ommy," she said to Mrs. Bobbsey. "His
father, my son, was lost at sea, and Tommy is all I have now. I don't
mind the hard work when I'm well, but I don't feel good now."

"Don't worry," said Mrs. Bobbsey. "We'll get you well and strong again,
and then you can keep a home for Tommy."

Mrs. Todd told very much the same story Tommy had told--that her son,
Tommy's father, had sailed away to sea, and after many days a passing
vessel had sighted the wreck of his. Broken lifeboats were floating
about the surface of the ocean, but no one alive was found in them. As
there was no trace of Captain Todd or any of the sailors, every one
believed they had all been drowned.

"Tommy seems to think his father may be alive," said Mrs. Bobbsey.

Mrs. Todd sighed.

"I sometimes used to think that myself," she said. "But now I have given
up hope. It is over five years, and if my son were alive he would have
sent me some word before now. I wish he would come back, for then he
would look after Tommy and me."

It was not a nice place where Tommy lived with his grandmother, but Mrs.
Todd did her best to keep the house neat and clean. Mrs. Bobbsey called
in a doctor, and also sent a woman to nurse Mrs. Todd until she grew
better, which she did in a few days.

Then she could keep on with her sewing, by which she earned enough for
her and Tommy to live on. But it was not a very good living they made,
and they often did not have enough to eat.

"I'll give you some of my sewing to do," promised Mrs. Bobbsey, "and so
will some ladies I know."

So, for a time at least, Mrs. Todd was to be taken care of. When she
grew better she had as much work as she could do.

But this was some time after the day when Tommy called at Mr. Bobbsey's
office. That day, after the three boys had eaten their ice cream, Tommy
went back to the lumber yard, and Mr. Bobbsey told him that Mrs. Bobbsey
had gone to see Mrs. Todd.

"And haven't you any errands I could do for you to-day?" asked Tommy.

"Not to-day, Tommy. But I may have later. Don't worry about working out
that twenty-five cents. I won't forget you, and you'll find your
grandmother being taken care of when you get home."

"I'll not forget about the ship we're going to buy either," promised
Freddie, as he and Johnnie parted company from Tommy.

"All right; and thank you."

Nan and Bert, that day, had gone over to play with Ned Barton and Ellen
Moore, children who lived near them, and they had a goo