The Bobbsey Twins at the County Fair | Page 3

down to the gate with the
packages of lunch.
"Hello, Bert!" called Charlie Mason, from the truck. "Got enough to
eat?"
"I guess so," Bert answered his chum, holding up the boxes and baskets.
"Enough for two picnics I should say!"
"You can eat a lot when you're off in the woods," added Dannie Rugg.
"It's like camping out."
"Here comes Nan!" exclaimed Grace Lavine, a particular chum of the
older Bobbsey girl.
Nan, having hurried in to tell her mother the trucks had arrived, now
hastened down the path, her hair flying in the wind.
"Have you everything? Take good care of Flossie and Freddie! Have a
good time, and don't fall into the water!" Mrs. Bobbsey said, as she
waved good-by to her twins while they clambered up into the truck.
"We will!" they answered.
"Good-by, Mother! Good-by!"
"Good-by, children!"
"Honk! Honk!" tooted the auto horn.
"All aboard!" called Nellie Parks. "All aboard!"
"I want to sit on the end!" declared Freddie, struggling to get in this
position.

"You might fall out going up hill," said Bert. "I'll sit there, Freddie, and
you can sit next me." The little fellow had to be content with this.
With children laughing, children singing, children shouting and
children smiling, with flags flying and the horn tooting, the big auto
started off, having taken aboard the Bobbsey twins; and soon the two
trucks were out of sight around a turn in the road, bound for Pine Grove,
on the outskirts of the town of Lakeport. It was the yearly picnic of one
of the Lakeport Sunday schools.
"Isn't it a wonderful day?" asked Grace of Nan. The two friends and
Nellie were sitting together.
"Yes, beautiful. We nearly always have a good day for the picnic."
"Did you bring any olives in your lunch. Nan?"
"Yes, and some dill pickles, too!"
"Oh, I just love dill pickles!" exclaimed Grace, "and we didn't have one
in the house."
"I'll give you some of mine," offered Nan.
Flossie and Freddie were too excited, looking at sights along the road,
to talk much, but they were as happy as if they had been chattering
away like the others.
"Did your dog Snap bite your finger, Bert?" asked Dannie Rugg.
"No, my knife slipped when I was making Freddie a boat. Say,
Freddie," he asked the little fellow, "did you lose your boat?"
"Nope, I have it here," and he held it up.
"Oh, all right."
On rumbled the trucks, raising clouds of dust. On each big auto were
several grown folks, officers of the Sunday school, who were looking

after the children. Some were fathers and mothers of the boys and girls.
Pine Grove was several miles outside the town of Lakeport, on the
shores of a little lake. It was there the yearly picnics of the Sunday
schools were always held, and the Bobbsey twins, as well as the other
young people of the town, looked forward with pleasure to the outings.
"What you say we get up a ball game?" asked Dannie of Bert, when
they were all settled in their places.
"Sure we will," Bert agreed. "Have we got enough fellows?"
"If you haven't, some of us girls will play," offered Nan.
"Pooh! Girls can't play ball!" sneered Charlie Mason.
"I can! I can bat a ball as far as you!" declared Nellie Parks.
"Maybe you can--if you can hit it!" admitted Charlie.
"I want to play ball!" chimed in Freddie. "I know how!"
"I guess if you sail your boat it will be all you want to do," said Bert,
looking at his cut finger to see if it would hinder him from taking part
in a game. He decided that it would not.
"We'll have lots of fun," said Dannie. "If we haven't enough for two
nines we'll play a scrub game."
"Sure!" agreed Bert.
They were well out in the country now, and almost at the Grove. To
reach it the trucks had to cross a bridge over a creek that flowed into
Pine Lake, as the body of water was called.
The first truck passed over this bridge with a rumble like thunder. As it
reached the other side Bert saw the driver of it lean from his seat, look
back, and shout something to the driver of the truck on which the
Bobbsey twins rode. What the man said Bert could not hear, and as he

was wondering about it the second truck started over the bridge.
Suddenly there was a cracking of wood, a splintering, breaking sound,
and the heavy truck, loaded with children, the Bobbsey twins among
them, seemed to be sinking down.
"Oh, the bridge is breaking!" screamed Grace.
"We'll fall in the creek!" added Nellie.
There was a thundering sound as the auto driver turned on