CHAPTER XIX
THE GOAT
Everything would have been all right if Flossie had not sneezed. At leastthat's what Freddie said afterward, and Freddie ought to have known, forhe was right there. Laddie Dickerson did not say it was Flossie's fault,but then it is only brothers who say such things to their sisters. AndFreddie did not really intend to make Flossie feel bad.
"But we might have had a bigger ride if you hadn't sneezed," said Freddie,after it was all over.
"Well, I couldn't help it," was what Flossie said. "And I guess you'd havesneezed, too, if that fuzzy blanket kept tickling your nose; so there!"
It was in the police patrol automobile that Flossie sneezed. With Freddieand Laddie, she was having a ride, you remember, the three childrenhaving hidden themselves under the seats, wrapped up in blankets, when themachine stood in front of the hotel while the policemen were at the fire.
For a time the two small Bobbsey twins and Laddie rode along in silence,the policemen not knowing the children were at their very feet. And afterthey had ridden about ten blocks, Flossie sneezed.
"A-ker-choo!" she cried, when a piece of the fuzzy blanket tickled hernose. "A-ker-choo!"
"Hello! What's that?" asked one of the policemen in the automobile.
"Sounded like a sneeze," said another.
"Sure it was a sneeze," came from a third.
"Maybe it was Mike, the chauffeur," suggested the first officer.
"It didn't sound like him," ventured a policeman, close to where thedriver sat behind his wooden back-rest. "I say, Mike!" called thepoliceman, "did you sneeze?"
"Nope! Haven't time for sneezes now," answered the chauffeur.
"Then it was back here in this automobile," went on the first policeman,who was quite fat.
"Maybe it was a cat," suggested some one.
"Or a dog," added another.
Just then Freddie laughed--snickered would be more like what he did, Isuppose--and once more Flossie sneezed. And Laddie snickered, too. Theyreally could not help it any more than Flossie could help sneezing. Forthe two boys thought it very funny to listen to what the policemen weresaying about Flossie's sneezes. And when the little girl's nose wastickled the second time by the fuzzy blanket, and she sneezed again, andthe boys laughed or snickered--the policemen knew where the noises camefrom.
"It's in here--right in our automobile!" said the fat policeman again.
"And it sounded right at my feet," added another.
Then all the policemen in the automobile leaned over and looked down. EvenFlossie was laughing now, for it all seemed so funny, and she waswondering what her father and mother would say.
The laughter of the children made the blankets, under which they werehiding, shake as though the wind was blowing them, and seeing this one ofthe officers pulled loose one corner of the robe and there he saw Flossie,Freddie and Laddie.
"Well, I do declare!" cried a policeman with a red mustache. "It'schildren!"
"Three of 'em!" cried another.
The the two Bobbsey twins crawled from under the seat, and Laddie camewith them, to stand up in the swaying automobile between the two rows ofpolicemen.
"Where in the world did you come from?" asked one officer.
"Under there," answered Freddie, and he pointed to the place where theblankets were still rolled up.
"And how did you get there?"
"We crawled in to get a ride," said Flossie, "and I couldn't helpsneezing. That fuzzy blanket tickled my nose so!"
The policemen laughed at this.
"But who are you and where do you belong?" asked one of the officers who,having some stripes on his sleeve and some gold lace on his cap, seemed tobe the leader.
"We're part of the Bobbsey twins," said Freddie. "The other half ofus--that's Nan and Bert--have gone to see a stuffed whale."
"No, the whale isn't stuffed--it's the sea lion, or wallyrus--I forgetwhich," put in Flossie. "The whale's only made out of plaster and wood."
"Well, anyhow, Nan and Bert are there," said Freddie.
"And you're here," said the red-mustached policeman, "That's easy to see,though what he means about being half of the Bobbsey twins is more than Ican guess. How many is twins, anyhow?"
"Two," some one said.
"We're four--that is, two sets," explained Flossie painstakingly. "Bertand Nan are older than us."
"Oh, I see," said the policeman whom the other officers called Captain, or"Cap." for short. "Well, where did you come from and where are you going?"
"We live at the Parkview Hotel," said Freddie, "and we got in here to havea ride. We didn't think you'd find us so soon."
"It _is_ too bad," said the captain, with a laugh. "And I'm afraid I can'tgive you a ride any farther than to the station house. I suppose you knowwho you are and where you live," he went on, with a smile; "but, as wehave to do things by rule in the police department, I'll have to makesure. So I'll take you to my office and telephone to the hotel. If I findyou belong there I'll take you back."
"Then we'll have another ride!" said Flossie. "That will be nice, won'tit, Freddie?"
"Um, I guess so. Only I'd like to sit out in front with the driver as longas you sneezed and told 'em we were here."
"I didn't sneeze any more than you giggled!" cried Flossie. "And, anyhow,I couldn't help it. That fuzzy blanket----"
"Of course, that was it!" laughed the captain. "Never mind. No harm hasbeen done, and you shall have a ride back home. Though I think, for thesake of your folks, I'll send you back in a taxicab, instead of in thispatrol auto, and with an officer in plain clothes, instead of one wearinga uniform. It will look better at the hotel," he explained to his men.
"Sure," was their answer.
And so the two little Bobbsey twins and Laddie were given a ride to theprecinct station house in the big automobile patrol, and they sat on thelaps of the kindly policemen.
Quite a crowd of children gathered around the doors of the police stationas Flossie, Freddie and Laddie were lifted out of the automobile, andthere were all sorts of stories told about them. Some believed thechildren had been rescued from the fire; others that they had been takenfrom a robbers' cave, and still others that these were the children, who,playing with matches, had caused the fire.
But all these guesses were wrong, as we know, Flossie, Freddie and Laddiehad just gone for a ride, and they had one, though it did not turn outexactly as they expected. However, they had a good time.
It did not take the police captain long to find out that what Freddie hadsaid was true--that the three youngsters lived at the Parkview Hotel.
"Your aunt has been looking all over for you," said the captain to Laddie,after telephoning. "I sent word that I'd soon have you safely back, andyou mustn't run away again."
"I asked him to," said Freddie, telling the truth like a little man. "Iasked him and Flossie to come."
"Well, next time you'd better ask before you crawl into a policeautomobile," said the captain, with a laugh. "You can't always tell whereit is going. However, no harm is done this time. Come and see me again,"he added.
Then the captain called a taxicab and sent the children to the hotel incharge of one of his policemen, who did not wear a uniform. This was doneso no crowd would gather in front of the hotel to stare at Freddie,Flossie and Laddie, as would have happened if a policeman in uniform, withhis bright brass buttons, had gone with them.
"Oh, Laddie! how could you do it and worry me so?" cried Mrs. Whipple,when her little nephew had come back to the hotel with the Bobbsey twins.
"I asked him," said Freddie, willing to take all the blame. "We wanted aride and we just crawled in and hid. I'm awful sorry."
"And I'm sorry I sneezed," said Flossie. "If I hadn't maybe we'd have hada longer ride."
"No, we wouldn't," declared Freddie, shaking his head. "We got to thestation house, anyhow, and that's where the automobile lives when it isn'tworkin'. Anyhow, we had fun!"
"Yes, we did," said Laddie; "and I liked it.
"
"But you mustn't go away again without telling me," said his aunt.
"I won't," he promised.
"Next time we'll take you with us," said Flossie. "You'll like it, only Ihope a fuzzy blanket doesn't make you sneeze."
So the Bobbsey twins, with their little friend, had a ride away and a rideback again, and when Mrs. Bobbsey came home that afternoon from theNatural History Museum with Bert and Nan, and heard what had happened, shewas so surprised she did not know what to say.
Of course she made Flossie and Freddie promise never to do it again, andof course they said they never would.
"I never saw such little tykes as Flossie and Freddie have gotten to belately," said Mrs. Bobbsey to Nan that night.
"This being in a big city seems just to suit them, though," returned Nan.
"Yes. But I wish your father would come back. I feel rather lost withouthim in this big hotel."
"I'm here," said Bert, with a smile.
"Yes, you'll have to be my little man, now. And do, please, keep watch ofFlossie and Freddie while your father is away. There's no telling whatthey'll do next."
And really there was not. For instance, who would have supposed that agoat--
But there, I'd better start at the beginning of this part of my story.
It was a few days after the ride in the automobile patrol that Mrs.Bobbsey received word that a friend whom she had known when they were bothsmall children was living in New York. This lady asked Mrs. Bobbsey tocall and see her.
* * * * *
"We do not live in a nice part of New York," wrote the lady--who was aMrs. Robinson--in her letter, "for we can't pay much rent. But ourapartment house is not hard to reach from your hotel, and I would verymuch like to see you. Come and bring the children. They can watch theother children playing in the streets. I know the streets are not a verynice place to play in, but that's all we have in New York."
* * * * *
So Mrs. Bobbsey decided to call on her old friend, whom she had not seenfor many years. She said she would take Flossie and Freddie with her. Nanand Bert were going to a moving picture show with another boy and girl andthe latter's mother.
Mrs. Robinson lived on the east side of New York, in what is called anapartment house. Some called them tenements, and in them many families arecrowded together, for room is very valuable in the big city of New York.
After Mrs. Bobbsey had talked for a while with her former girlhood friend,Flossie and Freddie, who had been sitting still in the parlor, asked ifthey could not go out in the street and watch the other children at play.
"Yes, but don't go off the steps," said their mother.
The two Bobbsey twins promised, but something happened that made themforget. This was the sight of a red-haired, snub-nosed boy, driving agoat, hitched to a small wagon, up and down the street.
"Oh, look at that!" cried the excited Freddie. "Isn't that great!"
"It's cute," said Flossie. "I wonder if he'd give us a ride?"
"Let's ask him," said Freddie. "I've got ten cents. Maybe he'd ride us forthat. Come on!"
And so, forgetting all about their promise not to go off the steps of theapartment house where their mother's friend lived, the two small Bobbseytwins hurried down to look at the goat.