The Bobbsey Twins at Home | Page 6

lumber yard.
Once this had caught fire, and Freddie had thought he could put the
blaze out with his little toy fire engine. Ever since then Mr. Bobbsey
had called the little chap "fireman."
Dinah Johnson was the Bobbsey's cook. She had been with them many
years. And Sam, her husband, worked around the house, carrying out
ashes, cutting the grass, and such things as that.
Besides these, the Bobbsey family consisted of Snap, the big dog who
once had been in a circus and could do tricks, and Snoop, the black cat.
These pets were taken along wherever the Bobbsey twins went on their
Summer vacations. For the Bobbseys used to spend each Summer
either in the mountains or at the seashore. The second book tells about
the good time they had in the country while the third one tells of their
adventures at the shore.
"The Bobbsey Twins at School," is the name of the fourth book, and in
that I had the pleasure of telling you the many good times they had
there. Later on they went to "Snow Lodge" and helped solve a mystery,
while on the houseboat, Bluebird, where they spent one vacation, they
found a "stowaway," and, if you want to know what that is, I advise
you to read the book.

"The Bobbsey Twins at Meadow Brook," is the name of the book just
before this present one. On the farm of Uncle Daniel Bobbsey the twins
had had a most glorious time, and they were on their way home in the
train when the fresh air children got aboard, and Tommy Todd told the
story about his lost father. Then had come the sudden stop, and Bert
had seen the men with guns outside the train.
"I tell you they are robbers, Nan," Bert whispered to his sister. "Look,
one of 'em has a mask on his face."
"That's so," agreed Nan. "Oh, I wonder what it is!"
"Don't be afraid!" exclaimed Bert. "I guess they won't come in this car.
Father won't let them."
By this time Flossie and Freddie had also seen the masked men with
their guns standing along the track, and Freddie cried:
"Oh, look! It's just like Hallowe'en. They've got false faces on!"
Many in the car laughed at this.

CHAPTER III
SNAP AND SNOOP
The train on which the Bobbsey twins were coming back from the
country had now been stopping for several minutes. There was no sign
of a station on either side of the track, as could be told by those who
put their heads out of the opened windows. And Mr. Bobbsey had not
come back.
"I wonder if anything has happened," remarked Mrs. Bobbsey.
"I'll go and find out, Mother," offered Bert, getting up from his seat.
"No, indeed, I can't let you!" his mother answered. "Your father would

not like it. He may be back any moment."
"I don't believe anything much has happened, ma'am," said a man
across the aisle from Mrs. Bobbsey. "I can see some men up near the
engine, but they are talking and laughing."
"Then they aren't robbers," said Freddie to his older brother Bert,
"'cause robbers wouldn't laugh."
"Well, if they're not train robbers why have they guns and false faces
on?" asked Bert.
"Maybe they're just making believe--same as when we have
pretend-plays," put in Flossie.
"Do you pretend, and make believe?" asked Tommy Todd, of the two
younger twins.
"Oh, yes, lots of times," Freddie said. "We have heaps of fun that way;
don't you?"
"Sometimes," answered Tommy in a low voice. "Sometimes I pretend I
have gone off in a ship, and that I've found my father. I make believe
that he and I are sailing together. And oh! how I wish it would come
true!"
"Maybe it will--some day," said Flossie softly, as she patted Tommy's
hand which was on the back of the seat in front of her.
"I must go out and see what is keeping your father," said Mrs. Bobbsey
at last. "Something must have happened. You children stay here with
Dinah. Nan and Bert, you look after Flossie and Freddie."
But there was no need for Mrs. Bobbsey to leave the car for, just then,
her husband came in. He was smiling, and that seemed to show that
nothing very serious was the matter.
"What is it?" asked Bert.

"Are the men playing a game?" Freddie demanded.
"Is the train off the track?" asked one of the fresh air boys. "I hopes it
is--that is, if nobody is hurt, 'cause then we won't have to go home, and
maybe we can go back to the country."
"No, the train isn't off the track," answered Mr. Bobbsey. "It's a hold-up
by masked robbers."
"There! What'd I tell you?" cried Bert