CHAPTER XVIII
A QUEER RIDE
Nan and Bert, who were in the room with their mother and father when theletter was read, looked quickly at Mr. Bobbsey. Flossie and Freddie hadgone to the next apartment to play with Laddie.
"Does that mean we've got to go back?" asked Bert.
"We haven't seen half enough of New York," added Nan.
"Oh, no, you won't have to come back with me," said Mr. Bobbsey. "You'llstay here at the hotel, and I'll return in a few days."
"What's it all about?" asked Mrs. Bobbsey.
"Uncle Jack," answered her husband.
"You mean the woodchopper who was so kind to Flossie and Freddie?"
"Yes, and because he was so kind I can't refuse to do what he wants meto."
"What is it he wants you to do?" asked Mrs. Bobbsey. "Did he write toyou?"
"No, he got some one to do it for him, and my bookkeeper sent the letteron to me."
"But I thought Uncle Jack was going to the hospital," Bert said.
"So he is, Son. In fact, he is in the hospital now, but he is so ill thatthey fear he will not get better, even if the doctors do all they can forhim. He is afraid he might die and he wants to see me before then. He sayshe has something he wants to tell me."
"What do you suppose it can be?" asked Mrs. Bobbsey.
"I haven't the least idea. Perhaps it's about his folks. He may have foundsome of them, or know where they are. If he has any relations they oughtto know about him, and not leave him among strangers. Of course I'll doall I can for him. Mr. Whipple has given me some money to spend on UncleJack, so I think the poor old woodchopper will be all right, if he canonly get well."
"Then you're going to see him?" asked Mrs. Bobbsey.
"Yes, I think I had better," answered Mr. Bobbsey. "He did me a greatfavor, caring for Flossie and Freddie, and I must do what I can for him.He says it will make his mind easier if he can talk to me before thedoctors try to make him well in the hospital."
"Then we can't go to the Natural History Museum to-day!" exclaimed Nan.
"Oh, yes; your mother can take you."
"I fear I can't tell you, as well as Daddy can, about the differentthings," said Mrs. Bobbsey, smiling; "but I'll do the best I can."
"Oh, Momsey! Of course we love to have you!" cried Nan, kissing hermother.
"I know, but you want Daddy, too! I don't blame you. But we must give himup for a little while, if it is to help Uncle Jack."
"Oh, of course we will!" cried Nan, and Bert nodded his head to show thathe agreed.
"I'll just about have time to catch a train for Lakeport," said Mr.Bobbsey, looking at his watch. "Where are Flossie and Freddie? I want tosay good-bye to them."
"They are playing with Laddie," said Mrs. Bobbsey. "I'll get them."
The two younger Bobbsey twins felt sorry that their father had to go away,but they were told he would soon be back again. But as Flossie and Freddiewere having such fun playing with Laddie, they did not really think muchabout Mr. Bobbsey going away, except for five minutes or so.
"Give our love to Uncle Jack," said Freddie, as he kissed his father, andstarted back for the Whipple rooms, where he and Laddie were building abridge of books for the toy train of cars to cross a river, which was madeof a piece of broken looking glass.
"And here's an extra kiss I'll give you for him," said Flossie, as shehugged her father in bidding him good-bye. "I love Uncle Jack."
So Mr. Bobbsey went back to Lakeport, and Mrs. Bobbsey got ready to takeNan and Bert to the Natural History Museum. At first it had been plannedto take Flossie and Freddie, but, as they said they did not care muchabout stuffed animals, and as they were having such fun with Laddie, Mrs.Whipple told Mrs. Bobbsey she would look after the smaller twins and givethem their lunch.
"Then I'll leave them with you," said the mother of Flossie and Freddie."I hope they will be no trouble."
"I'm sure they'll be all right," said Laddie's aunt. "Don't worry aboutthem."
So Flossie, Freddie and Laddie built the bridge of books, and on it safelyran the toy locomotive and cars over the river of shiny looking glass.
When they grew tired of this game they played automobile. To do thatLaddie had to turn an old rocker upside down and stick on one leg a brokendrum he had left from his Christmas toys. The drum was the steering wheel,and it made enough noise, when pounded on with a stick, to pretend it wasan automobile horn.
Flossie and Freddie rode in the back part of the overturned chair, andLaddie sat in front of them and made believe he was a chauffeur of ataxicab, running about the streets of New York.
As Laddie knew the names of many places where the real taxicabs stop, hecould call them out from time to time. So that Flossie and Freddie wentto the Grand Central Terminal, to Central Park, to the Public Library andmany other places (make-believe, of course) in the queer pretendautomobile.
"Oh, I'm going to stop off at the Public Liberry!" called out Flossie,while the play was going on.
"What you going to stop off at the Public Liberry for?" asked Freddie.
"I'm going to get a great big picture book," returned the little girl.
"'Bout Cinderella?" questioned her brother.
"No. I'm going to get a picture book with all kinds of stories in it."
"We can't stop now!" yelled out Laddie. "We're three blocks past theliberry already."
"Well, then I won't bother," answered Flossie.
After that they played steamboat, a tin horn being the whistle, which wastooted every time the boat stopped or started. This game was great fun,and the children played it for some time until down in the street Laddieheard the tooting of fire engines and the clanging of bells.
"Oh, there's another fire!" he cried. "Let's go down to see it."
"No, indeed!" cried Mrs. Whipple, with a laugh, coming into the room justthen. "No more fires for you boys. You can look out the window, but that'sall."
And so they had to be content with that. The fire did not seem to be alarge one, though it was somewhere near the hotel.
Down in the street were a number of engines and hose carts, and also twopolice automobile wagons, which had brought the officers who were to keepthe crowd from coming so close as to get in the way of the fireman.
But there is not much amusement in looking out of a window at a fire whichcannot be seen, and Flossie, Freddie and Laddie soon tired of this fun--iffun it was. Mrs. Whipple had left the room, to see a lady who called, whenFreddie, taking a last look from the window to the street below, said:
"I know how we could have some fun!"
"How?" asked Laddie.
"Get in one of the police wagons and have a ride," went on the smallBobbsey boy.
"Oh, let's do it!" cried Flossie, always ready for anything that Freddieproposed. "How you going to do it?" she asked her brother.
"Why, we can go down in the elevator," Freddie said. "There's nobody inthe police wagon now, for all the policemans are at the fire, but we can'tsee them or it. And the driver on the front seat of the wagon won't see usif we crawl in the back."
"Oh, so he won't!" cried Flossie. "'Member how we crawled in the emptyice-wagon once?" she asked Freddie.
"Yep. I tore my pants that day. But we had a nice ride. We'll have a niceride now," he went on. "We can get in when they don't see us."
"But when the policemans comes back from the fire they'll see us and maybearrest us," said Laddie in a whisper.
"They won't if we hide under the seats," returned Freddie. "See, there arelong side seats in the police automobile wagon, and we can lie down under'em and make believe we're in a boat."
"Oh, if it's a make-believe game, I'll do it," said Laddie. "I guess myaunt won't care, as long as it isn't goin' to a fire."
"Then come on," answered Freddie.
One of the police patrol wagons, or, to be more correct, automobiles,stood near the curb not far from the front entrance to the hotel. It hadbrought several policemen to the scene of the fire, and was wai
ting totake them back.
As Freddie had said, the chauffeur on the front seat could not see whatwent on in the back of the wagon, for there was a high board against whichhe leaned. And there were two long seats, one on each side of the autopatrol, under which three children could easily hide if the police werenot too particular in looking inside their wagon as they rode back to thestation house.
The three children hurried out into the hall and got in the elevator,which Laddie called to the floor by pressing the electric signal button.
"Am yo' all gwine far?" asked George, the colored elevator boy, as he shotup to the tenth floor and opened the door.
"I guess not very far," answered Freddie. None of them knew how long a ridethey would get.
Out the front entrance of the hotel went the three tots. Because of thefire no one paid much attention to them, and the hotel help were used toseeing the children come and go, and perhaps thought Mr. and Mrs. Bobbsey,or Mrs. Whipple, were not far away.
So Flossie, Freddie and Laddie had no trouble in getting out, and thenthey walked quietly down to the automobile patrol. No one was near it, forautomobiles--even police ones--are too common to look at in New York,especially when there is a fire around the corner, even if the blaze is asmall one.
So, as it was, no one noticed the children climb into the patrol, and thedriver, half dozing, did not hear them.
As Freddie had said, there was plenty of room for such small tots as thesethree to crawl under the long seats. And when they were stowing themselvesaway, Freddie found some blankets, which covered himself, his sister andLaddie.
"Now they can't see us!" said Freddie. "But we must keep still!"
"Hush!" cautioned Flossie. "Somebody's coming!"
And somebody was coming. It was the policemen coming back to take theirplaces in the patrol, for the fire was out. Laughing and talking, theytook their places on the long seat, never noticing the children hiddenbelow.
And, a few seconds later, away started the automobile, taking the twoBobbsey twins and Laddie on a queer ride.