er had stopped bleeding--indeed the cut was a very small
one--and Bert was soon putting the last touches to the tiny craft which
Freddie wanted to sail in the little lake at the picnic grounds.

Just as Bert handed the homemade toy to his brother, and when Nan
reached Flossie, in time to stop her from climbing on the gate, a noise
of honking horns was heard down the street.

"Oh, here they come! Here come the trucks!" cried Flossie, dancing up
and down.

"Get the lunch!" called Freddie, to make sure they would not go hungry
on the picnic.

"I'll go in and tell mother we're going," called Nan to Bert, who shut
up his knife, brushed the whittlings off his clothes, and began to
gather up the boxes and baskets of lunch. "Watch Flossie!" Nan added,
for there was no telling what the excitable little "fairy" might do at
the last moment.

"All right," Bert answered. "Here, Freddie!" he called. "Don't run with
that sharp-pointed boat in your hand. If you fall on it you'll get
hurt."

"But I'm not going to fall!" said Freddie.

"You can't tell what you're going to do! Go easy!" Bert advised, and
Freddie walked as slowly as he could to the gate where Flossie was
eagerly gazing down the road.

The noise of the auto horns sounded more loudly, and soon two big
trucks, filled with children and gay with flags, came into view. Boxes
had been placed in the trucks for seats, and on these boxes, laughing,
shouting, waving their hands and flags, were scores of happy, smiling
boys and girls.

One of the trucks drew up at the gate of the house where lived the
Bobbsey twins, the other auto keeping on, as it was well filled. But
room had been saved in this one for Bert, Nan, Flossie and Freddie.

"Come on, Nan! Come on!" cried Flossie, still jumping up and down.

"Tell Nan to hurry!" added Freddie to his brother.

"She's coming," Bert said, as he walked down to the gate with the
packages of lunch.

"Hello, Bert!" called Charlie Mason, from the truck. "Got enough to
eat?"

"I guess so," Bert answered his chum, holding up the boxes and baskets.
"Enough for two picnics I should say!"

"You can eat a lot when you're off in the woods," added Dannie Rugg.
"It's like camping out."

"Here comes Nan!" exclaimed Grace Lavine, a particular chum of the older
Bobbsey girl.

Nan, having hurried in to tell her mother the trucks had arrived, now
hastened down the path, her hair flying in the wind.

"Have you everything? Take good care