The Bobbsey Twins at Meadow Brook | Page 4

tell me he is hurt--or Dinah, either!" cried Mrs. Bobbsey,
holding her hands over her eyes, as though she might see something
unpleasant.
"I--I'm not hurt," said Freddie, "but I--I'm all wet!"
"Bress yo' heart, honey lamb! I'se glad ob dat!" cried Dinah, as she
wiped her face on her apron, for the tea had splashed on her.
"Are you all right, Dinah?" asked Mr. Bobbsey, setting Freddie down,
for he had caught his little fat son up in his arms.
"Shuah, I'se all right, sah," the colored cook answered. "Jest shook up a
bit. I'se so fat it doesn't hurt me t' fall," she explained. "An' I shuah am
glad I didn't fall on Freddie. He done knocked mah feet right out from
under me!"
"Yes, you shouldn't have turned somersaults in the house," said Mrs.
Bobbsey. "That wasn't right, Freddie."
"I--I wasn't exactly turning somersaults," Freddie explained, as he dried

his face in his pocket handkerchief. "I was jest rollin' over an' over, like
I'm goin' to do down at Meadow Brook."
"Well, it was almost as bad as turning somersaults," said Nan. "My, but
I got so excited."
"Pooh! It wasn't anything," spoke Bert. "It's a good thing, though, that
it was iced tea, instead of being hot."
"Indeed that was a blessing," said Mrs. Bobbsey, while Dinah began
picking up the pieces of the cup and saucer. "You must be more careful,
Freddie."
"I will, ma," he promised. "But tell us about Meadow Brook. When can
we go?"
"Not until you get a dry suit on, at least," said Mr. Bobbsey with a
smile. "You had better change, Freddie. You are all wet from my cup of
tea."
"I'll put dry things on him," offered Nan, leading the little fellow from
the room. "But don't talk over any plans until I come back," she
begged.
"We won't," promised her mother.
And while the house is settling into quietness, after the confusion of the
temporary home-coming, and the upsetting of Dinah and Freddie, I will
take just a few moments to tell my new readers something about the
Bobbsey Twins as they have been written about in the other books of
this series.
There were two sets of twins, and that may seem strange until I tell you
that Bert and Nan, aged about nine, formed one set, and Flossie and
Freddie, aged four years younger, made up the second set. Bert and
Nan were tall and slim, with dark hair and eyes, while Flossie and
Freddie were fat and short, with light hair and blue eyes, making a very
different appearance from the older twins.

Besides the two sets of Bobbsey twins, there was Mr. Richard Bobbsey,
and his wife Mary. They lived in an Eastern city called Lakeport, on
Lake Metoka, where Mr. Bobbsey had a large lumber business.
I might say that Dinah Johnson, and her husband Sam, also formed part
of the Bobbsey household, for without Dinah to cook, and without Sam
to do everything around the house, from watering the grass to putting
out the ashes, I do not know how Mrs. Bobbsey would have gotten
along. And then, of course, there was Snoop, the black cat, and Snap,
the nice dog, who had once been in a circus, and could do many tricks.
So much for the Bobbsey family. As for what they did, if you will read
the first book of the series, which volume is called "The Bobbsey
Twins," you will get a good idea of the many good times Flossie,
Freddie, Bert and Nan had.
Uncle Daniel Bobbsey, who was Mr. Bobbsey's brother, and his wife,
Aunt Sarah, lived in the country at Meadow Brook Farm. They had a
ten year old son, named Harry, and he and Bert were great chums
whenever they were together.
The Bobbsey twins often went to the country, and also to the seashore,
where their Uncle William and Aunt Emily, as well as their cousin
Dorothy, lived, at a place called Ocean Cliff.
You may read of the fun the twins had at these places in the country
and seashore books.
Bert, Nan, Flossie and Freddie also had fun at school, and when they
went to Snow Lodge they had what were, to them, a wonderful series of
adventures, and solved a strange mystery.
Their last trip had been on a houseboat. It was called the Bluebird, and
they had voyaged down Lake Metoka to Lemby Creek, and through
that to Lake Romano, where they had fine times. There was a mystery
on the Bluebird, but Bert, and his cousin Harry, who was with him,
found out what made the queer noises.

Cousin Dorothy was also a guest on the houseboat trip, and she and
Nan, who were about the same age, greatly enjoyed themselves.