CHAPTER XII
ON THE TRACK
Creaking and squeaking as it slowly started, the merry-go-round began togo faster and faster until it was whirling rapidly, the music of theorgan mingling with the shouts of the delighted children.
Seeing that Flossie and Freddie were all right, being strapped to theirwooden lions, and that Nan could look after herself, Mr. Bobbsey took aseat in one of the gilded cars that were provided for older persons whodid not like to sit astride a wooden animal. He watched Bob Guess makinghis way around the carrousel collecting the tickets. The boy seemedbright and very business like.
"He's a good lad," thought Mr. Bobbsey. "I wish a better man than Mr.Blipper had charge of him. I must look into this matter."
At one place on the outside of the merry-go-round was a post with anarm extending down from it. Into this arm, which was hollow, a boydropped iron rings, with, now and then, a brass one among them. Thosewhirling about on the carrousel could reach up and pull a ring from thearm, if they were quick and skillful enough.
"Get the brass ring and have a free ride!" sang out the boy dropping theblack, iron rings into the hollow arm. There were, a great many ironrings, but only a few brass ones. Of course, every one wanted to get thebrass ring, but this went by luck as much as by skill.
Flossie and Freddie were too small to reach over and try for any of therings. But Nan, like the older boys and girls and some of the grownfolks, had no trouble in catching rings.
"Get the brass ring, and have an extra ride!" cried the boy in charge.
"I wish I could!" thought Nan.
Once she almost got it. She saw the brass ring gleaming at the end ofthe arm. A boy two horses ahead of her made a grab for it and missed. Sodid the girl directly in front of Nan. When Nan reached for the ringshe did not put out her arm far enough, and she, too, missed it. A girlriding on a camel behind Nan got it.
"Oh, dear!" sighed Nan.
"Never mind," said a voice at her side, and she saw Bob Guess. "Here's abrass ring for you. Take it and have the next ride free!"
"Oh, will that be right?" asked Nan.
"Sure it will! I'm in charge of taking the tickets when Blipper is away.Some one grabbed this ring and dropped it. I picked it up. It's good fora ride. Take it. I don't know who dropped it or I'd give it to 'em. Youtake it!"
And Nan did. It was not to be dreamed of that Flossie and Freddie wouldbe content with one ride. They had to stay on for the second. Mr.Bobbsey got off to buy more tickets.
"I don't need a ticket!" Nan called to him. "I have the brass ring,Daddy!"
"Oh, you were very lucky!"
"Bob gave it to me," she explained, telling how it came about.
"Well, I suppose it is all right to take it," her father said. "Bobknows what he is doing."
"But I want to get a brass ring my own self," Nan said. And she did,though not on the next trip. Her father had to buy her a ticket forthat.
Then came the final ride, for though Flossie and Freddie would haveremained and ridden all day, their father knew this was not good forthem. And it was on the last ride that Nan got her brass ring.
"Oh, now I can ride again!" she gayly cried.
"Not now," her father told her. "If you ride, Flossie and Freddie willwant to, and I'm afraid they'll be ill."
"But what shall I do with the ring?" asked Nan, slipping down off thewooden horse and holding up the brass ring.
"It'll be good to-morrow," said Bob Guess. "You can keep it, or I'llsave it here for you."
"I guess you'd better keep it, Bob," said Nan, with a laugh. "I mightlose it."
"I'll save it for you," promised Bob. "I'll look for you to-morrow. Getyour tickets--your tickets for the merry-go-round!" he cried, as a newcrowd surged up to get on.
"May we have some pop corn?" asked Freddie, when told there were to beno more rides that day.
"And ice-cream?" added Flossie.
"Dear me!" laughed Mr. Bobbsey, "I don't know which will be worse foryou. Let's look about a bit."
"I'm thirsty!" announced Flossie.
"Well, we'll have some lemonade--that will be good for all of us, Ithink," suggested Mr. Bobbsey. Bert and Harry, coming back just thenfrom having been to look at the balloon, were taken to the lemonadestand with the others.
If I were to tell you all the things the Bobbsey twins saw at the CountyFair and all they did, it would take a larger book than this to hold itall. So I can only tell you a few of the many things that happened.
After drinking the lemonade the children hardly knew at what to looknext, there were so many things to see. Presently Mr. Bobbsey said:
"You have been among a lot of wooden animals on the merry-go-round,suppose we go see some real, live animals?"
"Oh, yes!" cried Nan.
"Let's go to see the race horses," suggested Bert.
"And I want to see cows and pigs!" announced Freddie.
"And sheeps! I want to see sheeps!" exclaimed Flossie.
"They're on the way to the racing horse stables," explained Harry. "Allthe live stock is together."
There was a race track at the fair grounds and some races had been runoff before the Bobbseys arrived. More were to take place soon.
Mr. Bobbsey and the other children were so interested in looking at theprize cattle, at great hogs, some weighing nearly a thousand pounds, andat bulls weighing more than this, that they did not notice the absenceof Freddie Bobbsey. That little chap, however, had slipped away and,before he knew it, he was in the stable with the race horses.
As many of the stablemen were outside with their animals, some bringingtheir steeds back from the track and others taking racers over to have apart in the next contest, there were not many persons in the stable whenFreddie wandered there.
"Oh, what a nice lot of horses!" he exclaimed, and indeed the racerswere among the best of their kind. "I like horses!" went on Freddie.
One beautiful animal leaned out of its stall and rubbed a velvet nose onFreddie's shoulder.
"You like me, don't you, horsie?" asked the little chap. The horsewhinnied, which might mean anything, but Freddie took it for "yes."
"I guess maybe you'd like to have me get on your back," he said. "I goton one of Uncle Dan's horses once. I know how to ride."
The horse was in a large box stall, and the door was not hard to open.In walked Freddie, and, by standing up on a keg which was in the stall,he managed to scramble up on the back of the horse. To keep from slidingoff, though, Freddie had to clasp his arms around the neck of theanimal.
Whether the horse took this for a signal to move along, or whether itjust "happened," I don't know. But the horse walked out of the stall,across the grass of the paddock, and, as the big gate happened to beopen, he walked right out on the race track with Freddie clinging to hisneck.