BIG SWING

Mr. Bobbsey and Bert now looked on a rather sad scene in the hotel
sitting room. On one side of the apartment stood Mr. Blipper, having
hold of the coat collar of Bob Guess. And Bob was crying again.

On the other side of the room stood Mrs. Bobbsey with Nan, Flossie, and
Freddie close to her. At one end of the room, looking in through the
door, was the good-natured but easy-going proprietor of the hotel and
some of the servants.

"What is going on here?" asked Mr. Bobbsey.

"I'm going away, if that's what you mean!" snapped out Mr. Blipper in
angry tones. "I traced this runaway adopted son of mine here, and I'm
taking him back with me. This lady says I can't!"

"I told him to wait until you came back," said Mrs. Bobbsey. "I didn't
want him to take poor Bob away. I don't believe he has any right to take
him."

"I don't know who you are!" spluttered the angry Mr. Blipper. "But you
haven't any right to stop me."

"This lady is my wife," said Mr. Bobbsey, and he spoke in such a way
that Mr. Blipper at once lost some of his bluster. "She has the same
right that any one has to inquire into something he thinks is wrong."

"But this isn't wrong!" cried Mr. Blipper. "I have a right to this boy.
I adopted him legally, I did! I gave him a name when he didn't have any
before. Bob Guess I call him, 'cause I had to guess at his name. I took
him out of an orphan asylum and give him a good home!"

"Home!" cried Bob Guess. "You didn't give me any _home_! You keep
dragging me all over the country with that merry-go-round! I haven't any
home except sleepin' in a truck."

"You were glad enough to come with me!" sneered Mr. Blipper.

"Anyway, I'm sick of it. That's why I ran away."

"Well, you're going to run back again!" said Mr. Blipper, grimly, as he
gave the boy a shake.

"Wait a minute," said Mr. Bobbsey. "Have you a legal right to this boy?"

"That's what I have. I expected some such question would be asked of me,
and I brought along my papers. There they are. You can look 'em over for
yourself."

He tossed a long envelope containing papers to Mr. Bobbsey, and the
latter looked at the documents.

"Don't let him take me back!" pleaded Bob Guess. "I don't like him!"

"I don't like you, when it comes to that!" sneered the angry man. "But
I'm going to have you back! I have a right to you, and you've got to
work for me."

"These papers seem to be all right," said Mr. Bobbsey, slowly. "He is
your legal g