don't know what there is for him to do," said Mr. Bobbsey. "As nearly
as I can figure it out, my coat was stolen at the picnic grounds and the
lap robe was taken about the same time."

"It was," agreed Mrs. Bobbsey. "And I think that Blipper--or perhaps Bob
Guess--had something to do with both thefts."

"It might be," replied the officer. "Those traveling show people aren't
very careful, sometimes. I'll report back to the chief and see what he
says. If we get sight of this merry-go-round crowd, Mr. Bobbsey, we'll
stop them and ask them about your coat and the robe."

"Thank you, I wish you would. But I don't imagine you'll see them. They
are on their way to Bolton, and we shall be there ourselves next week,
so we can make some inquiries."

Officer Murphy left, finding there was nothing he could do. Flossie and
Freddie were carried up to bed, and Nan danced about the room, singing:

"We're going to the fair! We're going to the fair! We're going to the
Bolton County Fair!"

And Bert echoed:

"Maybe we'll find daddy's coat when we get there!"

Then, tired but happy over their fun at the picnic and too sleepy to
worry much over the lost articles, the Bobbsey twins at last went to
bed.

As their parents had said, school would not open as early that fall as
in other years, because some rebuilding work was being done in a few of
the rooms. So there was time to go to Meadow Brook, and from there to
visit Bolton, a few miles away, where the big fair was being held.

"Do you really think we can go, Mother?" asked Nan, the next day.

"I don't see why not. Your father seems to have made up his mind to it."

"Well, I hope he doesn't change it, as he does sometimes," said Bert,
with a laugh. "They're going to have airships and a balloon at the
fair, Charlie Mason says, and maybe I can go up in the balloon. Wouldn't
that be great, Nan?"

"I'm not going up in any balloon!"

"I am!" decided Bert, as if that was all there was to it.

"An' I'm going to ride on a lion!" cried Flossie.

"So'm I!" chimed in her brother Freddie.

Uncle Daniel Bobbsey and his wife Sarah, with their son Harry, lived at
Meadow Brook Farm. The Bobbsey twins had been there more than once, as
those who have read the other books of this series will remember. And
now it was proposed to go there again.

"But we'll be at the fair more than we will be at Meadow Brook, sha'n't
we?" asked Nan of her father.

"Well, sort of betwixt and between," he a