CHAPTER III
MR. BOBBSEY REMEMBERS
The Bobbsey twins at first did not know what to think of the queer manwho had fallen down in the snow just as he reached the top of thehill, at the bottom of which was the train wreck. But when Bertnoticed the bleeding cut on the head he guessed what had happened.
"I guess he was one of the passengers, and got hurt," said the boy toNan.
"I guess so, too." she said.
Flossie and Freddie, not having Sam's hand to take hold of now, wereholding each other's and watching the colored man help the stranger.
"Hold on now! Jest take it easy!" advised Sam, in, a soothing voice."Yo's gwine to feel better soon. Is you much hurted?"
The man seemed more dazed than ever. He put his hand to his head,letting go of the banana he had been holding, and when he saw that hisfingers were red, because they had touched the bloody cut, heexclaimed:
"Oh, now I remember what happened! I was in the train wreck!"
"That's right! I guess you was," said Sam, "You come up de hill fromdown by de railroad tracks, an' you done slipped back down ag'inalmost! I jest caught you in time!"
"Thank you," said the man. "I really didn't know what I was doing. AllI wanted to do was to get away from the wreck, and I took the firstpath I saw. I must have got out of breath, for when I reached the topof the hill I couldn't go any more, and I just slipped down."
"I saw you!" exclaimed Sam. "Maybe dat whack you got on top ob yo'haid makes you feel funny."
"I rather think it does," said the man. "But I'm feeling better now.When the crash came I jumped out of my seat--as soon as I could get upafter being knocked down--and rushed out of the car. I must have beenwandering around for some time. Then I saw this path leading up thehill and I took it."
"Why didn't you put your hat on?" asked Bert, who, with the otherBobbsey twins, had been looking closely at the stranger.
"My hat? That's so, I did forget to put it on," he said, and, for thefirst time, he seemed to remember that he was carrying his hat in hishand.
"You might catch cold," remarked Nan.
"That's right, little girl--so I might," he said, and he smiled ather. He had a kind smile, had the man, though his face looked wearyand sad.
"Did you get much hurt in the wreck?" asked Bert.
"No, I think not," was the answer, and again he put his hand to hishead. "It's only a cut, I'm thankful to say. I'll be all right in alittle while. I'll hold a little snow to it. That will wash the bloodoff, as well as water would."
With Sam's help, he now managed to stand up. The colored man took up ahandful of snow and gave it to the stranger, who held it to the cut onhis head. The cold snow seemed to make him feel better, and when hehad wiped away the blood he put on his hat, shook the snow from hisovercoat, and looked at the banana which he had dropped in a drift.
"Well, I do declare!" cried the stranger.
"What's de mattah?" asked Sam.
"Why, all the while I thought that banana was my satchel," was theanswer. "I was eating it when the crash came--eating the banana Imean, not my satchel," and he smiled at Bert and Nan, who smiled backat this little joke. Flossie and Freddie stood there looking on.
"I was sitting in my seat, eating this banana," went on the man,"when, all of a sudden, there was a terrible crash, and I was soshaken up, together with a lot of other passengers, that I fell out ofmy seat. That's how my head was cut, I suppose. I thought I wasgrabbing up my satchel, so I could run out and be safe, but I musthave kept hold of the banana instead.
"I know I got my hat down from the rack overhead, where I had put it,and then out I rushed. My! it was a terrible sight, though I heard itsaid that nobody was killed, and I'm glad of that. But it was aterrific crash, and it made me feel dizzy. I evidently didn't knowwhat I was doing."
"I should think so, sah!" exclaimed Sam with a smile. "When a bodytakes a banana for a satchel he's jest natchully out ob his mind Isay!"
"I didn't seem to come to myself until I got up here on top of thehill," went on the man "But I'm feeling better now. I'm not reallyhurt at all, except this cut on my head, and that's only a scratch.I'm going down and get my satchel. I can see the car I was in. Itisn't smashed at all. I'll go for my valise."
"I'll go with you," offered Sam. "You chilluns stay heah till I comeback," he went on. "Don't move away. I got to he'p dis gen'man findhis baggage."
"It will be a great help to me," said the man.
"I might get dizzy again and fall. It's rather steep going down thathill. Will the children be all right if you leave them?"
"Yes, we'll stay right here," promised Nan.
"And we'll look after Flossie and Freddie," added Bert
With this promise, Sam thought it would be all right to go down to thewreck and help the stranger look for the valise he had left near hisseat in the car. While the two men were gone, the colored servanthelping the other, the Bobbsey twins watched the railroad men startingto clear away the wreck. A big derrick had been brought up on anothertrain, and with this the engines and cars that had left the trackscould be lifted back on to them.
In a short time Sam came back with the man, and the colored helper atthe Bobbsey home was carrying a large valise.
"We found it all right," said the stranger. "It was right near myseat. I might have stayed there, but I was so excited I didn't knowwhat I was doing. What place is this, anyhow?"
"This is Lakeport," answered Bert. "The station's down the track alittle way. Your train hadn't got to it yet."
"No, the other train got in the way," said the man with a smile."Well, accidents will happen, I suppose. So this is Lakeport! Well,this is the very place I was coming to, but I didn't expect to reachit amid so much excitement."
"You were coming here?" repeated Nan.
"To Lakeport, yes. I want to find a Mr. Richard Bobbsey. Maybe youchildren can tell me where he lives."
The Bobbsey twins looked so surprised on hearing this that the mangazed at them in astonishment.
"Do you know Mr. Bobbsey?" he asked. "I hope he hasn't moved away fromhere. I want to see him most particularly. Do you know him?"
"Does dey _know_ him!" exclaimed Sam, his eyes opening wide."Does dey _know_ him? Well I should say dey _does!_"
"He's our father!" exclaimed Nan and Bert together.
"Mr. Bobbsey your father! Well, I do declare!" cried the strange man,and he smiled at the children. They were beginning to like him verymuch. "Just think of that now!" he went on. "My railroad train gets ina wreck right near Lakeport, where I want to get off, and first I knowI run into Mr. Bobbsey's children! Well, well! To think of that!"
"Here comes daddy now!" cried Flossie, pointing to a figure walkingover the snow toward them.
"Oh, Daddy, I saw the train wreck!" yelled Freddie. "And I saw thefiremans, I did, but they didn't have any engines, and I--I--I saw--"But Freddie was too much out of breath from running to meet his fatherto tell any more just then.
It was indeed Mr. Bobbsey who had come along just then. He had comehome earlier than usual from the lumberyard office, and his wife hadtold him that the children had gone down the street with Sam to lookat the railroad wreck.
"I'll go down and bring them back," said Mr. Bobbsey, "I heard aboutthe wreck. It isn't as bad as at first they thought it was. No one waskilled."
"I'm glad of that," replied his wife. "I told Sam to bring thechildren back if it was too bad."
So it had come about that Mr. Bobbsey reached the top of the cut, downin which the railroad wreck was, just as the strange man was askingthe Bobbsey children about their father.
"Well, little fireman and little fat fairy," asked Mr. Bobbsey ofFlossie and Freddie, "did you see all there was to see?"
"I saw the engines all smashed together," answered Flossie.
"And I saw a fireman help get a lady out of a car," added Freddie.
"Is this Mr. Bobbsey?" asked the voice of the man, as he steppedforward and stood near the children's father.
"Yes, that is my name," was the answer. "Did you wish to see me?"
"I came all the way to Lakeport for that," the stranger went on; "butI didn't mean to come in just this exciting way."
"Were you in the wreck?" asked Mr. Bobbsey.
"Oh, yes, he was in it, and he thought a banana was his satchel!"exclaimed Flossie, "Wasn't that funny, Daddy?"
Mr. Bobbsey did not quite know what to make of this.
"Your little girl is quite right," said the man. "I was so excited,from being in the wreck, where I got a cut on the head, that I rushedfrom the car carrying a banana instead of my valise.
"However, I'm all right now, and Sam here, as the children call him,was good enough to help me get back my satchel," went on the man. "Iwas just telling the children that I came here to find Mr. Bobbsey,when, to my great surprise, they let me know that he is their father,and along you came."
"Yes, these are my youngsters," said Mr. Bobbsey, smiling at Bert andNan and Flossie and Freddie. "Sam Johnson helps us look after them,and his wife, Dinah, cooks for us. But what did you want to see meabout?" and he looked at the man.
"Don't you remember me?" came the question.
Mr. Bobbsey looked more closely at the stranger. He did not recognizehim.
"Hickson is my name," said the man.
"Hiram Hickson. I used to know you when--"
"Oh, now I remember! Now I know you!" cried Mr. Bobbsey. "HiramHickson! Of course! I remember you well now! Well, well! This is asurprise! How did you come--"
But just then a loud shouting in the railroad cut below caused Mr.Bobbsey to stop speaking.
"Look out! Look out!" came the cry, and people began rushing away fromthe cars, some of which were almost overturned, while others werecompletely on their side. "Look out!" cried the warning voice again.