city, and down toward Tommy's house there were few wagons or
automobiles, so it was safe for them.

Carrying the basket of good things Flossie and Freddie were soon at the
place where Mrs. Todd lived.

"You are good little ones to come so far to bring an old woman something
to eat," said Mrs. Todd, with a smile, when she opened the door. "Come
in and sit by the fire to get warm."

"We can't stay very long," said Flossie.

But she and Freddie stayed longer than they meant to, for Mrs. Todd knew
many stories and she told the little twins two or three as they sat by
the fire.

"Oh, it's snowing--snowing hard!" said Freddie suddenly, as he looked
out of the window when Mrs. Todd had finished a story about a little red
hen.

"Then we must hurry home," said Flossie.

They put on their wraps and overshoes and, bidding Mrs. Todd good-bye,
off they went. But they had no sooner got outdoors than they found
themselves in a bad storm. The wind was blowing hard, and the white
flakes were swirling all around them.

"Why--why, I can hardly see!" cried Flossie. "It's just like a fog."

"And--and it's hard to breathe," said Freddie. "The wind blows right
down my mouth."

"We could walk backwards and then it wouldn't," said Flossie, and they
tried that for a while.

The children had been out in storms before, but they could not remember
ever having been in one where the snow was so thick. As Flossie had
said, she could hardly see because there were so many flakes coming
down.

"Take hold of my hand, Freddie, and don't let go," said Flossie to her
brother. "We don't want to get lost."

Along the street they walked as best they could, sometimes going
backward so the wind would not blow in their faces so hard, and when
they walked with their faces to the wind they held down their heads.

"Are we 'most home?" asked Flossie after a while.

"Well, I don't see our house," replied Freddie. "We've come far enough
to be there, too."

They walked on a little farther and then Freddie stopped.

"What's the matter?" asked Flossie.

"I can't see any houses, or anything," answered her brother. "I--I guess
we've come the wrong way, Flossie. I don't know where we are."

"Do you mean we--we're lost, Freddie?"

"I'm afraid so."

CHAPTER XXI

THE STRANGE MAN

The two Bobbsey twins stood in the snowstorm, looking at each other.
Though they were both brave they were rather worried now, for they did
not know which way to