle of
October, we could all go to Meadow Brook,