The Bobbsey Twins on Blueberry Island | Page 3

at the wagons, and then they both laughed.
Flossie and Freddie glanced up in surprise at their older brother and

sister.
"Look what they thought was a circus!" chuckled Bert.
"Isn't it?" asked Flossie. "Isn't that a circus?"
"No, dear," answered Nan. "Don't laugh so much," she said to Bert, as
she saw that the two small twins felt hurt. "They do look something like
circus wagons."
"They are circus wagons!" declared Freddie. "And pretty soon the
elephants will come past. I like elephants."
"You won't see any elephants to-day," said Bert. "That isn't a circus
procession."
"What is it?" Flossie demanded.
"Those are gypsy wagons," explained Nan. "Gypsies, you know, are
those queer people, who are dark-skinned. They wear rings in their ears
and live in wagons like those. They ride all over the country and tell
fortunes. I wanted to have my fortune told by a gypsy once, but mother
wouldn't let me," she added.
"It's silly!" declared Bert. "Just as if a gypsy could tell you what's going
to happen!"
"Well, Lillie Kent had hers told," went on Nan, "and the gypsy looked
at her hand and said she was going to have trouble, and she did."
"What?" asked Flossie eagerly.
"She lost a nickel a week after that--a nickel she was going to buy a
lead pencil with."
"Pooh!" laughed Bert, "she'd have lost the nickel anyhow. But say,
there are lots of gypsies in this band! I've counted five wagons so far."
"Maybe they're going to have a circus," insisted Freddie, who did not

like to give up the idea of seeing a show.
"Course they're going to have a circus," said Flossie. "Look at all the
horses," for behind the last two wagons were trotting a number of
horses, being led along by men seated in the ends of the bright-colored
wagons. The men had straps which were fastened to the heads of the
animals.
"No; gypsies don't give shows. They buy and sell horses," said Bert.
"I've seen 'em here in Lakeport before, but not so many as this. I guess
they're going to make a camp somewhere on Lake Metoka."
"Maybe we'll see 'em when we go camping," said Freddie.
"It isn't yet sure that we're going," returned Nan. "But, come on. There
are no more gypsy wagons to see, and we must get home."
Flossie and Freddie, somewhat disappointed that, after all, it was not a
circus procession they had seen, started off again. They wished they
could have seen more of the gypsies, but the gay wagons rumbled on
out of sight, though this was not the last the Bobbsey twins were to see
of them. In fact, they were to meet the gypsies again, and to have quite
an adventure with them before the summer was over.
"Well, we had a good time, anyhow," said Freddie to Flossie. "And we
almost saw a circus, didn't we?"
"Yep," answered his sister. "I'm going to be a gypsy when I grow up."
"Why?" asked Freddie.
"'Cause they've got so many looking glasses on their wagons."
"I'm going to be a gypsy, too," decided Freddie, after thinking it over a
bit. "'Cause they've got so many horses. I'm going to ride horseback,
and you can ride in one of the wagons, Flossie."
"No. I'm going to ride horseback, too," declared the little girl. "I'm
going to have a spangly thing in my hair and wear a dress all glittery

and stand on the horse's back and ride----"
"Gypsies don't do that," protested Bert. "It's the people in circuses that
ride standing up."
"Gypsies do too," declared Freddie, not knowing a thing about it but
feeling he must back up anything Flossie said.
"No, they don't, either."
"Well, maybe they have gypsies in a circus. They have Indians, you
know."
"I don't believe they do," put in Nan. "Gypsies wouldn't like to be in a
tent and work every afternoon and every evening. They want to live in
their wagons and be more out of doors."
"Well, maybe we'll be gypsies and maybe we'll be in a circus," said
Freddie. "We'll see, won't we, Flossie?"
"Yep."
By this time the Bobbsey twins had reached their house, or rather, they
had turned the corner of the street leading out from the lake, and were
in sight of their home. What they saw caused Bert, Nan, Flossie and
Freddie to set out on a run. In front of their house was a crowd of
people. There were men, women and children, and among them the
twins could see their mother, fat Dinah, the cook, and Sam Johnson, her
husband, who attended to the Bobbsey furnace in winter and the lawn
in summer.
"What's the matter?" asked Nan.
"Something has happened!" cried Bert.
"The house is on fire!" shouted