Laura Lee Hope

“ There was a tooting of whistles, a clanging [94] and ringing of bells, and the boat slowly moved away from the dock.
"Oh, it's just lovely to go camping!" sighed Nan.
"We haven't really begun yet," said Bert. "Wait until we get to the woods and have to go hunting for what we want to eat, and cook it over an open fire—that's the way to live!"
"I guess there won't be much hunting on Blueberry Island," said Mr. Bobbsey, with a laugh.
"Well, we can make-believe, can't we?" asked Freddie.
"Oh, yes, you can make-believe," said his mother. "And that, sometimes, is more fun than having real things." ”

“ Bobbsey. "Then I'll take you, Bert, if you'd like to go. We'll see if we can find Helen's big, talking doll."
"She must feel bad at losing it," said Nan.
"She does," said Bert. "Though how any one can get to like a doll, with such stupid eyes as they have, I can't see."
"They're as good as nasty old knives that cut you, and kite strings that are always getting tangled," said Nan with a laugh.
"Yes, I guess we like different things," agreed her brother. "Well, I'm glad it wasn't Flossie or Freddie the gypsies took away with them." ”

“ Bobbsey took a lantern and went outside. Bert wanted to come with his father, but Mrs. Bobbsey would not hear of it.
"We want a little man in here to look after us," she said, smiling. [105]
"Ain't I almost a man? I can make my fire engine go," Freddie said, forgetting his fright, now that the "big folks" were up, and the light in the tent was turned higher.
They could hear Mr. Bobbsey walking around outside, and they heard him speaking to the goat who bleated again. Mr. Bobbsey was as fond of animals as were his children, and Whisker was almost like a dog, he was so tame and gentle. ”

“ As Flossie and Freddie tore on toward the house in front of fat Dinah, they continued to chatter about the gypsies.
"If gypsies take little girls we don't want to be them—the gypsies, I mean—Freddie."
"Humph-umph; that's so. Well, I guess we'll be in a circus anyhow. That'll be more fun. You can ride a horse in the ring, and sometimes I can ride with you and sometimes I can be a clown. When I'm a clown I can squirt water from my fire engine over the other clowns. That'll make the folks holler and laugh." ”

“ Bobbsey had left the sides of the cots both children were fast asleep.
"Poor little tykes!" said the mother softly. "They do miss their pets so! I hope the cat and dog can be found, and Helen's doll, too. It's strange that so many things are missing. I wonder who Flossie meant by 'they,' I must ask her."
And the next morning the little girl, when reminded of her petition the night before and asked who she thought might take the goat, said:
"They is the gypsies, of course! They take everything! Blueberry Tom said so. And I didn't want them to get Whisker too." ”

“ She must have fallen right into it."
"She did," said Freddie. "We were walking along, picking berries, and all of a sudden Flossie was tangled in the net. I tried to get her out, but I got tangled, too, only I took my knife and cut some of the cords."
"And that's what we've got to do," said Mrs. Bobbsey. "The net is so entangled around Flossie that we'll never get her out otherwise. Have you a knife, Bert?"
"Yes, Mother. Stand still, Flossie!" he called to his little sister. "The more you move the worse you get tangled." ”

“ With a bound he jumped through the bushes and stood in the little grassy glade where the Bobbsey twins were having a sort of picnic by themselves. They saw that Tom had on ragged clothes and no shoes. Indeed, he looked like a very poor boy, but his face, though it was stained with the blueberries he had eaten, was smiling and kind. ”

“ Helen, after a bit. "Her voice wasn't as loud as that."
"Oh-o-o-o-o!" suddenly gasped Flossie. "Maybe it was—the gypsies!"
That was something the children had not thought of before. Suppose it should be the same gypsy man who had taken away the doll?
"It couldn't be the gypsies," said Freddie, looking around him. "They all went away. Daddy said so."
"But maybe there was one left," suggested his sister.
"Pooh! I'm not afraid of one gypsy," declared Freddie. "If he bothers me I'll sic Whisker on him."
"You can't sic a goat—they can't bite or bark like a dog," retorted Flossie. ”

“ Once more the two little twins tried to climb the hill of shifting sand, but they could get up only a little way before slipping back. They did not get hurt—the sand was too soft and slippery for that, but they were tired and hot, and, oh! so thirsty.
"I'm not goin' to climb any more!" finally said Flossie. "I'm tired! I'm goin' to stay here until mamma or papa or Nan or Bert comes for us."
"Maybe they won't come," Freddie said.
"Yes, they will," declared Flossie, shaking her head. "They allers comes when we're lost and we're losted now." ”

“ The gypsies have him! I'm going to tell daddy, and have him get a policeman."
"Now don't be too sure," advised Mrs. Bobbsey. "Perhaps that peddler may have been a gypsy, and she may have made friends with Snap—those people have a strange way with them about dogs and horses—but it isn't fair to say she took your pet. He may have followed her just to be friendly. You had better ask at some of the houses down the street first."
"Come on!" cried Bert to Nan. "We'll go and ask."
"And I'm coming, too!" added Freddie. "I can call Snap and you can whistle for him, Bert." ”

“ Bobbsey with a laugh. "You must all be kind to the goat and take turns riding in the wagon."
"Can't we all ride at once?" asked Nan.
"Well I don't know how large the wagon is," answered Mr. Bobbsey, as he started from his lumberyard for the express office with the children. "Maybe you can all get in at once if the goat is strong enough to pull you."
"I hope he's a big goat," said Freddie. "Then me and Bert will drive him and ride you and Flossie, Nan." ”

“ Bobbsey saw a postal card that made her smile as she read it.
"What's it about, Momsie?" asked Freddie, when he noticed his mother's happy face. "Are we going back to New York?"
"No, but this postal has something to do with something that happened in New York," was Mrs. Bobbsey's answer. ”

“ Dinah and Sam had made ready to go to camp, for they were included in the family. Dinah was to do the cooking and her husband was to look after the boats and firewood.
"And, oh, what fun we'll have!" cried Flossie the next morning, when the sun rose warm and bright and they started for Blueberry Island.
"It would be better if we had Snap," said Bert. "You don't know how I miss that dog!"
"We all do," said Mrs. Bobbsey. "Perhaps we'll find him when we come back, Bert. Your father will come back from the island once or twice a week, and he'll come to the house to see if Snap has come back." ”

“ 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. ”

“ And the gypsies must have been on this island. Some of the blueberry pickers said they saw them, but when I looked I could not find them. By that time they must have gone away."
"And did they take my doll with them?" asked Helen.
"Well, I'm afraid they did," said Mr. Bobbsey. "If they wanted your pet badly enough to take her away so boldly, as they did from the yard, they'd probably keep her, once they had her safe. It isn't every day they can get a talking doll, you know."
"I wish there was some way of getting Helen's doll back," said Mrs. Porter. "She does nothing but wish for her every day. ”

“ I'm very fond of blueberry pie."
"I like it, too," said Freddie. "We'll take Whisker with us, and he can haul a whole wagon load of blueberries."
"I wouldn't ask you to pick as many as that," said his father with a laugh. "Two or three quarts would be enough for a pie, wouldn't they, Mother?" [75]
"I should hope so! But do you really mean we are to go camping on Blueberry Island?"
"Surely," answered Mr. Bobbsey. "It will be a nice way to spend the summer."
"And shall we live in a tent?" asked Freddie, "and cook over a camp fire? and go fishing? ”

“ Now we must finish getting Twin Camp in order to-day," went on Mr. Bobbsey, "and then [109] we will begin to have fun and enjoy ourselves."
"Are we going to catch any fish?" asked Bert. "Always, when you read of camps, they catch fish and fry them."
"Yes, we can go fishing after we get the work done," said his father. "Work first and play afterward is a rule we'll follow here, though there won't be much work to do. However, if we're to go fishing we'll have to dig some bait."
"I can dig worms!" cried Freddie. "Worms are good for bait, aren't they, Daddy?" ”

“ A man came running out of the darkness of what seemed to be a small cave inside the larger one, and cried: [232]
"He broke away! I couldn't keep him any longer. He seemed to hear some one calling him."
"Keep still!" sharply ordered the gypsy who had had the lantern.
"Oh!" exclaimed the other man, as he saw Flossie and Freddie. "Is it their dog?"
There was no need to answer him. Any one could see that Snap belonged to the Bobbsey twins. He was so happy with them.
"Did you—did you have our dog all the while?" asked Freddie, as he played with Snap's long ears. ”

“ And while Flossie, Freddie and Helen ate the nice little lunch, fat, black Dinah got ready for them, Bert and Nan went for a ride in the goat wagon, stopping at Mrs. Porter's house to tell her that Helen was safe in the Bobbsey home.
"And now let's talk about camping!" cried Bert that night after supper when the family, twins included, were gathered in the dining-room, the table having been cleared. "When can we go?"
"I think as soon as school closes," said his father. "Summer seems to have started in early this year, and I want to get you children and your mother off to some cool place. ”

“ They nearly always have dogs in their camp—the gypsies do—and those dogs might get into a fight with Snap."
"Snap could beat 'em!" declared Freddie.
"No, don't take him!" ordered Flossie. "I don't want Snap to get bit."
"I don't either," agreed Bert, "so I'll leave him at home I guess. Well, there's daddy calling me. I'll have to run. I'll tell you all about it when I come back."
So, while Flossie and Freddie, with the little cake Dinah had baked for them, went to have a good time playing party, Mr. Bobbsey, with a policeman and Bert, went to the gypsy camp. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Where you going?"
"Oh, he's runnin' away!" cried Helen. "Let me out! He's runnin' away!"
"No, he's only walking," said Freddie. "It's all right. As long as he walks, you won't get hurt. I guess I'd better drive him, though."
"Can't you stop him?" asked Flossie. "Bert won't like it to have us take him away."
"We aren't taking him away; he's taking us away," said Freddie. "I can't make him stop. Look!" Again he called: "Whoa!" but the goat did not obey.
On and on went Whisker, slowly at first, then walking a little faster and pulling after him the wagon with the children in it. ”

“ She has other dolls——" [175]
"But I liked Mollie best," Helen said. "I want her. If she only knew I had her dress she might come to me," she added wistfully.
"She might, if she were a fairy doll," said Mrs. Bobbsey, as she patted Helen on the head. "But we'll look as carefully as we can for your little girl's pet, Mrs. Porter. If Mollie is on this island we'll find her."
"And I'll leave this dress here," said Helen, "so you can put it on her when you do find her. Then she won't take cold."
"I'll wash the dress and have Dinah iron it for you," promised Flossie. "I can't iron very well." ”

“ One dog growled, while others barked, and then the gypsy man who had first spoken made them go away.
"You are wasting your time here," said this gypsy, who seemed to be the leader, or "king," as he is sometimes called. "We have nothing but what is our own. We have no little girl's doll."
"We'll have a look about," said Mr. Carr again.
But though the policeman and Mr. Bobbsey, to say nothing of Bert, who had very sharp eyes, looked all about the gypsy camp, there was no sign of the missing doll. ”

“ The wind, too, was blowing harder now, and there were little waves splashing against the side of the boat. But the wind did one good thing for the children—it blew the boat toward shore so much faster, and shore was where they wanted to be just now. They knew they had drifted out too far, and they were beginning to be afraid. The shore of the island looked very safe and comfortable.
"We can get under a tree—that will be an umbrella for us," said Flossie. "Aren't you glad we're going on shore, Freddie?" ”

“ 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?" [10]
"Yep," answered his sister. "I'm going to be a gypsy when I grow up." ”

“ Maybe I will some other day," and Jack looked at Bert and smiled, while he said to himself: "You've got to get up early in the morning to match a smart chap like him," meaning Freddie, of course.
A short time before, the Bobbsey twins had returned from the city of New York where they had spent a part of the winter. Now it was spring and would soon be summer, and, as the day was a fine, warm one, they had gone on a little picnic, taking their lunch with them and pretending to camp on one of the many islands in the lake. Now they were on their way home. ”