CHAPTER VII
ON THE EXPRESS TRAIN
Mr. Bobbsey wished to ask one of the railroad men in the big station somequestions about the trunks, and he also had to send a telegram, so, whilehe was doing these things, he told his wife and children to sit down andwait for him. Mrs. Bobbsey led Nan and Bert and Flossie and Freddie to oneof the many long benches in the large depot, but the two smaller twinswere so excited at being in such an immense place that they had not beenseated more than a few seconds before they jumped up to gaze all aboutthem. Bert and Nan, too, though older than their brother and sister, weremuch astonished at what they saw.
"Why--why!" gasped Freddie, "it's bigger than our armory at home!" for inLakeport there was a big hall where the soldiers drilled.
"It's three times as big," said Flossie.
"Four!" declared Freddie. "Come on!" he called to his sister, "let's seehow long it takes to walk around it."
"Don't go too far away," said Mrs. Bobbsey, who, for the moment, did notrealize how really large the station was. "Don't get lost!" she went on.
"No'm, we won't!" promised Flossie and Freddie.
They started off to walk around the large depot, which, as you who haveseen it know, takes up a whole New York City block, or "square," as youwill say if you live near Philadelphia.
Mr. Bobbsey's business took him a little longer than he expected, but asBert and Nan begged to be allowed to buy a little candy at the newspaperstand near them, and as Mrs. Bobbsey wanted a magazine, the getting ofthese things took a little time, so the three did not notice how long Mr.Bobbsey was away from them.
When he came back, having sent his message and found out what he wanted toknow, the twins' father asked:
"Where are Flossie and Freddie?"
"They're walking around, just seeing how big the station is," said Nan.
"Trying to find out how much larger it is than our armory at home," addedBert with a laugh.
"Well, I hope they don't get lost," said Mr. Bobbsey, "This place is agood deal larger than our armory. I'd better go to look for them," he wenton as a glance around, near the news stand, did not show the two littleones anywhere in sight.
"I'll come with you," offered Bert.
"No, you'd better stay here with your mother," said his father. "I don'twant you getting lost, too." And he smiled at his son. "Stay right here.I'll not be long."
But if Mr. Bobbsey thought he was going to find Flossie and Freddie soonhe was disappointed. He wandered about under the big glass roof, which atfirst the two younger twins had taken for the sky; but he did not seeFlossie or Freddie.
"Has yo'all done lost suffin, boss?" inquired one of the colored porters.
"I'm looking for my two little children," explained Mr. Bobbsey. "Theywandered away from their mother."
"Oh, don't yo'all worry 'bout _dat_, boss! Chilluns gits lost heah eberyday, an' we all easy find 'em ag'in."
"Oh, I'm not worried," answered Mr. Bobbsey, with a smile. "But it is timefor us to go, and I want them. Did you see them--two little ones--about sohigh," and he held his hand a short distance above the stone floor. "Theyhave light hair and blue eyes."
The porter thought for a moment. Then he said:
"Well, to tell yo' de truff, boss, we has about seben hundred blue-eyedan' light-haired chilluns in heah ebery day, and we has de same number obdark ones, so it's mighty hard t' 'member 'em all."
"Yes, I suppose so. Well, I'll walk about I dare say I shall find them."
"I'll tell some ob de udder men," offered the porter. "We often has t'pick up lost little ones an' take 'em to de waitin' room. Ef yo' doan'tfind yo' tots yo'se'f, stop in dere."
"I will," said Mr. Bobbsey, and he was about to walk on when the portercalled to him:
"Heah comes a light-haired, blue-eyed gal now, an' she's runnin' likeshe's in a hurry. Maybe she's yo'rs."
Mr. Bobbsey looked up in time to see Flossie running toward him from thefront part of the station. She seemed much excited, and when she nearedher father she called:
"Oh, Daddy! guess what happened!"
"I'm afraid I haven't time," said Mr. Bobbsey quickly, "We must hurryaway. Where is Freddie?"
"That's what I mean! Guess what happened to him," went on Flossie, who wasrather out of breath.
"I can't," said Mr. Bobbsey. "Tell me quickly, Flossie. Is he hurt?"
"Oh, no; he's all right. But he's gone off down the street, and he wentinto a store where there was a lot of bugs in the window, and he says he'sgoing to buy some. I want some bugs, too!"
"What in the world is she talking about?" asked Mrs. Bobbsey, who fromwhere she sat had seen her husband and little girl and had hurried on tojoin them.
"She says Freddie went down the street," explained Mr. Bobbsey, "and thathe----"
"Yep! He went in a store with a lot of bugs in the window!" said Flossieagain. "They're great big bugs and they walk around and around andaround!" and she shook her flaxen head as hard as she could, as she oftendid when excited.
"What in the world do you mean?" asked Nan, who, with Bert, now joinedtheir father.
"Freddie must have gone outside the depot to go down a street," said Bert."Maybe she means he went into an animal store, where they sell monkeys andparrots."
"No, they weren't any monkeys--nor parrots, either," said Flossie. "Butsome of the big bugs were green like a parrot. And we didn't go outdoors,either."
"Then show us where you did go," ordered Mr. Bobbsey quickly. "I think wecan find Freddie that way. Did you go into the store with him?" he askedhis little girl.
"Nope. I ran back to get the money to buy the bugs that crawl around andaround and around, and go in a little door all by theirselves!" saidFlossie, who was not breathing so fast now.
"What is it all about?" asked Mrs. Bobbsey. "We seem to have found a queerpart of New York as soon as we arrive."
"It's over this way," and Flossie, taking her father's hand, pulled him inthe direction from which she had come. Up a flight of broad stone stepsshe led him, the others following, until, as they approached the mainentrance of the station, Flossie pointed and said:
"There's the street with all the stores on it. Freddie went down there,and we stopped in front of a window where the bugs are, that go around andaround and----"
"Yes, dear, we know all about how they go around," said her mother, with asmile. "But show us where Freddie is."
"Just down the street," said Flossie. "Come on."
"Oh, I see what she means!" exclaimed Mr. Bobbsey. "It's the arcade. Thisis part of the depot--the vestibule, so to speak," he went on. "It's theentrance, and it is so big that there is room for stores on either side.It does look like a street."
And so it did, except that there were no automobiles or wagons in it--justpeople hurrying along. On either side of the arcade were stores, wherefruit, candy, toys, flowers and other things were sold. You can imaginethat a station which has room in it for many trains, automobiles andthousands of people easily has room for stores also.
"Come on--right down this way!" called Flossie, hurrying ahead of theothers, "I'll show you where the bugs are."
"The bugs that go around and around and around," laughed Bert, in a lowtone to Nan.
"Oh, I do hope Freddie hasn't gotten into any trouble," sighed Nan, who,though she was only ten years old, felt much more grown up than eitherFlossie or Freddie.
"Here are the bugs!" cried Flossie, a little later, and she stopped infront of a station toy store, in the window of which a young man wasshowing how big tin bugs would move along on a spring roller that wasfastened beneath them. There were green, red, yellow and spotted bugs,and they did indeed go "around and around and around," as Flossie hadsaid, and some of them steered themselves, when started by the young man,into the door of a little pasteboard house, where all the toy tin bugsseemed to live.
"There's Freddie now, buying a bug!" cried Flossie, as she saw through thestore door her brother talking to a clerk. And the clerk was showingFreddie how t
he bug "walked" on the wooden roller which answered for legs.
"I want a bug, too!" Flossie cried, and into the store dashed the littlegirl. "I've brought back Papa and Mamma and Bert and Nan," Flossieexplained to her brother. "They all want to see the bugs."
"Well!" exclaimed the man in the store. "This is going to be a busy dayfor me, I guess," and he smiled at the Bobbsey family.
"Can I have three of these bugs, Daddy?" asked Freddie, just as if he hadcaused no trouble at all by going off as he had done.
"I want three, too," echoed Flossie.
"Oh, what funny looking things!" cried Mrs. Bobbsey, as the clerk sentthe bugs crawling "around and around."
"They are very amusing," said the salesman, "and just the thing forchildren. They can play many games with them and keep out of mischief."
"They'll have to be pretty good to keep _these_ youngsters out ofmischief," said Mr. Bobbsey, with a smile. "Yes, Freddie, you may havesome bugs, and Flossie also. How about you, Nan and Bert?"
"I'd rather have that small aeroplane," said Bert, pointing to one thatcould be wound up with a rubber band and would fly for some distance.
"And I'd like that work basket," said Nan.
"Well, we'll get you all something, and then we must start for our hotel,"said Mr. Bobbsey. "Come, Freddie, pick out the bugs you want, and don'trun away again. You might get lost, even if you are only in the railroadstation."
"I couldn't get lost--Flossie knew where I was," said Freddie. "I sent herback to bring you, so you could pay for my bugs."
Then the two younger Bobbseys looked over about all the toy tin bugs inthe station store, and finally picked out those they wanted, though ittook some little time. Bert's and Nan's gifts were wrapped up long beforeFreddie could make up his mind whether to take a blue bug, striped withgreen, or a purple one, spotted with yellow, finally making up his mindthat the last was best.
Then, after all the baggage had been collected, the family was ready tostart for the hotel where they were to stay while in New York. Mr. Bobbseywanted to get a taxicab, but Flossie and Freddie had heard of the elevatedtrains, which ran "in the air," and they wanted to go in one of them,saying it would be such fun. So, as it was almost as near one way as itwas the other, Mr. Bobbsey consented, and they set off for the elevatedrailroad.
"Oh, there goes a train!" cried Flossie, as they came in sight of thestation, which was high above the street, set on iron pillars, some ofwhich also held up the elevated track. "Just think, Freddie, we're goingto ride on a high train!" Flossie was quite excited.
"I hope it doesn't fall," said Nan.
"They're made strong on purpose, so they won't fall," said Bert.
Flossie and Freddie ran on ahead up the elevated stairs, and just as theirfather was buying the tickets, to drop in the little box where the"chopper" stood, working up and down a long handle, a train rumbled intothe station.
The iron gates of the car platforms were pulled back, several personshurried off and others hurried on. Flossie and Freddie, thinking this wasthe train their parents, Bert and Nan, were going to take, and, beinganxious to get seats near the window where they could look out, rushedpast the ticket chopper, darted through the open gates and into one of thecars.