,
well, I don't know what to do," and he came to a stop on the path.
"Couldn't we take him home just for tonight?" asked Nan, "and then in
the morning we could find out who owns him and return him."
"Oh, please do," begged Freddie and Flossie, impulsively.
"But how can we take him on a trolley car?" asked Mr. Bobbsey. "The
conductor would not let us."
"Maybe he would--if he was a kind man," suggested Freddie. "We could
tell him how it was, and how we lost our cat."
"And our silver cup," added Flossie.
"Well, certainly the dog doesn't seem to want to go home," said Mr.
Bobbsey, after he had tried two or three times more to drive the animal
back. But it would not go.
"Go on a little farther," suggested Mrs. Bobbsey. "By the time we get
to the trolley he may get tired, and go back. And if we want to lose
him I think we can, by getting on the car quickly."
"But we don't want to lose him!" cried Freddie.
"No, no!" said Flossie. "We want to keep him. He can run along behind
the trolley car. I'll ask the motorman to go slow, papa."
"My! This has been a mixedup day!" sighed Mr. Bobbsey. "I really
don't know what to do."
The dog seemed to think that he was one of the family, now. He came up
to Flossie and Freddie and let them pat him. His tail kept wagging all
the while.
"Well, we'll see what happens where we get to the trolley," decided Mr.
Bobbsey, thinking that there would be the best and only place to get
rid of the dog. "Come along, children."
Freddie and Flossie came on, the dog between them, and this seemed to
suit the fine animal. He had found friends, now, he evidently thought.
Mr. Bobbsey wondered why so valuable a dog would leave its home. And
he was very much puzzled as to what he should do if the children
insisted on keeping the animal, and if it came aboard the trolley car.
"There's the car!" exclaimed Bert, as they went around another turn in
the path and came to a road. Down it could be seen the headlight of an
approaching trolley, and also the twin lamps of an oncoming automobile.
"Look out for the auto, children!" cried Mrs. Bobbsey.
They stood at the side of the road, and as the auto came up the man in
it slowed down his machine. It was a big car and he was alone in it.
"Well, I declare!" exclaimed the autoist, as his engine stopped. "If
it isn't the Bobbsey family--twins and all! What are you doing here,
Mr. Bobbsey?"
"Why, it's Mr. Blake!" exclaimed M
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