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diff --git a/75474-0.txt b/75474-0.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..7d8bdee --- /dev/null +++ b/75474-0.txt @@ -0,0 +1,5107 @@ + +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 75474 *** + + +[Illustration: THE FIREMAN RUSHED ABOUT LIKE ANYTHING] + + + + + Three Little Trippertrots + + HOW THEY RAN AWAY AND HOW + THEY GOT BACK AGAIN + + BY + HOWARD R. GARIS + + AUTHOR OF “THREE LITTLE TRIPPERTROTS ON THEIR TRAVELS,” + “THE BEDTIME STORIES,” “UNCLE WIGGILY’S + ADVENTURES,” ETC. + + _ILLUSTRATED_ + + NEW YORK + GRAHAM & MATLACK + PUBLISHERS + + + + +THE TRIPPERTROT STORIES + +BY HOWARD R. GARIS + +Quarto. Illustrated. Price, per volume, 60 cents, postpaid + + THREE LITTLE TRIPPERTROTS + + How They Ran Away and How They Got Back Again + + THREE LITTLE TRIPPERTROTS ON THEIR TRAVELS + + The Wonderful Things They Saw and the Wonderful Things They Did + + GRAHAM & MATLACK, Publishers, New York + + COPYRIGHT, 1912, BY + GRAHAM & MATLACK + + _Three Little Trippertrots_ + + + + +PUBLISHERS’ NOTE + + +The stories of the Three Little Trippertrots, though never before +published, have been told to thousands of children, in a way, probably, +that no tales have ever before been related. They were read _over the +telephone_, nightly, to thousands of little folks, by means of the +system operated by the N. J. Telephone Herald Company. The stories so +delighted the children that the author has yielded to the request to +issue them in book form. + + + + +CONTENTS + + + ADVENTURE PAGE + + I. THE TRIPPERTROTS ARE LOST 1 + + II. THE TRIPPERTROTS AND THE KIND POLICEMAN 7 + + III. THE TRIPPERTROTS AND THE HAND-ORGAN MAN 15 + + IV. THE TRIPPERTROTS AND THE FUNNY HORSES 21 + + V. THE TRIPPERTROTS AND THE OLD FISHERMAN 29 + + VI. THE TRIPPERTROTS AND THE FALSE-FACE MAN 35 + + VII. THE TRIPPERTROTS AND THE LITTLE OLD LADY 44 + + VIII. THE TRIPPERTROTS AND THE LITTLE OLD MAN 50 + + IX. THE TRIPPERTROTS AND THE FIREMAN 58 + + X. THE TRIPPERTROTS AND THE FUNNY BOY 64 + + XI. THE TRIPPERTROTS AND THE PIEMAN 73 + + XII. THE TRIPPERTROTS AND THE BANANA MAN 80 + + XIII. THE TRIPPERTROTS AND THE DANCING BEARS 86 + + XIV. THE TRIPPERTROTS AND THE PINK COW 92 + + XV. THE TRIPPERTROTS AND THE TRAIN OF CARS 102 + + XVI. THE TRIPPERTROTS AND THE TROLLEY CAR 106 + + XVII. THE TRIPPERTROTS AND THE LAME BIRD 113 + + XVIII. THE TRIPPERTROTS AND THE NICE BIG DOG 122 + + XIX. THE TRIPPERTROTS AND THE POOR LITTLE BOY 131 + + XX. THE TRIPPERTROTS AND THE LITTLE GIRL 138 + + + + +Three Little Trippertrots + + + + +ADVENTURE NUMBER ONE + +THE TRIPPERTROTS ARE LOST + + +Once upon a time, not so very many years ago, there were two little +boys, and a little girl, who lived with their papa and mamma in a +house in a big city. One of the boys was named Tommy, and the other +was called Johnny, and the little girl’s name was Mary. Mary was seven +years old, Tommy was six, and Johnny was the youngest of all, being +only five years old. Now the children had a last name, which was the +funny one of Trippertrot. They were called this because they were +always tripping or trotting off somewhere or other. + +One day, when Tommy and Johnny and Mary were at play in their house, +the telephone bell rang, and Suzette, the nursemaid, who had charge of +the children, ran to answer it. + +“Who do you s’pose it is calling up?” asked Tommy of Johnny. + +“I don’t know; maybe it’s the milkman,” answered Johnny. + +“Milkmen don’t have time to talk on a telephone,” said Mary. “But I +know what let’s do, Johnny and Tommy. Now that Suzette isn’t here, +let’s go out for a walk. She won’t see us.” + +“Oh, goody! Let’s do it!” cried Johnny and Tommy together, like twins, +you know, only they weren’t, of course. They jumped up very quickly, +and followed Mary out of the house. + +Now, of course, that wasn’t just the right thing to do--to go away when +Suzette wasn’t looking. But the Trippertrots didn’t always do what was +right, any more than do some children whom I know--but, of course, I +don’t mean any of you. Anyhow, the Trippertrots ran away, and I’m going +to tell you what happened to them. + +“Which way shall we go?” asked Tommy, when they stood outside on the +pavement. + +“Let’s go off and see if we can find a fairy,” suggested Mary. + +“No, don’t do that,” cried Johnny, “for we might meet a bad fairy, +and she might turn us into an automobile with a honk-honk horn, or an +elephant with a long nose, or something like that.” + +“Well, if we’re going to take a walk, we’d better hurry,” said Mary. +“Suzette will soon be back from the telephone, and she’ll miss us, and +come looking for us, and then we’ll have to go in and have our faces +and hands washed. Hurry up!” + +“I know what’s the best thing to do,” exclaimed Tommy. “We’ll go down +the street, where the toy store is, and get some things to play with.” + +“But we haven’t any money,” said Johnny. + +“That doesn’t make any difference,” Tommy replied. “I mean we can look +in the toy-store window and choose what things we’d like to have.” + +“Oh, yes, that is fun!” agreed Johnny. “I heard a boy do that one day, +and he choosed a whole train of cars and an engine.” + +“But did he get them?” asked Mary. + +“No; but it was fun just the same. Come on.” + +So down the street the Trippertrot children went, hand in hand, +hurrying as fast as they could, and looking back every now and then to +see if Suzette was following them. But she wasn’t. + +And oh! what wonderful things those children saw as they ran along! +An automobile nearly banged into a trolley car, and a dog just missed +being run over by a peanut wagon, and he barked almost as loudly as a +lion can roar when he’s hungry for popcorn balls in the circus. + +Then the Trippertrots saw a man selling red and green and yellow +balloons, and pink paper pin-wheels. And pretty soon they turned a +corner, and there was a lady wheeling two babies in the same carriage. +What do you think of that? They were twins, you know. + +“Oh, aren’t they cute babies!” exclaimed Mary. “Let’s stop and look at +them, boys.” + +“No, we haven’t time,” said Johnny. “We’ve got to hurry down to that +toy store, and choose things, or we won’t be back in time for tea, and +we’d be hungry if we missed that.” + +So they hurried on faster and faster, still holding hands. They went +past one store, in the windows of which were lots and lots of cakes, +with pink and brown and white frosting on, and Johnny wanted to stop +there and choose one, but Tommy hurried him on. + +Then they went around a corner where a Chinaman was ironing clothes +right in the window of his shop, and past another place where a man was +digging a big hole in the ground, and Mary nearly fell down in it, and +she was very much frightened, only her brothers pulled her away from it +just in time. + +Then, all of a sudden, a big automobile whizzed past, just as the +Trippertrots were crossing the street, and a kind man called to the +children: + +“Look out, little ones, or you’ll get run over!” Then they ran as fast +as they could run, and the man called after them: “Aren’t you children +lost?” + +“No, indeed, thank you,” answered Tommy. “We’re going to the toy store +to choose presents.” + +“All right,” said the man, and he went on his way, laughing. + +A little while after that Tommy stubbed his toe and fell down. But do +you suppose he cried? No, sir! not a bit of it. Not a single tear, +though he wanted to very much. + +“But if I cry, and get my eyes full of water,” he thought, “I might +not be able to see in the toy-shop window to choose things. So I’m not +going to cry.” + +Then Mary and Johnny rubbed the sore place on Tommy’s leg, and Mary +kissed him, and the Trippertrots went on farther. + +Then, just as the postman blew his whistle, they came to the toy +shop. Oh, I just wish you could have seen it! The window was full of +toy trains, and toy elephants who could wiggle their heads and their +trunks, and there were dolls, and steam engines, and rocking-horses, +and camels, and lions, and tigers--not real, you know, only +make-believe--so don’t get frightened. And then there was an airship, +with a thing in front that went around whizzy-izzy. + +“Oh, I’m going to choose that airship!” cried Johnny, as soon as he saw +it. + +“No, it’s Mary’s turn first,” said Tommy. “Ladies are always first, you +know.” + +“Oh, yes, of course. I forgot,” admitted Johnny. “Go on, Mary, you +choose.” + +“Well,” said Mary slowly, “I’ll take the doll with the pink dress and +the blue eyes.” + +“Now I am going to take the airship!” cried Johnny eagerly. + +“And I want the big elephant that wiggles his nose,” said Tommy. “Now +it’s your turn again, Mary.” + +“I’ll take the little brass bed for my doll,” spoke the boys’ sister. + +And so they went on. Well, those children just stood there, choosing +all the pretty toys in the store window, until there were hardly any +left. Only, you know, of course, that it was only make-believe, for +they didn’t really take the things away. + +Mary had just picked out a lovely doll carriage, and Tommy was going to +take a small automobile with wheels that really went around, when, all +of a sudden, the lady who kept the toy store came out on the sidewalk, +and said: + +“I am afraid you children had better run home. You have been standing +here for some time, and your mamma will worry about you, I’m sure. Run +along, now, and take this,” and she gave each of them a stick of nice +candy. + +“Yes, I guess we had better go home,” said Tommy. “Which way do we go, +Johnny?” + +“Why, don’t you know the way home, Tommy?” asked his brother. + +“No. Don’t you?” + +“Not a bit of it!” answered Johnny, surprised like. “I am all turned +around. Maybe Mary knows.” + +“What!” exclaimed the little Trippertrot girl, “you boys don’t mean to +tell me you don’t know where our house is, do you?” + +“I don’t know,” spoke Tommy. + +“And I’m sure I don’t know,” answered Johnny. + +“We don’t either of us know,” went on Tommy in a sad voice. “Do you +know, Mary?” and he began to eat his candy. + +Mary shook her head. Then two tears came into her blue eyes. Then came +still more tears, until they rolled from her cheeks, and splashed down +on the sidewalk, like salty rain. + +“Oh, dear!” she cried. “If none of us knows where our home is we’re +lost! We can’t ever find our house! What shall we do?” + +And there was no one there to tell the children what to do, for the +toy-store lady had gone back into her shop and shut the door. + +Then, all of a sudden, along came a big, kind-looking policeman, with a +blue coat covered with brass buttons. Tommy saw him first. + +“Oh! Oh!” exclaimed Tommy. “Run! Run! Here comes a policeman after us!” + +“Yes, and he may put us in jail!” said Johnny. “Run!” So he and Tommy +started to run, but Mary caught hold of them. + +“Stop, you silly boys!” she cried. “Don’t be afraid. Mamma always said +that if ever we got lost we should go to a policeman right away. Now +the policeman is coming to us, and that is much better; so it’s all +right.” + +Then the nice big man with the brass buttons on his coat came closer, +and Mary said to him: + +“Please, Mr. Policeman, we’re the Trippertrot children, and we’re lost. +We don’t know where our house is. Will you please find it for us?” + +“To be sure I will,” answered the policeman, with a jolly smile. “Come +along with me.” + + + + +ADVENTURE NUMBER TWO + +THE TRIPPERTROTS AND THE KIND POLICEMAN + + +“Are you going to take us home right away, Mr. Policeman?” asked Mary, +as she and her brothers walked along beside the big man. + +“Of course I am,” he answered kindly. “But you must first tell me where +your home is, and then I can go there by the shortest way. Where is +your home?” + +“Why, don’t you know?” asked Johnny, and he stopped there in the street +and looked at a big automobile which was whizzing along close behind +a little fuzzy dog that was trying to get out of the way of the big +rubber wheels. “Don’t you know where our house is, Mr. Policeman?” +asked Johnny again. + +“Well,” spoke the big officer with the blue clothes, and the brass +buttons down the front, like a whole lot of shiny eyes, “if you will +tell me which street your house is on, I think I can easily take you to +it.” + +“Don’t--don’t you even know the _street_?” asked Johnny, and two tears +came into his eyes, one in each, and splashed down on the sidewalk. + +“Why, can’t you tell me the street?” the policeman wanted to know. + +Mary shook her little head. Johnny shook his little head. Tommy shook +his little head. Then they all shook their heads together, and they +said, all at once: + +“We--don’t--know!” + +“My! My!” exclaimed the policeman. “What am I going to do with three +lost children who don’t know where they live?” + +“I thought policemans knew everything,” said Mary Trippertrot. “You +ought to know about our house.” + +“I only wish I did,” replied the officer. “But I’ll tell you what I’ll +do. I’ll give you a nice ride in a wagon, and I’ll take you to a place +where there are a whole lot of policemen, and perhaps some of them may +know where you live.” + +“Oh, goody!” cried Johnny. “Now we’ll be all right.” + +“Yes, and I know where he’s going to take us,” said Tommy. “It’s to a +fire-engine house, ’cause I once saw a little lost boy in a fire-engine +house.” + +“Oh, no, it isn’t,” said Mary. “He must be going to take us to a police +station. But I don’t care, for it’s nice there. Once, Sallie Jones was +lost, and she was taken to a police station, and the men there gave her +candy until her mamma came for her. I know, ’cause she told me.” + +“Then I’m glad we’re lost,” said Tommy, “’cause the candy the toy-shop +lady gave us is all gone.” And that’s as true as I’m telling you, the +Trippertrots had eaten up all their candy. + +“Come along, now, little ones,” said the kind policeman, “and I’ll +telephone for a wagon so that I can give you a ride.” + +“Oh, if you’re going to telephone,” cried Mary, “you can telephone to +our house and tell mamma we’re coming home. I know where our house is +now! It’s where the telephone is. We have one, and to-day, when Suzette +went to answer it, we ran out. That’s how we got lost. All you have to +do, Mr. Policeman, is to go to the house where our telephone is, and +we’ll be home.” + +[Illustration: _On the Pole Was a Blue Box._] + +Mary looked up at the big officer, but he only shook his head. + +“There are so many houses which have telephones in,” he said, “that I +could never find yours that way. But come on.” + +So he led them down the street until pretty soon he came to a big fat +telephone pole that looked like an elephant’s leg in the circus. And +on the pole was a blue box, which opened just like the door of the +cupboard where mother keeps the bread and jam. + +And inside the box were a whole lot of shiny things, and a bell rang, +like a telephone bell, and pretty soon the policeman was talking into +that box and telling some one away far off at the police station to +send a wagon for three little lost children. + +So there they stood, the three Trippertrots and the kind policeman, +waiting for the wagon to come. And a whole lot of people gathered +around and looked at the children, and felt very sorry for them because +they were lost. But Mary and Johnny and Tommy weren’t a bit sorry. They +knew it would be all right, and that the policeman would take care of +them. + +And then, all of a sudden, a dog came running up the street. He was a +nice, fuzzy, yellow dog, and he had a tail that he could wag. And what +do you think he did? Why, he crawled right in between the legs of a fat +man who was looking at the lost children, and then that dog went right +up close to Mary, and barked softly, just as if he was saying: + +“Don’t you be worried now. I’m here, and I’ll take care of you.” + +“Oh, look! See the dog!” exclaimed Tommy. + +“Is he your dog?” asked the policeman. + +“No,” answered Johnny, “but I guess we can have him if we wish. Maybe +he’s lost, too.” + +“I believe he is!” cried Mary. “Look how tired he is! I think we shall +call him Fido, and he’ll be our dog; won’t you, Fido?” + +Well, I just wish you could have seen the dog wag his tail at that! He +nearly wagged it off, he was so happy because Mary had called him Fido, +for that was really his name; and he was lost, but he didn’t care, now +that he had some children to love. + +And then, while they were standing there, the three Trippertrots and +the dog and the kind policeman, along came the wagon to take the +children to the police station. And there was a fine, big brown horse +pulling the wagon. + +“Now get in, little ones,” said the policeman kindly. + +“You go first, Mary,” said Tommy politely. “Ladies are always first.” + +“No, let Fido get in first,” suggested Johnny. “He is so tired, and he +can lie down in the wagon. Here, Fido, jump in!” + +“But you can’t take that dog in the wagon,” said the policeman, his +face turning red. + +“Why not?” asked Mary, and she patted Fido on the head, so that he +wagged his tail harder than ever. + +“Because,” said the policeman, “we don’t like dogs in our wagons; and +besides, he isn’t your dog.” + +“Of course he’s our dog!” cried Johnny. “He came to us, and he’s ours. +We’re going to keep him.” + +“Of course,” added Tommy. “He’s lost, and we’re lost, so he belongs to +us.” + +“And if we can’t have him we don’t want to ride in your wagon, Mr. +Policeman, though we like you very much,” said Mary. “Fido must come +with us. You want to come, don’t you, Fido?” And she patted the dog’s +head again. + +Then what do you suppose that dog did? Why, he wagged his tail up and +down, instead of sideways, right up and down he wagged it, like a pump +handle. + +“See!” cried Mary. “He’s saying ‘yes’ with his tail! He wants to come, +Mr. Policeman.” + +“Oh, my! Then I suppose he’ll have to go,” said the officer, with a +laugh, and everybody in the crowd laughed also. “Get in, Fido; and you, +too, children,” the policeman went on. + +So they all got in the wagon, the Trippertrots and the dog and the +policeman, and away they went. Tommy had hold of Fido’s left ear, and +Johnny had hold of his right ear, and Mary had her hand on the dog’s +head, and every once in a while Fido would put his cold nose in the +policeman’s hand, to show that he liked him, and then the policeman +would jump as if a mosquito had bitten him, for he wasn’t thinking +about the dog. But Fido didn’t mind, and he thumped his tail down on +the floor of the wagon until it sounded like a baby’s rattle-box. + +Pretty soon they were almost at the police station, and the policeman +was wondering how he could find out where the lost Trippertrots lived, +when, all of a sudden, Fido saw a pussy cat running along the sidewalk. +And then, before you could look at a picture in a story book, out Fido +jumped from the wagon to chase after the cat. + +Fido didn’t want to catch her, you understand. Oh, no; he just wanted +to see if he could run as fast as the pussy was running. So that’s why +he jumped out of the wagon. + +“Oh, my! There goes our dog!” cried Tommy. + +“Yes, Fido is running away!” exclaimed Johnny sorrowfully. + +“Oh, we must get him, or he’ll be lost again!” cried Mary. “Stop the +wagon, please, Mr. Policeman, and we’ll get Fido back again. Come here, +Fido!” she called. + +Well, the policeman wasn’t going to stop the wagon, but just then a +trolley car got in the way of it, and the driver had to stop, whether +he wanted to or not. And that was just the chance the Trippertrots +wanted. + +First, Mary jumped out of the wagon, and then Tommy jumped out, and +then Johnny jumped out. + +“Come back! Come back!” cried the policeman. “You’ll be lost again, and +I’ll have to find you.” + +“We’re--going--to--get--our--Fido!” panted Mary. + +And then, before the big, kind policeman could get out of the wagon, +those three children had hurried around a corner of the street and +were racing after Fido, and Fido was racing after the pussy cat, and +there was such a crowd of people that the policeman couldn’t see the +children, even when he put on his glasses. + +“My! My!” he exclaimed. “They will be lost again!” + + + + +ADVENTURE NUMBER THREE + +THE TRIPPERTROTS AND THE HAND-ORGAN MAN + + +“Oh, do you s’pose we’ll ever catch that dog?” asked Mary Trippertrot +of her two brothers, as they raced along after Fido, and Fido was +chasing after the cat. + +“Of course we will,” answered Tommy. + +“And maybe we’ll get the pussy cat, too,” said Johnny, who couldn’t run +so very fast, as his legs were rather short. + +“But we don’t want the cat,” spoke Mary. “For you see, she and Fido +aren’t very well acquainted yet, and they might not like each other. +I think we’ll just catch Fido, and then we’ll all go home and get +something for him to eat. I’m sure he must be hungry. I know I am.” + +“But we don’t know where our home is,” panted Johnny, as he tripped +along beside Tommy. + +“Why, you silly boy, we can go back to the policeman in the wagon, +and he’ll find our home for us,” went on Mary. “Come on, now. We are +catching up to Fido.” + +So on the Trippertrot children tripped and trotted as fast as they +could. And, all of a sudden, Mary slipped, and she would have fallen +down, only Johnny caught her. And then Tommy was running so fast that +he ran right into a lady who was carrying a basket full of loaves of +bread, and the bread all bounced out on the sidewalk. + +“Oh, dear! Oh, me! Oh, my!” cried the lady. “Now see what you have +done!” + +“We are very sorry,” said Tommy politely. “But you see we are lost, +and our dog Fido is lost, too, only we know where he is, and we’re +chasing after him, and he’s chasing after a cat, and that’s how I +happened to run into you. But we’ll help you pick up the bread, though +Fido may get so far ahead of us that we can’t find him.” + +“Oh, my! What a lot of things to happen to three little children!” said +the lady kindly. “Never mind about the bread. I can pick it up myself. +You run on after your Fido, bless your hearts!” + +So she began to pick up the bread herself, and a man helped her, and +the Trippertrots ran on. And about a minute after that Johnny stubbed +his toe, but he didn’t even cry half a tear, for he was a brave little +fellow. + +And then they hurried on again, and they could just see Fido’s wagging +tail now, and it was going around in a circle like a merry-go-round, +because, you see, he was so excited. + +“There he is!” cried Mary. “Hurry up, and we’ll have him in a minute!” + +“Look! Look!” cried Tommy. “The cat has run up a tree, and now Fido +can’t get her, so he’ll have to stop running, and we can catch up to +him.” + +And would you ever believe it? That cat did run up a tree, and she sat +down on a branch, and Fido, he sat down on the ground at the foot of +the tree, for dogs can’t climb, you know. + +“Oh, you naughty Fido!” exclaimed Mary, as she came up to him. “Why +did you run away?” And Mary had to sit down on the ground, too, so she +could get her breath. And then up came Tommy and Johnny, and they also +had to sit down, so there they all sat, the three Trippertrots and the +dog, at the foot of the tree, and the pussy cat about ten feet up the +tree, sitting on a branch. + +“Why did you run away?” asked Tommy, taking hold of Fido’s left ear. + +“Bow! wow! wow!” answered the doggie, which meant that he didn’t know. +Then he wagged his tail sideways on the ground, and he made so much +dust that Mary had to sneeze. + +And Johnny sneezed, and Tommy sneezed, and then Fido sneezed, to keep +them company. And the pussy cat up the tree, she didn’t want to be left +out, so she sneezed, also, and in that way they all sneezed. + +Then the three Trippertrots laughed, and the cat heard them, and the +pussy knew that anybody who laughs real jolly like will never harm any +animals, so the cat thought she would come down out of the tree. + +And she did. And what do you suppose Fido did? Why, he just barked +politely, as if he were saying, “Pleased to meet you!” And he wagged +his tail, real friendly like, and he put his cold nose on the pussy +cat’s cold nose, and that’s the way they shook hands. + +“Now they’re friends,” said Tommy. “I don’t see why we can’t keep them +both, Mary.” + +“Perhaps we can,” said his sister, “as long as they don’t quarrel. +Come, Fido, we must go back to the kind policeman now. Come, Pussy. I +wonder what your name is?” + +“Me-ow, me-ew!” cried the pussy. + +“What did she say?” asked Tommy. + +“I guess she said ‘How d’ do?’ But anyhow let’s call her Ivy Vine, +because she can climb a tree so well. Come, Ivy Vine.” + +So Fido got up, and so did the three Trippertrots, from where they had +been sitting on the ground, and Ivy Vine, the pussy, got up also, and +they all started down the street together. + +“Do you know which way to go to get to the policeman’s wagon?” asked +Tommy. + +“No. Don’t you?” asked Johnny. + +Tommy shook his head. + +“Then we’re lost again,” said Mary, “for I don’t know either. Oh, how +many things are happening to us to-day! I wonder if we will ever get +home again?” + +They looked all around, but they couldn’t see any street that looked +like the one they lived on, and there was no house in sight like +theirs, and they didn’t know what to do. And then, all of a sudden, +they heard some nice music. And it was a hand-organ playing, and it +played a tune called “Always be happy and never be sad, Always be +joyful and jolly and glad.” + +“Oh, I hope that hand-organ man has a monkey!” cried Mary. + +And just then, surely enough, around the corner came the hand-organ +man, and he was playing the jolly tune, and perched up on his organ was +a cute little monkey, with a red cap and a blue coat. + +“Oh, isn’t this lovely!” said Tommy. + +“I don’t mind being lost now,” spoke Johnny. + +Then the hand-organ man came up to where the children were standing, +with Fido and the pussy cat. And at first the monkey acted as if he +wanted to run away from the dog, but Fido wagged his tail so very +friendly like that the monkey stayed. And then the children noticed +that the hand-organ man looked sick, and he could hardly grind out the +music. + +“What is the matter, Mr. Hand-Organ Man?” asked Mary. + +“Oh, I am very tired and lonesome,” said the man. “I have walked about +all day, and played all the tunes in my hand-organ, but no one gave +me any pennies. Not even when Fuzzo, my monkey, climbed up to the +second-story windows and took off his cap. Oh, dear, I haven’t any +money to buy my supper with!” + +“Oh, that’s too bad!” exclaimed Tommy. “Maybe we can help you.” + +“Let’s try,” said Mary. + +“Yes,” said Johnny. “We can go around with you, and sing while you +grind the organ, and we’ll take Ivy Vine and Fido with us, and perhaps +when the people see all the animals together they may give you pennies.” + +“Oh, it would be very kind if you would do that,” said the hand-organ +man. So he began to play a jolly little tune, and the children sang, +and the monkey danced up on top of the organ, and Fido stood on his +hind legs, and Ivy Vine, the cat, turned somersaults. + +Well, you ought to have seen the crowd of people stop and look on. +Everybody laughed, and thought the children were very cute, and they +liked the animals, too. Then Fuzzo, the monkey, took off his red cap +and held it out, and the people put a lot of pennies in it. + +“Fine! Fine!” cried the hand-organ man as he heard the pennies rattling +in Fuzzo’s cap. “Now I can buy some supper.” And more pennies came +rattling in, until the cap could not hold them all, and Fuzzo had to +put some of them in his pocket. + +Well, the Trippertrot children were having a good time, and in spite of +being lost they were very happy, because they were helping some one, +and the organ man was playing another tune, and Mary was just getting +ready to sing a song all alone, when a great big automobile dashed up +to the sidewalk, and the man who was in it cried: + +“Why, bless my soul! If there aren’t the Trippertrots, nearly two +miles from home! I must take them back at once. How did you get here, +children?” he called. + +“Oh, there’s Mr. Johnson in his auto!” exclaimed Mary. “We are lost, +Mr. Johnson. Will you please take us home?” For you see the man in the +automobile happened to live next door to the Trippertrots, and he knew +them. + +“Of course I’ll take you home,” he said kindly. “Get in.” + +“Oh, but we must take Fido and Ivy Vine, and Fuzzo and the hand-organ +man,” said Tommy. “Fido is our lost dog, and Ivy Vine is our lost cat, +and Fuzzo is the monkey. We don’t know the man’s name, but he isn’t +lost, neither is Fuzzo, but they are very hungry, and we are going to +take them to our house for supper.” + +“What! Take you and those animals and the hand-organ man in my auto?” +cried Mr. Johnson, in astonishment. + +“Yes, and the hand-organ, too,” said Mary. “Then the man can play tunes +on the way, and you won’t have to blow your horn. Get in, Fido. Get +in, Ivy Vine. Get in, Fuzzo. And you, too, Tommy and Johnny, and Mr. +Hand-Organ Man.” + +Mr. Johnson laughed, and then he thought the best thing to do would be +to take the Trippertrots and everybody and everything that they wanted +along with him in the auto. + +So they all piled into the car, and away they went; and, surely enough, +the hand-organ man played tunes all the way along, and the people in +the street laughed when they saw the automobile with its queer load. +But the Trippertrots didn’t care, and soon they were right in front of +their own house. + + + + +ADVENTURE NUMBER FOUR + +THE TRIPPERTROTS AND THE FUNNY HORSES + + +When Mrs. Trippertrot looked out of her window and saw her three +children, and Mr. Johnson, the man who owned the automobile, and Fido +the dog, and Ivy Vine the cat, and Fuzzo the monkey--to say nothing of +the hand-organ man--when she saw all of them in front of her house she +didn’t know what to think. + +“Oh, my dear children!” she cried. “I have been looking everywhere for +you! Where have you been?” + +“We have been lost, mamma,” said Mary. + +“And we had a most lovely time!” exclaimed Johnny, laughing. + +“And we’ve got a dog and a cat, and a monkey!” added Tommy. + +“Oh, dear!” cried their mamma. “I’ve been telephoning all over for you. +I didn’t know what to do, and I have just sent for your papa.” + +“That’s too bad,” said Tommy. “Really, we didn’t want to worry you, +mamma. But if papa hurries home, he can have supper with the hand-organ +man.” + +“Have supper with the hand-organ man!” cried Mrs. Trippertrot. “What in +the world do you mean?” + +“This is the hand-organ man,” said Mary, and she pointed to the man who +owned Fuzzo the monkey. “He’s very hungry, and we helped him get some +pennies. Mr. Johnson found us, didn’t you, Mr. Johnson?” + +“I certainly did,” he said, and then he looked to see if he had to pump +any more wind into his big automobile tires. + +“But a policeman found us first,” said Johnny. + +“Only we jumped out of the wagon to go after Fido, for he was chasing a +cat,” explained Tommy. “Here is the cat, mamma. Her name is Ivy Vine, +because she can climb a tree so good.” + +“Bless us!” said Mrs. Trippertrot. “I shall never understand all this. +Oh, I hope you children never run away again. I am ever so much obliged +to you, Mr. Johnson, for bringing them home. But what shall I do with a +monkey and a dog and a cat and a hand-organ man?” + +“Well,” said Mr. Johnson, “I think I would give the hand-organ man +and his monkey something to eat, and send them away. Then I’d let the +children keep the dog and cat for a while.” + +“Oh, we’re going to keep them forever,” said Mary, “and the monkey, +too; can’t we, mother?” + +“Oh, please don’t ask me!” cried Mrs. Trippertrot. “Yes, you may keep +anything, as long as you don’t run away again. Oh! I have been so +worried about you!” + +“I am very sorry, but I can’t stay here,” said the hand-organ man. “I +must go home, for I am going to teach Fuzzo, my monkey, a new trick of +standing on his head, and then perhaps we may get many more pennies. +I thank your children very much for what they did for me.” And then, +making a low bow to Mrs. Trippertrot, and to Mr. Johnson, he climbed +down out of the auto and took his hand-organ and monkey and started +away with them. + +“Don’t you want some supper?” asked Tommy quickly. + +“No, I thank you,” said the man. “Since you were so kind as to help me +get some pennies, I can buy enough for Fuzzo and myself to eat. So +I’ll say good-by.” And then the hand-organ man hurried away. + +Soon Tommy and Mary and Johnny got out of the auto, and kissed their +mamma, and they went into the house, after thanking Mr. Johnson for +bringing them home, and Fido and Ivy Vine went in with them. + +“I don’t know what your papa will say about keeping those animals,” +said Mrs. Trippertrot, “but he will soon be home, and we can ask him.” + +“Oh, he’ll let us keep them,” said Mary. + +“Sure, for he loves dogs,” spoke Johnny. + +“And cats, too!” cried Tommy, for just then Ivy Vine was purring away +like a sewing machine, and washing her fur, in front of the open fire +in the library. + +Pretty soon Mr. Trippertrot came home, and when he heard about what his +children had done, and how they had been lost, and how they had brought +home a cat and a dog and a monkey, to say nothing of a hand-organ man, +he didn’t know what to say. + +“But I suppose they may keep the dog and cat,” he said. “They will be +good pets for them. But I hope you never run away again, children.” + +Of course Mary and Tommy and Johnny promised, but you just wait and see +what happened. It was quite an adventure. + +One afternoon, about three days later, the three Trippertrot children +were up in the playroom, having a soldier game. Tommy was the general, +and he had a sword; and Johnny was a soldier, with a make-believe +wooden gun; and Mary was a nurse, to take care of the soldiers when +they were ill. + +“Oh, I just wish we had horses!” cried Johnny suddenly. “Then we could +take a long ride.” + +“That _would_ be fun,” said Tommy. + +“Could I ride, too?” asked Mary. + +“If we could find you a horse,” spoke Johnny. + +“Well, we have your old hobby-horse,” said Mary to Tommy, “and down in +the laundry is a clothes-horse. I could have that.” + +“But what could I have?” asked Johnny. + +“Oh, I know!” cried Mary. “A sawhorse! The very thing!” + +“Do you mean a horse that is all sawed up into sawdust?” asked Johnny, +trying to stand on his head. + +“No, indeed,” replied his sister. “A sawhorse is something a carpenter +uses on which to saw out boards. It has a back and four legs, just +like a real horse. Oh, I know what we’ll do! We’ll get the sawhorse +and the clothes-horse and the rocking-horse all out on the lawn, and +we’ll put empty thread spools under them for wheels, and we can really +make-believe truly ride.” + +“Great!” cried Tommy. + +“Wonderful!” said Johnny. + +“They are funny horses,” said Mary, “but we can have some fun, and, who +knows? perhaps we may ride to fairyland on them. Come on, boys, we’ll +get them ready.” + +So they took the rocking-horse out of the playroom and carried it out +on the lawn. Then they brought the clothes-horse up from the laundry. + +The clothes-horse, you know, is the horse on which the washlady +hangs the clothes to dry in front of the fire. And then those funny +Trippertrot children went next door, where a man was building a new +house, and one of the carpenters let them take a sawhorse. So they had +three horses, you see. + +[Illustration: _“Trot Along, Clothes-Horse!” Cried Mary._] + +Mary took a board and put it across the clothes-horse, so she could sit +on it to ride. But Tommy and Johnny didn’t need any boards for their +horses. Tommy had the sawhorse, and Johnny the rocking-horse. Then +they fastened some big, empty thread spools on the bottom of the legs +of their horses, and they were all ready to ride off after some new +adventures. + +They took their funny horses to the top of a little hill on the smooth +grassy lawn, so they would start to roll down easily. Then they all got +up on the horses’ backs. + +“Giddap!” cried Tommy. + +“Gee-up!” cried Johnny. + +“Trot along, clothes-horse!” cried Mary. + +And then, would you believe it? those funny horses began to roll down +the long, grassy hill. Faster and faster they went on the spools, +rolling along, bumpity-bump. + +“Oh!” exclaimed Mary. “Why, my horse is going!” + +“And so is mine!” said Johnny. + +“Of course!” cried Tommy. “Horses always go.” + +Faster and faster went the funny horses. The children were hanging to +them tightly, so as not to fall off. + +“Oh, isn’t this great!” said Mary. “I wonder where they will take us?” + +“To fairyland, of course,” said Johnny. + +By this time the funny horses, carrying the Trippertrot children, were +at the bottom of the lawn. They were galloping along quite fast, when, +all of a sudden, Mary cried: + +“Oh, look! The brook! The brook!” + +Right ahead of them was a little stream of water, and it was quite wet +water, too, let me tell you. + +“Oh! If we fall in that, we’ll be drowned!” said Johnny, shivering. + +“Stop the horses! Stop them!” cried Tommy. + +So they all pulled on the pieces of string which they had tied on the +rocking-horse, and on the sawhorse, and on the clothes-horse, for +driving reins. But, would you believe it? those funny horses never +stopped at all. + +Along they went on the empty spool-wheels, until they were right at the +edge of the brook; and then, instead of stopping to get a drink, the +way real horses would have done, those strange horses just tumbled into +the water. Right in they tumbled, Trippertrot children and all. + +“Oh!” screamed Mary, as she felt the water coming up over her toes. + +“Oh, me!” cried Johnny, as he felt the water on his nose. + +“Oh, my!” exclaimed Tommy, as some water splashed up on his knees. +“We’ll be drowned!” + +But I’m not going to let anything like that happen to our Trippertrots. +No, indeed. I’m going to save them. Just listen. + +All of a sudden, when the three children were in the water--all of a +sudden, I say--the clothes-horse and the sawhorse and the rocking-horse +sort of floated close to each other, and all at once they made +themselves into a nice raft, that was just as good as a sailboat. + +“Climb up, and we’ll have a ride in the brook!” cried Johnny, when he +saw that the funny wooden horses would hold them all, and not let them +sink. + +So the three children climbed up on the funny boat, that was made +from the funny horses, and they sat there a little while until they +were nice and warm and dry again, and then the sawhorse and the +clothes-horse and the rocking-horse just swam toward shore as fast as +they could, and so the children were saved, just as I told you they +would be. + +And then--well, if you want to know what happened after that, will you +please turn to the next page, and then you can read all about it. + + + + +ADVENTURE NUMBER FIVE + +THE TRIPPERTROTS AND THE OLD FISHERMAN + + +All of a sudden, as the Trippertrot children were riding along on +their funny horses, which had just galloped up out of the water to the +dry land--all of a sudden, I say--Mary happened to look behind her, +and there was Ivy Vine, the cat, running after them as fast as she +could run, and her tail was sticking straight up in the air, like a +clothes-post. + +“Oh, look!” cried Mary. “Ivy Vine is coming, and she may get lost!” + +“So might we get lost, if we go far enough,” answered Johnny. “We’d +better wait for Ivy Vine, and she can show us the way home.” + +“That’s right,” added Tommy. “We were lost once, and I don’t want it to +happen again.” + +“Oh, that was nothing,” said Mary. “I think it was fun to be lost. +Remember the good time we had.” + +“Oh, look over there!” suddenly called Johnny. “There comes Fido, our +dog! Now, surely we can’t get lost with him along. I say, let’s get off +our horses and take a walk. My horse is tired, anyhow.” + +“And so is mine,” said Mary. “Maybe if we walk along real slowly we’ll +have an adventure.” + +Then, pretty soon, up came Ivy Vine, the cat, and Fido, the dog, and, +leaving their three funny horses in the grass, the Trippertrots and the +dog and the cat started off. They walked along and along, and pretty +soon they came to a little hill. + +“Let’s go up this hill, and see what’s on top,” said Tommy. + +“Yes. Maybe a nice fairy lives there,” spoke Johnny. + +“No, don’t go up,” objected Mary. “We might fall down on the other +side.” + +“That’s so,” agreed Johnny. “I don’t want to fall down, because I’ve +got on a new pair of stockings, and mamma doesn’t want me to get any +holes in them.” + +“Oh, you are too fussy,” spoke Tommy. “Why, we don’t have to fall down +the other side. And besides, if we do start to slip, we can grab hold +of Ivy Vine’s tail, and she can stick her sharp claws down in the grass +on the hill, and we won’t slide any more.” + +“That’s so. I never thought of that,” said Mary. “We’ll go up. Come on, +Ivy Vine, I’m going to hold you, so if I happen to slip you can save +me.” + +“And Johnny and I will take Fido,” said Tommy. “His toenails aren’t as +sharp as Ivy Vine’s, but he’ll do, I guess.” + +So up the hill they went, slowly and carefully, with the dog and the +cat, and they kept a close watch on every side, but they didn’t see any +fairies, though in one place they saw growing some toadstools, that +fairies use for umbrellas when it rains. + +Then, presently, the Trippertrots were at the top of the hill, and +it was a nice, flat, smooth place, all covered with grass; and they +couldn’t have fallen off if they had tried with all their might; no, +indeed! + +And then, all of a sudden, Mary happened to look behind a tree that +was growing on top of the hill, and she saw a nice old man sitting in +a chair, on the edge of a little lake of water. Oh, he was a very old +man, and he had such a nice, pleasant face, though you couldn’t see +very much of it because he had so many whiskers. He had whiskers all +over him, almost like Santa Claus. + +“Look!” whispered Mary to her brothers. “I wonder who he is, and what +he is doing?” + +“I know what he’s doing,” said Johnny. + +“What?” asked Tommy. + +“He’s a fisherman,” answered Johnny. “Can’t you see his pole and line?” + +“Oh, of course,” spoke Mary. “But I wonder what he is catching?” + +“Let’s go up and ask him,” suggested Tommy. + +“No, we mustn’t do that,” objected Johnny. “Fishermen never like to be +bothered when they’re catching fish.” + +“But maybe he hasn’t caught any yet,” said Mary, “and, of course, then +he wouldn’t mind. We can go up to him, and we’ll tell him that as soon +as he begins to catch any fish we’ll run away, and not bother him.” + +“I guess that will do,” said Johnny. “Come on.” + +So the three Trippertrot children walked softly up to the old +fisherman, and when he saw them coming he waved his hand to them, not +the hand that held the fishpole, you understand, but his other one, and +he smiled in a very kind way, and said: + +“Come right along, children. I heard what you said, and you won’t annoy +me a bit. I like children.” + +“Thank you,” said Mary politely. “But if you catch any fish we’ll go +right away and not bother you.” + +“Oh, but I never catch any fish,” said the old man, with a jolly laugh. +“I’ve fished for years and years, right here, and never a fish have I +caught.” + +“That’s funny,” said Johnny. “We live near here, and I don’t remember +ever seeing you before.” + +“Ha! Perhaps that is because you never happened to look when I was +sitting here,” said the man. “But you say you live around here?” + +“Yes--yes--I--er--I guess so,” said Mary slowly. + +“Can’t you be sure?” asked the old fisherman. + +“No, sir,” answered Tommy. “You see, it’s this way. We are the +Trippertrots, and we’re always getting lost. We start out somewhere, +as we did to-day on our funny horses, and we don’t seem to go very far +at all, but all of a sudden we’re lost. So we never know whether we’re +near home or not.” + +“I guess it’s that way now,” said Mary. “I don’t seem to remember this +place at all,” and she looked all around. “It isn’t a bit like what I +thought it was, and we didn’t seem to come so very far; and anyhow, we +only started out from home a short while ago. But we’re lost, sure.” + +“Never mind,” said Tommy. “Fido or Ivy Vine will show us the way home; +or, if they can’t, perhaps this gentleman will.” + +“To be sure,” said the fisherman, pulling up his line and looking at +it, and then the children saw that instead of a regular sharp fish-hook +he had a big hammock-hook on the end of his line. + +“That’s a funny hook,” said Johnny. + +“Isn’t it?” agreed the old fisherman, with a jolly laugh. “But I like +it.” + +“Maybe that’s why you never catch any fish,” said Tommy. + +“I believe you’re right,” agreed the old man, with another jolly laugh. +“I never thought of it in that way before, but I believe that’s the +reason.” + +“But if you don’t catch fish, what do you catch?” asked Mary, who was +very curious. + +“Oh, lots and lots of things!” exclaimed the fisherman. “It would take +me a long time to tell you, for they are such funny things. The best +way for me to do would be to show you what I catch. Now look at me +carefully, and see what I pull up this time on my hammock-hook.” + +So the old fisherman carefully lowered his hook and line into the +little lake. Then he leaned back in his chair, and the Trippertrots +stood around him. The old man closed his eyes. + +“Ha! I have something!” he suddenly cried, and, quickly pulling up his +line, there, dangling on the hammock-hook, was a pair of rubber boots. + +“That’s funny,” said Mary. + +“Oh, that’s nothing at all,” said the old fisherman. “Just you wait and +see what happens next. I catch very funny things.” + +So he put in his line again, just like Jack Horner put his thumb in +the pie. Then the old fisherman pulled it out again--pulled out the +line, you know, not Jack Horner’s thumb--and this time, dangling on the +hammock-hook, was a nice rubber coat, such as children wear to school +on rainy days. + +“That’s strange,” said Tommy. + +“Not at all,” said the old fisherman. “See what my next catch will be.” +And what do you suppose it was? Why, when he pulled up his line the +next time there was a big umbrella on the hook! + +“There! What did I tell you?” exclaimed the fisherman. + +And then, all of a sudden, before the Trippertrots could say +anything--all of a sudden, I say--it began to rain. How it did pour! +The drops splashed down all over, and made the grass quite wet. + +“Oh! Whatever shall we do?” cried Mary. + +“Quick!” cried the old fisherman. “Tommy, you put on the rubber boots +and the rubber coat, and Johnny, you take the umbrella, and hold it +over you and Mary. It’s big enough for two children. Lively now, and +then run as fast as you can.” + +“Where shall we run?” asked Tommy, as he put on the rubber boots. + +“Run anywhere,” answered the old fisherman. “Anywhere. It doesn’t +matter, as long as you get in out of the rain. Run! Run! I’ll run, +too!” And catching up his chair in one hand, and his fishpole in the +other, he ran as fast as he could after the children. + +“Oh, I just know we’ll be lost again!” cried Mary sorrowfully. + +“Never mind,” said Tommy. “This is jolly fun!” + +“It certainly is,” agreed Johnny. “Maybe we’ll have another adventure. +Come on, Ivy Vine and Fido.” + +So on they ran, the Trippertrots and the old fisherman and the dog and +cat; on and on through the rain, which kept coming down harder and +harder, until pretty soon they saw a little house in the woods. + +“Who lives there?” asked Mary. + +“The false-face man,” said the old fisherman. “Come on. We’ll go in +there out of the wet.” + +So they started for the house of the false-face man, and they wondered +what would happen when they got there. + + + + +ADVENTURE NUMBER SIX + +THE TRIPPERTROTS AND THE FALSE-FACE MAN + + +“Oh, my! It’s raining harder than ever!” cried Mary Trippertrot, as she +and her brothers and the old fisherman ran along. “Can’t you please +hold that umbrella over me better than that, Johnny? I’m getting all +wet.” + +“Never mind,” spoke the kind old fisherman, and he held the chair +upside down over his head, so his whiskers wouldn’t get full of water. +“Never mind. We’ll soon be in the false-face man’s house, and we can +get good and dry.” + +“Do you think he is at home?” asked Tommy. + +“Who? The false-face man?” inquired the old fisherman. “Of course he’s +at home. He’s never anywhere else. He never goes out, you know. Why, +who would make all the false-faces if he went away? He just can’t spare +the time, you see.” + +“Oh, it must be dreadful to have to stay in the house all the while!” +said Mary. “I wouldn’t like it a bit.” + +“Well,” said the fisherman, as he tried to run in between the big +rain-drops so he wouldn’t get hit by them, “there is one good thing +about staying home all the while--you never get lost.” + +“That’s so,” agreed Tommy. “But we’d better hurry. My boots are full of +water, and my feet are wet.” + +“Oh, that’s too bad!” exclaimed the fisherman. “I forgot about the +water in the boots. I wonder how it got in?” + +“Why, you fished them up out of the lake,” said Johnny, “and I think +it must have gotten in over the tops that way. They were down under +water, you know.” + +“To be sure,” said the old fisherman. “The next time I catch rubber +boots I’m going to have the tops covered over with shingles so the +water won’t get in. But I see the false-face man waving to us, and that +means he’s at home, and he wants us to hurry in. Run a little faster, +children.” + +So the Trippertrots ran faster, and so did Ivy Vine, the cat, for she +didn’t like the wet very much; and neither did Fido, the dog; but they +didn’t say anything about it. And the old fisherman ran, also. + +Mary and Tommy and Johnny looked toward the little house to see what +kind of a person the false-face man was. He was standing in the +doorway. And he was quite a jolly sort of a man, if you will kindly +take my word for it. He had on an apron all covered with spots of +paint, and his arms, on which the sleeves were rolled up almost to the +shoulders, had paint on them also. The children could see him quite +plainly now, for all of a sudden the sky cleared up, though the ground +was still very wet. + +“Leave the umbrella, chair, coat and rubber boots here,” said the old +fisherman. “We won’t need them, as it has stopped raining.” + +So they put them down in the grass and hurried on. + +And oh, so many, many pretty colors as the children saw! There were +red spots on the false-face man, and green spots of paint, and pink +spots, and black spots, and yellow, and brown, and purple, and gold, +and silver, and even some chimney-colored spots. It was just as if a +rainbow had splattered over him. + +“Why is he all spotted up that way?” asked Mary, as she and Johnny +splashed into a puddle and out again. + +“Because he paints the false-faces,” said the old fisherman. “He +paints them all sorts of colors, and, of course, some of the paint +splashes on him. But bless you! he doesn’t mind it in the least; not in +the least, I do assure you.” + +“Does he make _all_ the false-faces?” asked Tommy, as he stepped along. + +“Everyone,” answered the old fisherman. “All those faces you see in the +store windows for Hallowe’en. Wait. I’ll have him tell you about it.” + +So they ran on, and now they were right at the front door of the +house of the false-face man, and they could see that he was even more +jolly-looking than they had at first thought. + +“Don’t you make all the false-faces?” the old fisherman asked him, +as he pointed to some of them hanging on the house. “Please tell the +children all about it.” + +“To be sure I will,” said the false-face man, with a jolly laugh. “I +have just finished making a whole lot of false-faces for the children +all over this country, and for some out in a city called Orange; but +I think that must be a funny place. I wonder why they didn’t call it +Lemon?” + +“Because, if you please,” said Mary, “I think it was because lemons are +sour.” + +“Ha! I never thought of that!” exclaimed the false-face man. “No doubt +you are right. But come in. Don’t mind the paint. It won’t come off, +for it’s dry by this time.” + +“I wish _we_ were dry,” said old fisherman, as he twisted his whiskers +around to squeeze the water out of them. “_We_ are very wet, even if +the paint isn’t.” + +“Well, come in, and you may sit by the fire,” said the false-face man. +“I’m very glad to see you.” + +“And will you really tell us about making the false-faces, if you +please?” asked Tommy politely. + +“To be sure I will,” was the answer. “Do you mind if I sing it?” and +the false-face man looked at the children, and then at Ivy Vine, who +was trying to get her fur dry with her red tongue. + +“No. I think they would like very much to hear you sing,” spoke the old +fisherman. + +“Do you think the dog or cat would mind?” went on the false-face man. +“Some dogs don’t like music.” + +“Oh, I don’t believe they would mind your singing,” said Tommy, and +the false-face man and the old fisherman began to laugh, though the +Trippertrots didn’t know why. + +“Well, then, here goes for the song,” said the false-face man after +a while. “It’s not a very good one, as I made it up myself, but +it’s the best I can do. And I’ll sing it to the tune of Hum-dum-dum +diddle-iddle-um.” + +Then he sang this song: + + “I am the false-est facer man + That ever you have seen. + I make false-faces colored red, + And also colored green. + I make an elephant’s false-face, + And then I go and make + A false-face for a mooley-cow + Who’s eating jelly cake. + + “I’ll make false-faces for you all, + If you will kindly wait; + I’ll make one for the soup dish, + And for the butter plate. + And then we’ll have a party, + The funniest ever seen, + For we’ll all have false-faces + To wear on Hallowe’en.” + +“I think that is a very nice song,” said Mary, when the false-face man +had finished. + +“Thank you,” replied the false-face man, making a low bow. + +“Oh, goody!” cried Tommy. “When is Hallowe’en?” + +“To-night,” answered the old fisherman. + +“And will you really make false-faces for all of us?” inquired Johnny. + +“To be sure I will,” said the false-face man, “and I’ll make one for +Ivy Vine, and for Fido the dog. Then we’ll have a party, just as I sung +about.” + +“Oh, but I forgot!” exclaimed Mary. “We can’t stay to any Hallowe’en +party.” + +“Why not?” asked Tommy. + +“Because we’re lost,” said his sister. “We must try to find our way +back home, or mamma and papa will be alarmed about us.” + +“That’s so,” said the two boys. + +“Oh, don’t worry,” spoke the false-face man. “I think I can find your +home for you after a while, and it is early yet.” + +That made the children feel better, and they thought they might stay +just a little while longer; anyway, until they got their false-faces. + +“Now, what kind of faces do you want?” asked the man, who was all +covered with paint spots. + +“I want an Indian’s!” exclaimed Tommy. + +“You shall have it,” said the false-face man. + +“And I want one like Little Jack Horner, who sat in the corner,” said +Johnny. + +“You shall have it,” said the false-face man, with a jolly laugh, “and +you may sit in the corner of my shop here, and perhaps we can find a +Christmas pie so you can put in your thumb and pull out a plum.” + +“Oh, that will be jolly!” exclaimed Tommy. + +“And now what kind of a false-face do you want, Mary?” asked the old +fisherman. + +“Oh, I think I would like one of Old Mother Hubbard who went to the +cupboard,” said the little Trippertrot girl. + +“And you may have that,” promised the false-face man. “And I have a +cupboard, and you have the dog, so if we can find a bone the cupboard +won’t be bare.” + +Then he gave the children their false-faces, and he found a bone for +Fido, who barked three times, to say thank you; and there was some milk +for Ivy Vine. Then the children put on their false-faces, and there was +one for Fido. He was dressed up like a monkey; and as for Ivy Vine, she +had a false-face like a wax doll, and she was very cute-looking. + +And the false-face man didn’t need any false-face himself, as he was +all covered over with paint, anyhow. And whom do you suppose the old +fisherman dressed up like? Why, who else but Santa Claus, and he wore +his own whiskers. Then they had a party, and Johnny put his thumb in a +pie and pulled out a whole bag full of sugar plums. Oh, they were just +having the grandest time, when, all of a sudden, there came a knock on +the door! + +“Ha! I wonder who that can be?” asked the false-face man. + +“I’ll look,” said the old fisherman. + +So he looked, and who should be there but the Trippertrots’ nursemaid, +Suzette. + +“Oh, children!” exclaimed Suzette, when she saw them. “You must come +home at once! I have been looking everywhere for you! Your mamma is +much worried. Come home at once!” + +“We didn’t mean to run away,” said Mary, “but the sawhorse and the +clothes-horse and the rocking-horse got going so fast that we couldn’t +stop them. So we got lost.” + +[Illustration: _Old Mother Hubbard._] + +“But we’re not lost now, any more!” exclaimed Tommy, as the nursemaid +walked into the house. + +“And here is a little present for Suzette,” spoke the false-face man, +as he gave her a face that looked like a Chinese lady, with a pigtail +down her back. + +And then, when the children had said good-by to their two friends, +the fisherman and the false-face man, they started home with Suzette, +taking Ivy Vine and Fido with them, and also their false-faces. + +But they hadn’t been home very long before they ran away again, and +then they had another adventure. + + + + +ADVENTURE NUMBER SEVEN + +THE TRIPPERTROTS AND THE LITTLE OLD LADY + + +One day Mrs. Trippertrot called to her three children. + +“Now, children,” she said, “I am going out for a little while, and I +do hope you will not trot off anywhere this time. You don’t know how +worried I am when you run off, as you have done several times lately.” + +“We’re sorry, mamma,” said Tommy. + +“And we don’t ever really mean to trot off,” said Mary Trippertrot. + +“It--it just seems to happen,” spoke Johnny Trippertrot. “Our legs run +off with us before we know it.” + +“Well, try and not let them run off with you to-day,” said their mamma. +“I will leave Suzette in charge of you.” + +“We’ll try to be good, mamma,” said Mary politely. + +“But, oh! we did have such fun the other day when we rode off on the +funny horses!” exclaimed Tommy. + +“Yes, when we met the false-face man and the old fisherman,” added +Johnny. + +“Oh, I know what let’s do!” cried Mary. “We’ll get out our false-faces +and play it’s Hallowe’en again.” + +“That will be nice, I think,” said their mamma, “and it ought to keep +you in the house. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” + +So off she went, downtown shopping, I guess, and the children got out +their funny false-faces, and played some games. They were having a +good time, when, all at once, they heard some one out in the street +crying. + +“I wonder who that is?” said Johnny. + +“Let’s go look,” suggested Tommy. + +“No, you had better not,” said Suzette the maid. “For it might be a +funny monkey, and then you would want to go off after it, and you would +be lost again. You had better stay here and play at having a surprise +party.” + +Well, the children didn’t want to do that, but they knew they must +mind Suzette, for she was in charge of them. But just then something +happened. The delivery wagon came from the big downtown store, and +Suzette had to go down to the side door to take in some things for the +children’s mamma. Then Mary and Tommy and Johnny heard the crying noise +out in the street again, and Mary said: + +“I don’t believe it would do any harm to take just one peep, to see who +is crying.” + +“Me, either,” spoke Tommy. + +“Then let’s do it,” said Johnny, and they did. They went to the front +window and looked out. And this is what the children saw: + +There was a tiny little girl walking along, and she had fallen down, +and her knee had been cut on a sharp stone, and that’s why she was +crying. + +“Oh, see the poor thing!” cried Mary. + +“We ought to help her,” said Johnny. + +“Then let’s do it,” suggested Tommy. “Suzette or mamma wouldn’t care +if we helped somebody in trouble. Mamma would want us to, I’m sure. +Besides, mamma isn’t here now, and neither is Suzette.” For you see, +the nursemaid was still talking to the delivery boy. He had forgotten +to bring a spool of thread that Mrs. Trippertrot needed, and Suzette +was asking about it. + +“We’ll go down to the little girl,” said Mary. “We can’t get lost in +front of our own house.” + +So down they went, and I just want you to listen, and see what happened +after that. It just goes to show that you never, never can tell what is +going to happen in this world. + +“What is the matter, little girl?” asked Mary, after she had wiped the +child’s tears away with her handkerchief. + +“Oh! Boo-hoo! I’m lost!” cried the little girl. “I went to the store +for a stick of candy, but I came back the wrong way, and I’m lost.” + +“Where is the stick of candy?” asked Tommy. + +“I ate it all up,” said the little lost girl. “Look! You can’t see it.” +And she opened her mouth so the Trippertrots could see away down her +throat, and believe me, there wasn’t a bit of candy to be seen! + +“Yes, it’s all gone,” said Johnny sorrowfully, when he got through +looking. + +“Say, do you know what I think we ought to do?” spoke Tommy suddenly. + +“What?” asked Mary and Johnny. + +“We ought to take this little lost girl home. We’d want some one to +take us home if we were lost, and I don’t believe mamma or Suzette +would mind.” + +“I don’t, either,” said Mary. + +“Then let’s do it,” said Tommy. “Do you know which street you live on?” +he asked of the little girl. + +“Oh, yes. It’s a street with trees on it,” said the child, and now she +stopped crying. “Please take me to it.” + +“There are lots of streets with trees on,” said Tommy, “but we’ll try +to find the right one for you. Come on.” + +And so that’s how the Trippertrots started tripping and trotting off +again, and at the beginning they didn’t really mean to do so at all. +But you see how some very funny things happen sometimes. + +Along they walked, all four children together, hand in hand, looking +for the house where the little lost girl lived. Ivy Vine, the cat, +didn’t come along this time, nor did Fido, the dog. For Ivy Vine was +washing her face with her red tongue, and Fido was gnawing a bone. + +“What is your name, little girl?” asked Mary, when they had gone a +short distance down the street. + +“My name is Jack,” she answered. + +“Why, that is not a girl’s name, it’s a boy’s!” said Tommy in surprise. + +“I know it,” said the little lost girl, “and I _want_ to be a boy, so I +choosed a boy’s name. My mamma lets me, and when I grow up I’m going to +ride a horse and play football.” + +The Trippertrot children laughed at that, and they thought the little +girl who wanted to be a boy was very nice. But still they couldn’t seem +to find her home. They looked all over for her house, and every time +they came to a street with trees on it they asked her if it was there +she lived, but she said: + +“No, none of these houses are my papa’s house. I guess we’ll have to go +on a little farther.” + +So they went on a little farther, but still they couldn’t seem to find +the place, and the little girl said: + +“Oh, dear! I guess I’m lost still, aren’t I?” And she took a tighter +hold of Mary Trippertrot’s hand. + +“I guess you are,” answered Mary. + +“And I guess _we_ are, too,” said Tommy. + +“Well, that’s just what I was afraid would happen,” said Johnny. “Here +we are lost again, and we promised mamma we wouldn’t go out of the +house.” + +“Oh, but we really didn’t _mean_ to,” said Mary; “and besides, she’ll +forgive us when she knows we tried to do a kindness.” + +“Yes, I guess so,” said Tommy, “but what are we going to do? I don’t +know which way to go.” + +Neither did any of the others, and Mary was just looking around, hoping +she could find a nice policeman, when, all at once, the door of a +house, in front of which they were standing, opened, and a kind little +old lady looked out. + +“Oh, you poor, dear, little lost children!” she exclaimed. “Come right +in here, and let me love you.” + +“How did you know we were lost?” asked Tommy. + +“Oh, I was once a little girl myself,” said the nice little old lady, +and, though her hair was white, her eyes were as bright as the snapping +fire on a cold night. “So I know when children are lost,” she added. + +So the little lost girl and the Trippertrots, who were also lost now, +went into the house of the little old lady. She brought out some nice +low chairs for them to sit on, and she gave them some picture books +to look at, and then what do you think she did? Why, she went out and +got them some bowls of milk from a mooley-cow--the milk was from the +cow, you know, not the bowls--and she brought some bread; and say! I +just wish I had some of that bread and milk myself! Oh, it was very +good! But I can’t have any, because the Trippertrots and the lost girl +finished it all up, down to the last drop, and they ate some sugar +cookies, too. + +“My, I’m sure I don’t know what to do with you children,” said the +little old lady, shaking her white head at them, after they had +finished eating. “I wish I knew where your home was.” + +“Send for a policeman,” said Mary. + +“What! A policeman? Why, you’re not bad, are you?” cried the little old +lady. + +“Oh, no! But policemans most always know where we live,” said Johnny. +“We’re the Trippertrots, and we’re always getting lost.” + +“Yes, send for a policeman,” said Tommy. + +“I believe I will,” spoke the little old lady. “I’ll go for one myself; +but I’ll have to leave you here all alone, as no one lives with me. But +I know you’ll be all right, and you can look at the pictures and listen +to the cat purring.” + +And sure enough, there was a big gray cat sleeping on the rug in the +middle of the floor, and it was purring just like a sewing machine +because it was so happy. The cat was happy, not the sewing machine, you +know. And the cat purred, not the rug, you see. + +Then the little old lady put on her bonnet and shawl, and went out for +a policeman who might find the homes of the lost Trippertrots and the +lost girl. + +“I like it here very much,” said Mary, as she rubbed the cat’s back. + +“So do I,” said the little lost girl. “It is almost as nice as my home.” + +Tommy and Johnny liked it, too, and they were just looking at some +picture books, and wishing they had more bread and milk, when, all at +once, there came a knock at the door. + +“I guess that is the policeman, come to take us home,” said Mary, with +a happy laugh. + +“Maybe it’s my papa,” suggested the little lost girl named Jack. And +then the door opened, and there stood a funny little man, making low +bows to the children, and saying: + +“Oh, I’m so glad I found you. Come with me.” + + + + +ADVENTURE NUMBER EIGHT + +THE TRIPPERTROTS AND THE LITTLE OLD MAN + + +For a few seconds after he had opened the door and spoken to the +Trippertrot children, the queer little old man didn’t say anything +more. He just stood there, bowing all the while, just like the pendulum +of the clock, only he went up and down, and the pendulum in the clock +goes sideways, you see. + +“Well, are you coming along, children?” said the nice little old man, +after a while, and he stopped bowing. + +“Do you think we ought to go?” asked Mary of her two brothers. + +“Well,” began Tommy, “the little old lady has gone for a policeman to +take us home, and maybe we ought to wait until she comes back.” + +“Oh, I think I can take you home as well as a policeman could,” said +the little old man, and he came into the room, and tickled the pussy +cat under the chin, and made the cat purr louder than ever. + +“Do you know where we live?” asked Mary. + +“No, but I can find out,” said the little old man. “I will look in the +telephone book, or in the directory book, or something, and find your +house for you. And if I can’t find _your_ house I will take you to +_mine_, and you can have some fun.” + +“That will be nice,” said Johnny. + +“How did you know we were here?” asked Tommy. + +“Oh, I saw you come in,” replied the little old man. “I was out in the +street, and I saw you. Then I saw the little old lady go away----” + +“Yes, she went for a policeman for us,” said Tommy. + +“Well, I was afraid she was going to run away and leave you all alone,” +said the little old man, “and as I like children very much I thought +I’d come and take care of you. So here I am, and if you come with me +before the policeman gets here we’ll have a little fun with him. Maybe +he’ll think you have flown up the chimney, as Santa Claus does.” + +“Oh, fine!” cried Tommy. + +And just then, all of a sudden, the little lost girl began to cry. + +“Why, whatever in the world is the matter?” asked the little old man. + +“Boo-hoo! I--I thought you were my papa,” said the little lost girl, +and she let some salty tears fall down on the cat’s back. “I thought +you were my papa, and you aren’t at all.” + +Then she cried a lot more, boo-hoo! and boo-hoo!--like that, you +know--and the little old man went up to her, and he put his arms around +her, and he wiped away her tears, and he said: + +“Now--now--never mind. It’s all right. I’m going to take you to your +papa right away. Don’t cry.” And his voice was so gentle, and he seemed +such a nice man, that the little lost girl didn’t cry a single tear +more. And it’s a good thing, because the pussy cat was getting all wet +from them, and cats don’t like water, you know, especially salty tear +water. + +“Come on, now; hurry up,” cried the little old man. “We must hurry +away from here, or the little old lady will be back with the policeman +before we know it. Come along.” + +“But we can’t go without thanking her for being so kind to us,” said +Mary. + +“That’s so,” said the little man. “Wait. I’ll write her a nice +letter.” So he did that, and told the little old lady how thankful the +Trippertrots and the little lost girl were for what she had done for +them, and he put the letter down in front of the pussy cat, where the +little old lady would see it when she got back. And the pussy put its +paw down on the letter, so it wouldn’t blow away, and then it went to +sleep--I mean the cat went to sleep, not the letter, you understand, of +course. + +“Now we are all ready,” said the little old man, and then he went out +of the front door, and led the children down the street. + +A little while after that, when the little old man and the children had +turned around a corner, along came the little old lady and the kind +policeman. They went into the house, and the lady looked all around for +the children. + +“Why, my goodness sakes alive!” she cried. “They’re gone!” + +“Gone, eh?” asked the policeman. “What were their names?” + +“The Trippertrots,” said the little old lady. + +“Oh, ho!” laughed the policeman. “Then you don’t need to worry. They +are sure to be all right. They are always getting lost, but they will +get safely home again. Don’t worry.” + +So the little old lady didn’t worry very much, and the policeman went +away, and then the lady found the thankful letter where the cat was +sleeping on it. + +“Oh, if the little old man has the children they are all right,” said +the little old lady, and then she gave the cat some milk. + +But now I must tell you what happened to the Trippertrots and the +little lost girl. They walked along the street with the nice, kind old +man until pretty soon they came to a place like a park, with beautiful +trees in it, and little brooks flowing over stones, and in the brooks +were goldfishes and some silver-fishes, too, and they were wiggling +their tails, and swimming about, looking for something to eat. + +“Oh, what a lovely place!” cried Mary. + +“Yes. What is it?” asked Johnny. + +“I’d like to go in there,” spoke Tommy. + +“You may,” said the little old man. “This is a garden, and a playground +for boys and girls. You may do just as you like, as long as you are +kind and good and pleasant. And I know you will be that way. So come on +in, and have some fun; and when you are through playing I’ll find where +you live, and take you home.” + +“And me, too?” asked the little lost girl named Jack. + +“Yes; you also,” answered the little old man. + +So the children went into the beautiful garden. Oh! I wish you could +have seen it! And perhaps some day I will be allowed to come around and +take you all there in a fairy automobile with big fat rubber tires. But +not just yet. + +Now, in this garden were many swings and hammocks, and shady trees +under which to rest, and there were little hills all covered with +grass, down which the children could roll over and over, and never get +hurt, any more than if they rolled on a feather bed. + +And there were also piles of sand in big boxes, and there the +Trippertrots and the little lost girl had lots of fun. They made sand +gardens and sand houses and castles, wherein lived beautiful knights +and princes and their ladies, and then there was a place where a whole +lot of soldiers could parade and shoot off their make-believe guns. + +And the flower gardens! Oh, I wish you could have seen them. Even +though it was almost winter, the flowers were in blossom, for the +little old man knew how to make them bloom in cold weather. And the +children were allowed to pick as many flowers as they wanted, only they +thought they looked prettier on their stems, so they didn’t take many. + +Well, the Trippertrots were playing away, and having lots of fun. Tommy +was in the swing, and Johnny pushed him up so high that Tommy nearly +hit the top of a tree. And then something happened. Mary was building a +nice sand house for a dollie to live in, when the house fell down and +covered her legs all up. Covered Mary’s legs, I mean, not the doll’s. +Mary couldn’t see her legs, and she thought they might have dropped off. + +“Oh, dear!” she cried. + +“What is the matter?” called Tommy. + +“My poor little legs!” said Mary, trying to pull them out from under +the sand. + +“Oh, they’re all right,” spoke Johnny, and then he took a piece of +board and he dug the sand off Mary’s legs, and she was all right again, +and she made a big sand bridge for boats to go under. + +Soon out from his house in the beautiful garden came running the funny +little man. He was waving his arms all around his head, like a windmill +in a storm. + +“Oh, I have found where you live! I have found where you live!” he +cried, in his jolly voice. + +“Where who lives, us or that little girl named Jack?” asked Tommy. + +“I know where Jack lives,” said the little old man. “I called up on the +telephone and found out. Her papa is coming for her in a minute.” + +“Oh, goodie!” cried the little girl, jumping up and down. + +[Illustration: _The Trippertrots Were Playing Away, and Having Lots of +Fun._] + +“But what about us?” asked Mary Trippertrot. + +“I’ll find where you live very soon,” said the little old man. And just +then the little lost girl’s papa came for her, and took her home, after +he had thanked the Trippertrots and the little old man for being so +kind to her. + +And then, all of a sudden, when the little old man was calling up on +the telephone, trying to find where the Trippertrots lived--all of a +sudden, I say--along came Suzette, the nursemaid, looking for them. + +“Oh, you children!” she cried, when she saw them in the garden. “I +thought I would never find you. Come home at once. Why did you run +away?” + +“We went to help a little lost girl, and we got lost ourselves,” said +Mary; “but we didn’t mean to, did we, boys?” + +“No,” answered Tommy and Johnny together. Then Suzette thanked the +little old man, and she took the children home, and oh! how glad their +mamma was to see them! And they said they would never trot away again. +But you just wait and see what happens. + + + + +ADVENTURE NUMBER NINE + +THE TRIPPERTROTS AND THE FIREMAN + + +A few days after the Trippertrot children got home, following their +adventure with the little old man, their mamma said to them: + +“Now, children, I am going over to see your Aunt Mary Jane, and I want +you to stay in the house until I get back. It is rather chilly out of +doors, and it looks as if it might rain. So stay in, play with your +toys, or look at your picture books, but don’t go out.” + +“Can’t we go out at all, mamma?” asked Mary Trippertrot, as she looked +in a glass to see if her hair ribbon was on straight. + +“No,” said her mother, as she looked in the glass to see if her hat was +on straight. + +“Not even if the house should tumble down on us?” asked Tommy +Trippertrot. + +“Well, if something most extraordinary like that happens, you _may_ run +out,” said Mrs. Trippertrot, trying not to laugh. + +“Of course,” spoke Johnny, “we wouldn’t want to be all squashed up, +like pancakes.” + +“Oh, I just love pancakes--the kind you eat, I mean!” exclaimed Mary. +“May we have some, mamma?” + +“Perhaps. I’ll see about it when I get back. Now good-by,” she said to +them, “and be good children, and don’t go out unless you really have +to.” + +[Illustration: HE BEGAN TO PLAY A JOLLY LITTLE TUNE] + +So they promised, and they all crowded to the window of the big front +room to wave their hands to their mamma as she went down the steps. + +Then they began to play with their toys, and to look at picture books, +until pretty soon Mary said: + +“Oh, dear! This isn’t any fun!” + +“No, indeed,” agreed Tommy. + +“I--I almost wish we could run away again, and get lost,” said Johnny +boldly. + +“Oh-o-o-o-o-o!” exclaimed Mary. “You wouldn’t really go tripping and +trotting off again, would you?” + +“I would, if something happened,” said Johnny, and he tried to make +all of his toy soldiers stand up in a line, but they fell over and +bumped their noses on the carpet, and one soldier lost his sword. Then +the children played circus for a while, and Tommy was a make-believe +elephant, who lived in a cave under the big chair, until all at once +Mary said: + +“I know what I’m going to do. I’m going to ask Suzette to build a nice +fire in the open grate. Then we can sit and watch the flames go up the +chimney, and we can make-believe we see pictures in them.” + +“Oh, that will be fine!” cried Tommy and Johnny. + +So Suzette came in, and built a fine, big fire on the large open brick +hearth. And dear me! how the flames did roar up the chimney! for +Suzette put on a great deal of wood. It burned and it blazed, and then, +all of a sudden, the front doorbell rang. + +“There’s mamma come back!” cried Mary, as she ran to open the door. +Tommy and Johnny followed her, but instead of Mrs. Trippertrot being +there, it was a fireman, in his nice blue uniform, with silver buttons +on the coat, and he was wiping his feet on the mat. + +“Quick!” he cried, for firemen always have to be quick, you know. +“Quick! Let me in! The chimney is on fire, and I must put it out!” + +“Put out which, the fire or the chimney?” asked Tommy, who was often a +funny sort of a little fellow. + +“Put the fire out, of course,” cried the fireman. “Ha! I thought so!” +he exclaimed, when he had rushed into the front room and had seen the +big blaze in the fireplace. “There is too much wood on there. Quick, +get me a lot of salt!” + +So Mary ran to the kitchen to get the salt, for Suzette had gone +upstairs, to make the beds, I guess, and the nursemaid didn’t even +know the fireman was in the house. Back Mary came running with a whole +bowlful of salt. + +“Oh, please, Mr. Fireman,” said Tommy, “before you put out the fire, +mayn’t we just run out on the sidewalk and see it spouting up out of +the chimney top? Mayn’t we, please? We’ve never seen a chimney on fire.” + +“Mamma said we weren’t to go out,” spoke Mary. + +“But this is a most extra-extra-extraordinary occasion,” said Tommy. +“It isn’t exactly like the house falling down, but if the fire in the +chimney burns long enough it may fall down, mightn’t it, Mr. Fireman?” + +“Oh, yes,” he answered, and he got ready to throw salt on the fire, for +that puts out a blaze in the chimney, you know. Yes, really it does. +I’m not fooling a bit, honestly. + +“Oh, may we go out?” asked Mary this time, and the fireman said they +might, and that he’d wait a minute before he threw the salt on the +flames. So out the Trippertrots ran, and sure enough, there was a lot +of fire coming out of the top of their chimney. You see, the soot--that +is, the black stuff inside--had caught fire from the big blaze Suzette +had made on the hearth. + +Then, all of a sudden, as the children stood on the sidewalk, the fire +went out, for the fireman threw on the salt. + +“Now we must run in,” said Mary. “It’s chilly here, and the fire’s out, +anyhow, so there’s nothing more to see. Come on, boys.” + +In the children ran, and the fireman was getting ready to go out, for +he had finished his work. He said he happened to be passing along the +street, when he saw the chimney on fire, and then he hurried in. + +“But now the fire is out, and so I am going out, too,” said the +fireman; and out he went, as quickly as you can stub your toe on a +stone in the road. + +“Now there isn’t any nice warm blaze on the hearth,” said Mary, after a +while. “What shall we play now? We can’t look at pictures in the fire.” + +“Oh, I just thought of something!” cried Tommy. + +“What?” asked Johnny. + +“We forgot to thank that fireman,” went on Tommy, “and that’s very +impolite. He did us a great favor in putting out the chimney fire, and +now I’m going to run after him and thank him.” + +“So am I,” said Johnny. + +“Oh, but mamma wouldn’t like us to go out; you know she wouldn’t,” said +Mary quickly. + +“She wouldn’t like us not to thank the fireman, either,” spoke Johnny. +“I guess this is one of those most extra-extra-extraordinary occasions +she spoke of, like the house falling down, so I’m going.” + +Then he put on his hat and coat, and Tommy did the same. + +“Well, if you two are going, I’m not going to stay here alone,” said +Mary. “I’ll come also.” + +Well, Suzette wasn’t there to stop them, and in another minute away +the Trippertrot children were tripping and trotting again. They just +couldn’t seem to stay home, could they? + +They looked up the street, but they couldn’t see the kind fireman. Then +they looked down the street, but they couldn’t see him there, either. + +“I know what we’ll do,” said Tommy. “We’ll walk along until we come to +the fire-house where he lives, and then we’ll thank him.” + +So, hand in hand, they went down the street, looking for the +fire-house. Pretty soon they met a man. + +“Can you please tell us where to find the fireman?” asked Tommy +politely. + +“Why, is your house on fire?” asked the man quickly. + +“No, but the chimney was, and the kind fireman put it out, but we +forgot to thank him, and now we’re looking for him,” said Mary. + +“Oh, well, the fire-house is just around the corner, and down the +street a little way,” said the man. “But don’t get lost,” and he smiled +at them. + +“I guess he knows we’re the Trippertrots,” spoke Johnny. “But we won’t +get lost this time.” + +Pretty soon they were at the fire-house where the firemen live, and +where they keep the fire-engine and the horses. There were some firemen +in front of the place, so Tommy went up to them and said: + +“If you please, we want to thank the kind fireman who put out the blaze +in our chimney, because we forgot it when he was at our house. But I +don’t see him here,” the little Trippertrot boy went on, as he looked +among all the firemen, and couldn’t pick out the special one he wanted. + +“Oh, yes,” said the captain of the firemen, “that was George. He +telephoned to me that he had put out a chimney fire on his way home to +dinner. You see, he hasn’t yet come back,” the captain said to the +children, “but if you would like to stay here a while he will soon +come, and you can thank him.” + +“Shall we stay?” asked Mary of her brothers. + +“Yes,” said Johnny and Tommy quickly, but they didn’t look at Mary, for +they were looking through the doorway at the shining fire-engine and +the big brass bell on the wall. + +“But maybe we’ll get lost, and mamma wouldn’t like us to stay here,” +went on Mary. + +“Oh, we can’t get lost in a fire-house,” said Tommy, and he wished the +horses would run out, so he could see them. + +“Besides, I guess the firemen know where our house is,” said Johnny. +“You do, don’t you?” he asked of the captain. “It’s a house with a red +chimney on it.” + +“I guess I can find it,” answered the captain, with a laugh, and all +the men laughed, too. Then the children went inside the fire-house, and +all of a sudden a big bell began to ring. + +Ding! Dong! Cling! Clang! + +Those firemen rushed about like anything, and the captain grabbed +up the children and set them on a table, and the horses ran out and +hitched themselves to the shining engine. Then men and horses ran out +with the engine, and there the Trippertrots were--left all alone in the +fire-house. + + + + +ADVENTURE NUMBER TEN + +THE TRIPPERTROTS AND THE FUNNY BOY + + +“Why, where in the world do you s’pose all the horses and the men went +to?” asked Mary Trippertrot, as she looked at her two brothers, who, +like herself, were on top of the table where the fireman captain had +set them. “Where did they go in such a hurry?” + +“To a fire, of course,” answered Tommy. “Whenever the bell rings there +is a fire, and the horses and the men have to take the engine to it.” + +“Does the engine want to see the fire?” asked Johnny. + +“No. It wants to squirt water on it and put it out,” replied his +brother. + +“Do the firemen have to go to a fire even at night?” asked Mary. + +“Of course,” replied Tommy. + +“Then I should think they’d take out the bell after supper, or fix +it so it couldn’t ring, and make them go to fires,” went on Mary. “I +shouldn’t like to go out in the dark. Why, some nights it rains or +snows!” + +“Oh, ho! That doesn’t make any difference to a fireman,” said Tommy. +“Firemans is always brave; aren’t they, Johnny?” + +“Of course,” replied Johnny. “And some one makes the bell ring in the +fire-house, so they will know where the fire is, and go to put it out, +same as the one put out the fire in our chimney.” + +“That’s so,” spoke Mary. “I wonder when he is coming back? He missed +going to this fire.” + +“Oh, he’ll be along pretty soon,” said Tommy. “We’ll just wait here. +The bell may ring some more, and besides, I haven’t seen half the +things. I guess we can get down off the table now.” + +“But do you think we ought to stay?” asked Mary, who wasn’t exactly +sure that they were doing right. + +“Of course we must stay,” said Johnny. “Why, we haven’t thanked the +fireman yet for doing us that favor, and mamma wouldn’t want us to come +home until we had done it.” + +“That’s right,” added Tommy. “Why, don’t you remember once Mrs. Smith +gave me a piece of cake, and I forgot to thank her, and came home, and +mamma sent me back to tell Mrs. Smith I was much obliged? And I’m real +glad I went back, for she gave me a second piece of cake. Oh, yes, we +must always be polite in this world.” + +“Yes; and now let’s look at all the shiny things,” suggested Johnny. + +So he and his brother and sister went all around inside the fire-engine +house. Pretty soon the fireman came in who had put out the chimney fire +in the Trippertrot home. + +“Why, bless me!” he exclaimed in surprise. “Everybody has gone to +another fire, and I must go, too!” And he was about to run out on the +street again, to find where the fire was, when Mary said: + +“Oh, but if you please, couldn’t you first wait until we thank you, and +then can’t you take us home? For I’m afraid we’ll get lost if we go by +ourselves. We’re always getting lost, you know. But we forgot to thank +you, so we came here to do it.” + +“Bless me! That was kind of you,” said the fireman. “But I really +haven’t time to stay, for I must go and help the captain and the men +put out this other fire. I really can’t stay.” And once more he was +about to run off. + +“Quick! Thank him, Johnny and Tommy!” + +“We thank you!” said Tommy and Johnny together, making two low bows. + +“And so do I thank you for not letting our chimney burn up,” said Mary, +making her nicest bow. + +“Well, you’re welcome, I’m sure,” replied the fireman. “But really, +now, I must hurry away.” + +“Oh, I just know we’ll be lost!” cried Mary. + +“Hold on! Wait a minute!” exclaimed the fireman. “I have an idea. +Here!” he called to a funny-looking boy who just then came into the +fire-house. “Jiggily, will you please take these children home, so +they won’t get lost? I put out a chimney fire in their house to-day, +and they came here to thank me. You take them home. You know where the +Trippertrot house is, don’t you?” + +“Oh, yes,” said the funny boy. “I can take them home, all right, and +I’ll be glad to do it.” + +“Then I can go to this other fire,” said the fireman, and away he ran, +like Tom-Tom the piper’s son, waving his hand to the children as he +hurried along the street. + +“Come on, little ones!” called the funny boy. “I’ll see you safely +home.” + +“Is your name Jiggily?” asked Mary, and she didn’t quite know whether +she liked the funny boy or not, for he was very funny-looking. + +He had on a funny suit, partly green and partly yellow, and his nose +was stubby and short and turned up at the end, as if it was always +trying to fly up to the stars; but the boy looked kind, and he was +always laughing or smiling. + +“Yes, my name is Jiggily,” he said to Mary, as they all walked out of +the fire-engine house. + +“Haven’t you any other name?” asked Tommy. + +“Oh, yes, of course,” answered the funny boy. “My other name is Jig; so +you see my whole name is Jiggily Jig.” + +“How did you get that name?” inquired Johnny. + +“Why, they call me that because I can dance a jig,” said the funny boy. +“Would you like to see me?” + +“Indeed we would,” spoke all the Trippertrot children together, and +then and there that funny boy did a funny little dance in front of the +fire-engine house. And a little black poodle dog that was running past +in the street saw him, and would you ever believe it, if I didn’t tell +you? but that dog tried to dance just as Jiggily Jig was doing. + +But, bless you, all of a sudden the doggie slipped on a piece of banana +skin, and he almost fell down. He would have, too, only Jiggily Jig +caught him by the tail and stood him on his feet again--on the dog’s +feet, you understand, not those of Jiggily Jig--which shows you that +you must never, never throw banana skins on the sidewalk, as they are +very slippery. + +“Oh, that was a very nice dance,” said Mary, who went to dancing school +sometimes. + +“Can you do anything else?” asked Tommy, and he wished the funny boy +would come and live with them. + +“Yes, I can whistle on my fingers,” said Jiggily Jig. So he put his +fingers in between his lips, just as if he was going to eat a piece of +pie, only, of course, he didn’t really have any pie, or cake, either, +and then the funny boy whistled as loudly as an automobile horn can +toot. + +“Oh, my!” cried Mary, and she had to put her hands over her ears, +because Jiggily Jig whistled so loudly. + +“My, that was fine!” cried Johnny and Tommy, who wished they could +whistle that way. + +“Can you do anything else?” asked Johnny. + +“Yes. I can stand on my head and wiggle my feet in the air,” answered +Jiggily Jig; and before anybody could stop him, even if they had wanted +to, which, of course, they didn’t, that funny boy was standing on his +head in front of the engine-house, and he was waving his feet in the +air, as easily as a baby can wiggle its pink toes. + +“Oh, that’s great!” cried Tommy and Johnny together. + +“Yes; I’m going to try it,” said Johnny. + +“No! You mustn’t!” exclaimed his sister. “You might slip, and get +dirty.” + +“Yes, and you might slip and also get hurt,” said Jiggily Jig. “The +best place to try that trick, until you learn how, is safely at home, +in the middle of the bed. Then, if you fall, you won’t get hurt.” + +“I’m going to do it as soon as I get home,” said Johnny. + +“Do you know any more tricks?” asked Tommy. + +“Oh, my gracious goodness me sakes alive!” cried Mary, shaking her +finger at her brothers and the funny boy. “Please don’t show them any +more tricks, or we’ll never get home to-day. Can’t you take us home +now, Jiggily Jig?” + +“Oh, yes,” answered the funny boy. “I forgot where we were going. Come +along, little ones.” + +So along the street they went, the Trippertrots and Jiggily Jig. But +they couldn’t go very fast, because every once in a while Jiggily Jig +would have to stop and dance, and, of course, he couldn’t walk then. +And sometimes he would whistle on his fingers, and all the dogs in all +the streets for half a mile around would think he was whistling at +them, and they’d come running up, wagging their tails; and, of course, +when there were a whole lot of dogs around them the children couldn’t +walk at all. + +[Illustration: _Jiggily Jig Would Stand on His Head._] + +And then, again, Jiggily Jig would stand on his head, and that would +make a crowd of people come around; and then, too, the Trippertrots +couldn’t walk on through the crowd. + +“Oh, we’ll never get home, at this rate!” said Mary, and she felt a +little bit like crying, for she thought her mamma would be in the house +by this time, and would worry because her little children weren’t home. + +“Yes, we will soon be there,” said Jiggily Jig, as he looked around +to see if he could locate the Trippertrot house. But he couldn’t yet +discover where it was. + +“I think it must be around the next corner,” said the funny boy at +last. “Come on. We will soon be there.” + +Well, they turned the corner, but still the Trippertrot home wasn’t +in sight, and even Tommy and Johnny were beginning to be worried now, +when, all of a sudden, they saw coming toward them a man pushing a +little wagon on two wheels, and on the wagon were a lot of pies; and +behind the man was another queer-looking boy, almost like Jiggily Jig. + +“Oh! Who is that?” cried Mary. + +“Why, the man pushing the wagon is a pieman,” said Jiggily Jig. + +“And who is the boy?” asked Johnny. + +“Why, that is Simple Simon,” answered Jiggily Jig. “You know he used +to be in Mother Goose’s book. ‘Simple Simon met a pieman going to the +fair. Said Simple Simon to the pieman, let me taste your ware.’ That’s +who the boy is.” + +“Oh, how glad I am to meet them!” cried Mary. + +“And is the pieman going to a fair or circus?” asked Johnny. + +“No, he is just coming back, because the circus is over!” exclaimed +Simple Simon. “But he’s got lots of pies left. Hey, Jiggily Jig!” +called Simple Simon to the funny boy. “Let’s see who can turn the most +somersaults.” + +And then those two funny boys began turning somersaults down the +street, going over and over, faster and faster, and getting farther and +farther away from the Trippertrots. + +“Oh, he’s gone--Jiggily Jig is gone, and we’ll never get home!” cried +Mary. + +“Never mind,” said the kind pieman, “I think I can take you home. Come +with me.” + + + + +ADVENTURE NUMBER ELEVEN + +THE TRIPPERTROTS AND THE PIEMAN + + +The Trippertrot children stood on the sidewalk, looking after Jiggily +Jig, the funny boy, and Simple Simon, turning somersaults. Then the +Trippertrot children looked at the pieman. + +“Whatever shall we do?” asked Mary. “Oh, I wish we had never left the +house when mamma told us not to! What shall we do?” + +“Go with the pieman, of course,” answered Johnny. + +“Yes, and maybe he’ll give us each a pie, and mamma or Suzette could +pay him when he gets to our house. I’m very hungry,” spoke Tommy. + +“So am I,” said Johnny. + +“And I guess I am also,” added Mary. + +“Why, bless your hearts!” exclaimed the kind pieman. “Hungry, eh? That +will never do! I can’t bear to see hungry children. Step right up to +the pie wagon, and help yourselves. I have apple pie, peach pie, lemon +pie, cocoanut pie, orange pie, cranberry pie, and even sawdust pie, but +I wouldn’t like to give you any of that last. Sawdust pie is very hard +to eat.” + +“Who does eat sawdust pie?” asked Mary, wondering what it looked like. + +“Oh, sawdust pie is for sawdust dolls,” said the pieman. “I make it +especially for them. That’s really the only thing they can eat. But +what kind would you children like--lemon, peach, custard----” + +“Oh, I just love custard pie!” interrupted Johnny, smacking his lips. + +“So do I!” cried Tommy. + +“And mamma says it’s very good for us,” added Mary. + +“Only--only,” spoke Tommy slowly, “we haven’t any money to pay you with +just now, Mr. Pieman.” + +“Oh, that doesn’t matter in the least,” spoke the kind pieman, winking +both his eyes, one after the other. + +“But when Simple Simon wanted to taste of your pies you made him show +you first his penny,” said Johnny. + +“And he didn’t have any,” added Mary. + +“Oh, but _that_ was Simple Simon,” said the pieman, with a laugh. “He’s +different, Simon is. Why, he’d eat every pie on my wagon if I didn’t +make him show me his penny every now and then. And sometimes he loses +it, and then he can’t have any pie for a week. But I don’t want any +money from you Trippertrot children.” + +“What kind of pie does Simple Simon like best?” asked Tommy, as he +went close up to the pie wagon, and saw that there were several large +custard pies on it. + +“Oh, he’ll eat almost any kind,” replied the pieman, “but most +especially he likes a Christmas pie, the kind I always make for little +Jack Horner, who sits in a corner. Yes, Simon is very fond of Christmas +pies, with sugar plums in them.” + +“Do you make pies for Jack Horner?” asked Johnny. + +“To be sure,” answered the pieman, “else he wouldn’t have any to stick +his thumb in. But come, now, choose your custard pie, and after you eat +it we’ll travel on and see if you can find your home.” + +“Why, don’t you know where it is?” asked Mary. + +“No,” answered the pieman. “I thought you did.” + +“Oh, there we go again!” cried Tommy. “We’re lost once more! Jiggily +Jig knew where our house was, but he’s gone off!” + +“Yes, he’s gone off, sure enough,” agreed the pieman, and he looked +down the street, but he couldn’t see either Jiggily Jig or Simple Simon. + +“I thought perhaps Jiggily Jig would have told you where our house was +before he began turning those somersaults,” said Mary. + +“Bless you, no, he didn’t,” answered the pieman. “But you never can +depend on Jiggily Jig. He’s too fond of doing funny tricks. But don’t +worry. I dare say I can manage to find your house. So come along, eat +your pie, and be happy.” + +Then he cut a nice, fresh custard pie for them, and gave them each a +piece. Oh, it was most delicious! Which means very nice, you know. Yes, +that pie was certainly good, and I wish I could give you all some, if +you were allowed to eat it, but I’m not--I mean I’m not allowed to give +you any, because there wouldn’t be enough to go around. + +“Well, now, if you’re all ready, we’ll start off,” said the kind +pieman, when the Trippertrot children had finished eating. “We will go +up one street and down another, and perhaps after a while we may come +to your home.” + +“I’m afraid we won’t,” answered Mary. “We always do seem to have such +bad luck in losing our home. I’m sure we never mean to run off, but +something always seems to happen.” + +“This time it was a fire,” said Johnny. + +“And the other time it was a little lost girl, crying in the street,” +spoke Tommy. + +“Well, never mind,” said the pieman. “I’ll sing a little song as we go +along, and people will come to the doors or windows of their houses to +see what I have to sell, and some of the people may see you children, +and know you. Then they can tell me where to take you home.” + +“Oh, goody!” cried Mary, dancing up and down, almost like Jiggily Jig +did. + +“Lots and lots of people know us,” said Johnny. “I’m sure that would be +a very good plan.” + +“Then we’ll do it,” spoke the pieman. “Now let me see, what song shall +I sing? Oh, I know one.” And then he sang this song: + + “I am a jolly pieman, + My pies are nice and sweet; + They’re made of many different things + For boys and girls to eat. + If you would kindly try them, + I think you’d like them, too, + Because there is a special pie + Made specially for you. + + “There’s lemon, peach and apple, + And cocoanut and plum, + And custard pie and orange, + And also chewing-gum. + But, best of all, is Christmas, + A pie you all may eat, + The kind Jack Horner had when he + Sat in his corner seat.” + +Well, no sooner had the kind pieman finished his song than all the +people along the street began opening their doors and windows, and +putting their heads out. + +“Ho! Ho!” cried some boys and girls who were just home from school. “We +would like some pies.” + +“Then come and get them,” said the pieman, and the boys and girls, and +lots of ladies, also, came around the pieman’s wagon, and bought his +pies. + +Then, when he was wrapping up the pies, or taking in the money, or +making change, the pieman would say: + +“Do any of you boys or girls, or ladies know where these children live?” + +“Why, don’t they know where they live themselves?” asked one lady. + +“Oh, no,” answered the pieman. “These are the three little +Trippertrots, and they are always getting lost. I am looking for their +house as I go along selling pies.” + +But no one seemed to know where Mary or Johnny or Tommy lived. Lots and +lots of boys and girls and ladies and men came out to buy pies, and +they looked at the children, but none knew where they lived. + +“Maybe some big giant has moved our house away,” said Tommy, “and +that’s why we can’t find it.” + +“Oh, of course not!” exclaimed Mary. “Giants don’t live around here.” + +“Well, I wish they did,” said Johnny quickly. + +“Why?” asked Tommy. + +“Oh, then we could ask one of them to take us up on his shoulder, and +he could walk about two of his steps and he would be right at our +house, and we’d be home,” went on Johnny. “But I s’pose that can’t +happen. We’ll have to trip and trot along until the pieman finds our +house.” + +So along through the streets they went, the pieman singing his little +song, and selling pies, and asking all the people he met if they knew +where the Trippertrots lived. + +But no one did, and Mary and Tommy and Johnny were beginning to think +they would never find their papa or mamma, or Suzette, the nursemaid, +again. + +And then, all of a sudden, as the pieman was pushing his cart down a +little street where there were lots of trees, and many small houses +with red chimneys on them sticking up through the roof--all of a +sudden, I say--out ran a little girl, holding a dollie in her arms. + +“Oh, Mr. Pieman!” cried the little girl. “I have been waiting such a +long time for you!” + +“Why, what is the matter?” asked the kind pieman. + +“Oh, Sallie, my doll, is very ill,” said the little girl, “and I want +some sawdust pie for her.” + +“I have just one left,” said the pieman. “Here it is, and I hope she +will soon be better.” Then he wrapped up the sawdust pie for the little +girl’s doll, and he asked her--asked the little girl, I mean--if she +knew where the Trippertrots lived. “For I can’t seem to find their +home,” said the kind pieman, blinking both his eyes at once. + +“No, I don’t know, where they live,” said the little girl, as she +looked carefully at Mary, Johnny and Tommy. + +“Oh, dear!” cried Mary. “I’m so tired walking about, looking for our +home.” + +“So am I!” exclaimed Johnny and Tommy. + +“Then I know the very thing to do,” said the little girl, as she looked +in the paper to see if her sawdust pie was all right. “Here comes the +banana man, and he has quite a large wagon which he pushes about on its +two wheels. Let him take you on his wagon, and ride you through the +streets, and perhaps you may find your home that way.” + +“Oh, goody!” cried Mary. + +“It will be fun to ride in the banana wagon,” said Johnny, jumping up +and down. + +“Yes, and I think he can take us home,” spoke Tommy. + +And just then along came the banana man, and he said he would be very +glad to help the Trippertrots get home. So the pieman said good-by to +them, and gave them each a little custard pie, and then he went off to +find Simple Simon and Jiggly Jig. + +“Jump on my wagon,” said the banana man, and the Trippertrot children +did so, as there was lots of room. Up they hopped, and away they went +along the street, looking for their house, and wondering how long it +would be before they found the place. + + + + +ADVENTURE NUMBER TWELVE + +THE TRIPPERTROTS AND THE BANANA MAN + + +“It’s almost as nice to ride on a banana wagon as it is on a load of +hay,” said Mary. “This is just lovely, I think.” + +“So do I,” agreed Tommy. “And there really _is_ hay on this wagon, so +it’s almost like a straw ride.” + +“Oh, yes, I always put the bananas on soft hay, so they won’t break +open when the wagon goes over rough stones,” said the banana man. “But +hold tight, now, as I am going very fast.” And so he did, and the +children were bounced about, and up and down a bit, but then the hay +was so soft that they didn’t get hurt in the least. + +“Do you know where our house is?” asked Johnny, after a bit. + +“No, but I think I can find it,” answered the banana man. “I know where +lots and lots of houses are, and I’m sure one of them must be yours. +I’ll go along through the street, and you can look at all the houses +you see, and pretty soon you’ll see the right one.” + +“Oh, but we have been away from home a long time,” said Tommy. “Ever +since early this morning, when we went after the kind fireman to thank +him. And we’ve been lost from then on.” + +“And maybe some one has painted our house a different color,” spoke +Johnny, “so we won’t know it even when we see it.” + +“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that,” spoke the banana man. “They +couldn’t have painted your house since morning, and it isn’t night yet.” + +“The false-face man could,” said Mary. “He is a very fast painter, but +then I know he would make funny faces on our house, if he _did_ paint +it, so we would know it anyhow.” + +“Yes, that’s right,” said the banana man. “But lie down, now, and rest +yourselves, and I will wheel you up first one street and then down the +other, and soon you may be home.” + +So he did that, and lots and lots of persons stopped to look at the +funny sight of three lost children sitting on the hay in a two-wheeled +banana wagon. + +“Do you happen to know where they live?” the banana man would ask the +different people who crowded around his wagon. + +“No,” said every one, and the men and women shook their heads. + +“Do you know any of these people?” the banana man then asked of the +Trippertrot children. But neither Mary nor Johnny nor Tommy knew any of +them. + +“Then we will have to go along a little farther,” said the banana man; +and so he went up some streets that were hilly, and down some that were +smooth, and along some that were very rough with cobblestones, and all +the while he kept wheeling the children in his wagon, or cart, if you’d +rather call it that. + +And once the wagon went over a stick of wood, and tipped to one side, +and Mary nearly fell out. She would have, only Tommy grabbed her just +in time, and held her on the hay. + +And a little later there was a dog chasing a cat, and the cat ran so +fast to get away from the dog that the pussy jumped right up in the +wagon, into Mary’s lap. + +“Oh, you poor, dear little pussy!” cried Mary, as she rubbed the cat’s +fur, and tried to make its tail smaller, for it was all swelled up on +account of the dog, you know. + +“That cat looks like our cat, Ivy Vine,” said Tommy, when the banana +man had driven away the dog. + +“Oh, yes, I just wish Ivy Vine was here now,” said Mary. + +“And I wish Fido was here,” spoke Johnny. “He is kind to cats.” + +“Yes, if we could only find Ivy and Fido, they would show us the way +home.” And Mary sighed a little, and a salty tear fell out of her left +eye. + +“Never mind,” said the banana man. “I think we will soon be there.” But +he talked in a tired voice, for his legs were very weary with tramping +around all day, selling bananas, and then giving the lost children a +ride up and down so many streets, looking for their home. Still he +wouldn’t give up. + +Pretty soon they came to where a man was selling hot, roasted +chestnuts, and also some cold, boiled ones. And the banana man knew the +chestnut man, and bought some nuts from him and gave them to the lost +Trippertrots, for they were hungry again, those three children were. + +“Oh, it doesn’t seem as if we were ever going to be at home again!” +said Mary, after a while, when she had eaten some of the roasted +chestnuts. + +“No, indeed,” spoke Johnny, as he ate some boiled ones. + +“I’m never going to run away again,” said Tommy, “not even if the +chimney does get on fire.” + +“Or even if the house falls down,” added Mary. And then they put their +arms around one another and sat there on the banana wagon, and wished +they were home. + +And the banana man did the best he could. He looked at all the houses, +and he asked lots of people where the Trippertrots lived, but none +knew. + +“I guess you will have to look for the kind policeman again,” suggested +Tommy. “He can find our house for us.” + +“Or else Mr. Johnson, who took us home in his automobile, the other +time when we were lost,” added Johnny. “He might help us.” + +“Perhaps I had better look for a policeman,” said the banana man, +for he was now very tired, because it was like pushing three baby +carriages, made into one, to push the Trippertrots about on the banana +wagon. + +So he looked all over for a policeman, but he couldn’t see any. I guess +they were all down at the big fire, where all the firemen had gone. And +the banana man couldn’t even see the pieman or Simple Simon, nor even +Jiggily Jig. + +“Oh! Whatever shall we do?” cried Mary. + +“I don’t know,” answered Johnny. “Do you, Tommy?” + +“No, I don’t know, either,” replied Tommy Trippertrot. + +But just then they turned around the corner of the street, and they +heard some music playing, and there was a hand-organ man, with a monkey! + +“Oh, goody!” cried Mary. “There is the hand-organ man who once rode +with us in the automobile, and he will know where we live.” + +“No, I am sorry to say I don’t know where you live,” answered the +hand-organ man, when they had asked him. “You see, I am a new man here, +and not the one you thought I was. I just bought this organ and the +monkey from the man who rode with you in the auto. The monkey may know +where you live, but I don’t.” + +“Then let’s ask the monkey,” suggested Tommy. + +So they asked the monkey. But, bless you! the monkey couldn’t talk, you +know, and all he did was to take off his cap and make a low bow, as if +he was asking for pennies. + +“That’s of no use,” said Tommy hopelessly. + +“No,” agreed Mary. “We’ll never get home that way.” + +Well, the three little Trippertrots didn’t know what to do, and they +were almost ready to cry, when, all at once, Johnny gave a loud shout. + +“What’s the matter?” asked Mary. “Are you hurt?” + +“No! But look!” cried Johnny. “There comes Ivy Vine, our cat!” + +“And there comes Fido, our dog!” exclaimed Tommy, and he pointed to +the dog and cat coming down the street together like twins, only, of +course, they weren’t twins--dogs and cats can’t be twins, you know. + +“Oh, now we will find our way home,” said Mary. “Ivy and Fido will lead +us. We can’t be far from our house.” + +“I am glad of it,” said the banana man, who was more tired than ever. + +“Here, Fido! Fido!” called Tommy. + +“Come, Ivy! Ivy!” cried Mary. + +The dog and the cat came running up to the children, and they were very +glad to see them. I mean the children were glad to see Fido and Ivy +Vine, and Ivy Vine and Fido were glad to see the children. So they were +all glad, even the banana man. + +“Now show us the way home, Fido!” called Tommy, and, somehow or other, +Fido understood, for he wagged his tail so hard that it almost dropped +off, and Ivy Vine wagged her tail, and then they trotted on ahead of +the banana wagon. They looked back every now and then, to see if the +wagon was coming. + +“Just follow them, and we’ll soon be at our home,” said Mary. And the +banana man did so, riding the children on his cart, and a little later, +just as they went around a corner, there was the Trippertrots’ house! + +“Oh, we’re home! We’re home!” cried Mary joyfully. + +“And how glad we are!” cried Tommy and Johnny, and they all hugged each +other. Fido capered about, barking as loudly as he could; and then out +ran Suzette and Mr. Trippertrot and Mrs. Trippertrot. + +“Oh, you children!” cried their mamma. “Lost again, I suppose!” + +“Yes’m,” answered Mary. + +“And we were looking all over for you,” said their papa. + +“But Fido and Ivy Vine and the banana man brought us home,” explained +Tommy, “and we had some wonderful adventures since we went to thank the +fireman.” + +“Well, please don’t ever have any more,” said their mamma. + +“No’m, we won’t,” answered Mary. + +Then they all went into the house and had supper, and Mr. Trippertrot +thanked the banana man very kindly, and gave him some money. + +“I don’t want any more adventures very soon,” said Tommy. + +But my goodness sakes alive and the mustard spoon! It wasn’t any time +at all before those three little Trippertrots had something more happen +to them. + + + + +ADVENTURE NUMBER THIRTEEN + +THE TRIPPERTROTS AND THE DANCING BEARS + + +The three little Trippertrots were in the house one day, looking out +of the window. Suzette, the nursemaid, was in the next room, trying +to mend a hole that Mary had torn in her red dress. I mean that Mary +had torn a hole in her own dress, not in Suzette’s, you understand, of +course. And the way it happened was this: + +They were playing soldiers, the Trippertrot children were, Tommy and +Johnny and Mary, and Tommy had a make-believe gun. It was really the +poker from the stove, but it looked something like a gun. + +And they were having a great battle, making believe shoot off the +poker-gun bang-bang, you know, when, all of a sudden, Mary ran past +Tommy, and the poker caught in her dress, and tore a hole in the cloth. + +“Oh, I’m afraid you can’t play soldiers any more,” said Mrs. +Trippertrot. “It’s too rough a game. Please play something gentle, that +doesn’t make so much noise.” + +So Mary and Tommy and Johnny played a guessing game; that is, they +tried to guess how many people were in the trolley cars that passed the +window, or how many letters the postman had in his bag, or how fast the +butcher boy could run when a pussy cat chased him, and all guessing +games like that. So that’s the reason, as I told you at first, why the +Trippertrots were looking out of the window of their house. + +“Oh, I’m tired of this,” said Tommy at last. + +“And so am I,” said Mary. + +“What can we do?” asked Johnny. + +“Oh, let’s make-believe we’re lost again,” suggested Mary. “We can +pretend that the parlor is away off downtown, and that the dining-room +is another city, and the kitchen can be a cave where a fairy lives, and +upstairs--I wonder what upstairs can be?” + +“That will be a mountain, of course,” said Tommy. “The stairs are high, +and so are mountains; and I’m going to climb one, and get lost on the +top, and build a campfire, and sleep there all night.” + +“Pooh! You sleep upstairs all night, anyhow,” said Johnny. “Our beds +are there.” + +“Oh, but this is only a make-believe mountain,” said Tommy. “Come on! +All ready to play this game! We’ll see who will be the first one to get +lost.” + +Well, the Trippertrots played that game a long time, and then Suzette +had Mary’s dress mended, and the nursemaid went to answer the back +doorbell, for the butcher boy was there with some meat for supper. + +Now in about a minute you will see where the dancing bears appear in +this story. I’m almost up to that part, so watch closely. + +When Suzette was at the back door, Mrs. Trippertrot happened to think +there was no bread in the house for dinner. + +“I know what I will do,” said the children’s mamma. “I will just run +next door to Mrs. Johnson’s, and borrow a loaf. Now don’t you children +go outside while I’m gone!” she called to Tommy and Mary and Johnny. + +“Not even in case of something most extra-extra-extraordinary +happening?” asked Johnny. + +“Oh, I suppose if it’s something most extraordinary you may go out for +a minute,” answered Mrs. Trippertrot, “but don’t you dare to get lost.” + +So they promised that they wouldn’t, and then they went back to play +the game of looking out of the windows, and Mary said: + +“Oh, I wish something most extra-extraordinary would come along!” + +“So do I!” exclaimed Tommy. + +“And there it is!” suddenly cried Johnny. “If that isn’t extraordinary, +I’d like to know what is!” + +And sure enough, down the street came a man with three dancing bears. +There was a little bear and a middle-sized bear and a big bear, just as +in the story book. And the man had a horn, on which he played jolly, +funny little tunes. + +“Oh, I hope the bears dance where we can see them,” said Mary, and +Tommy and Johnny said the same thing; and really it was just as if the +dancing-bear man heard the Trippertrot children, for, sure enough, he +stopped in front of their house, and began to blow a tune on his horn. + + “Hum tum-tum tiddle di de um, + Hum tum-tum tiddle day; + Dum-dum-dum fiddle faddle de um, + Ho tum-tum skiddle ray.” + +And with that, those bears stood up on their hind legs, and began to +dance around almost as well as you or I could do it. I’m sure you would +have been very glad to see them, for they were such nice bears. + +The big bear took big steps when he danced, and the middle-sized bear +took middle-sized steps, and, of course, the little bear had to take +little steps, for that was all the kind of steps that were left, but +they suited him exactly. + +“Oh! Aren’t they fine!” cried Mary. + +“Yes. I wish we had one,” said Johnny. + +“Oh, I don’t!” exclaimed his sister. “He might scratch us, not meaning +to, you know, but accidentally. I don’t want a bear in the house.” + +“I think it would be fun,” said Tommy. “We could play we were hunters +on a mountain, and make-believe shoot the bear, only, of course, we +wouldn’t _really_ do it.” + +“Oh, look! Look!” suddenly cried Mary. “One bear is climbing a +telegraph pole!” And, sure enough, the middle-sized bear was doing +that, while the man played more tunes on his horn. + +“Oh, look there!” cried Johnny. “The big bear is standing on his head!” +And, just as true as I’m telling you, he was. + +“See! See!” exclaimed Tommy. “The little bear is turning somersaults +just like Simple Simon and Jiggily Jig did! Isn’t it great!” + +Well, the man made the dancing bears do many more tricks, and then he +held out his hat for money, for that was how he made his living. And +Suzette gave the children some money to give to the bearman. + +Then the man made a bow, to show that he was thankful, and the bears +made bows, too, to show they were thankful, for if the man hadn’t +gotten any money the bears wouldn’t have had much for supper. Then they +started off up the street to dance some more. + +“Oh, I’m sorry they’re gone!” said Mary, and her brothers were, also; +and they were just wondering what else they could do to have fun, when, +all of a sudden, Tommy cried: + +“Look! Look! The little bear has run away from the man, and is coming +back here!” + +“Yes, and I guess the man doesn’t know it, or he would come back after +him,” said Johnny. “I think we ought to go out and catch the little +bear for the man.” + +“Oh, don’t you do it!” cried Mary, shivering. + +“Why, he’s tame, and won’t hurt me,” said Tommy. “Besides, we would be +doing the man a kindness.” + +“But mamma doesn’t want us to go out of the house,” said Mary, for she +could now see the bear quite plainly, as he was right in front of the +house again, and he was so kind and gentle-looking, and he seemed to +smile so at the children, that they just loved him. + +“I’m going out and catch him for the man, and give him something to +eat,” said Tommy. + +“Who? The man or the bear?” asked Johnny. + +“The little bear. See! He has a chain on his neck, and we can lead him +by that. Come on.” + +“Oh, dear! Well, I s’pose I’ll have to go, too,” said Mary. “This is +one of those most extra-extraordinary occasions, I guess. But I do hope +we’re not lost again.” + +“Hurry up!” called Johnny. “We can catch the bear, take him to the man, +and soon be in the house again.” + +Well, would you ever believe it if I didn’t tell you? That little bear +just stood still when the Trippertrot children came up to him, and +he almost seemed to smile, you know the way bears do, by opening his +mouth, and then he made a low bow. + +“Oh, I almost believe he could talk, if he wanted to, he is so cute,” +said Mary. + +“Come along, little bear,” spoke Tommy. + +“Yes, we’re going to take you back to the man,” said Johnny. “He +doesn’t know you’re lost, I guess.” + +[Illustration: DOWN THE STREET CAME A MAN WITH THREE BEARS] + +Well, the bear growled a little bit, but that was only his way of +saying “Thank you!” And then he stood still while Johnny took hold of +the chain around his neck--I mean the chain around the bear’s neck, +not Johnny’s, for Johnny didn’t have any chain on his neck. And Tommy +also took hold of the bear’s chain, and so did Mary, just the littlest, +tiny tip end, you know. + +“Now we’re all ready,” said Johnny. “Come along, little bear, and we’ll +soon have you back to your master.” + +So the three little Trippertrots marched down the street, leading the +tame little bear, and they expected any minute to find the man with the +horn. But they couldn’t see him anywhere. + +“Oh, we must find him soon,” said Mary. + +“Yes,” said Johnny. “We can’t take the bear back home with us.” + +“And if we let him go by himself he’ll get lost,” spoke Tommy. “Let’s +go on a little farther.” + +So they went on a little farther with the animal, but they couldn’t +find the man who owned the bear, and they couldn’t hear his tooting +horn. And then, as they turned around a corner, Mary suddenly said: + +“There! I knew it!” + +“Knew what?” asked Johnny. + +“I knew we were lost again,” said Mary. “I’ve never seen this street +before. We are certainly lost again.” + +“Oh! What will mamma say?” asked Tommy. + +“And lost with a little dancing bear to take care of,” added Mary. + +“Well, if we’re lost, the bear is lost, too, and that’s all there is +about it,” spoke Johnny cheerfully. “Maybe we can find our way back. +Let’s try.” + +So they walked down another street, looking for the way back home, or +for the man who owned the little bear. + + + + +ADVENTURE NUMBER FOURTEEN + +THE TRIPPERTROTS AND THE PINK COW + + +“We don’t seem to be getting anywhere very fast,” said Tommy +Trippertrot, after he and his sister and his brother and the little +tame dancing bear had walked up and down several streets. + +“No, indeed,” agreed Mary. + +“Are you sure we’re lost again?” asked Johnny. + +“I certainly am,” replied his sister. “We must have come farther than +we thought we did. All the streets are strange, and all the houses, +too, and I don’t see a single person that I know. Oh, dear! Isn’t it +too bad?” + +“Never mind!” exclaimed Johnny, putting his arms around Mary to hug +her. “I’ll take care of you.” + +“And so will I,” added Tommy. + +“Wuff! Wuff!” growled the bear in his gentle voice, and that was his +way of saying that he, too, would take care of Mary. And he put one +fuzzy paw around her neck, and squeezed her the least bit; not enough +to hurt her, you understand. Oh, of course not. + +“Well, what had we better do?” asked Johnny. + +“We’ll ask the first person we meet if they know where we live,” said +Mary. “It’s funny, but we never can seem to remember. I guess we ought +to have a stamp and an address on us, just as letters do, and then the +postman could always take us home.” + +“I think that _would_ be a good idea,” said Tommy. “But it’s too late +to do that now, and I don’t see any people we can ask,” and he looked +up and down the street, but no one was in sight. + +“Oh, I tell you what let’s do!” exclaimed Johnny. “We’ll let the bear +go wherever he wants to, and maybe he’ll take us home, the way Fido and +Ivy once did.” + +“That’s a good idea,” said Tommy. “We’ll do it.” + +So they let go of the chain that was around the bear’s neck, and Mary +said to him: + +“Now go ahead, little bear, and take us home.” + +“Oh, bears can’t understand our talk,” said Tommy. + +“Why, Fido understands me!” said Mary. “When I speak pleasantly to him +he wags his tail, so I’m sure he understands; and if _he_ can, why +can’t bears?” + +“Oh, well, maybe he does,” admitted Johnny. “Let’s see what he’ll do.” + +The little bear didn’t do anything at first. He just stood there on his +hind legs, looking all around, and sort of sniffing the air. I guess he +was trying to see if he could smell his supper cooking anywhere. Then, +all at once, he started to run across the street. + +“Come on!” cried Johnny. “I guess that’s the way home! We’ll follow the +bear!” + +So they ran after the shaggy little creature, who kept right on going, +looking over his shoulder every now and then, just as if he was telling +the children to follow him. And they did. But where in the world do you +suppose he led them? + +You’d never guess, I’m afraid, so I’m going to tell you. It was right +up to a bakery shop window, that was filled with all sorts of nice +cakes and cookies and pies. Yes, just as true as I’m telling you, +that’s what the bear did. He came to a stop right in front of the +window, and then he looked up at the children, and sort of whined, +just as Fido, their dog, did when he was hungry. + +“Oh, I know what he wants!” cried Mary. + +“What is it?” asked both her brothers at once. + +“He wants some cakes,” said Mary. “He is hungry, poor little fellow. +That’s why he led us over to this bakery. I’m going to see if the +bakery man will give us some cakes or buns for our little bear.” + +“I wish he’d give us some for ourselves,” spoke Johnny. “I’m hungry +myself.” + +“So am I!” exclaimed Tommy. + +“Well, let’s go in,” suggested Mary. + +“Oh, not all at once,” objected Johnny. “For if we did, and left the +bear all alone outside here, he might run away. I’ll stay here with +him, Tommy, and you and Mary can go in and ask the bakery man for some +cake.” + +“All right,” agreed Tommy, and into the bakery shop he and his sister +went, leaving Johnny to take care of the baby bear. + +“Well, little ones, what can I do for you to-day?” asked the baker-man +of Mary and Tommy, as he came out of the back room, wiping some flour +off the end of his nose. “Will you have bread or pie?” + +“Neither, if you please, sir,” answered Mary, “but we have a little +bear, and----” + +“Good gracious sakes alive and some ground cinnamon!” cried the +baker-man. “You don’t mean to tell me you have a real live bear in +here? Take him out at once, I beg of you!” + +“Oh, no, he isn’t in here,” said Tommy. “He’s outside, with my brother +Johnny. But anyhow, he’s tame and gentle, and he wouldn’t hurt a fly, +not if one were to light on his nose and tickle him. He’d just blow him +off.” + +[Illustration: _Johnny Brought in the Bear._] + +“Oh, he is a very kind bear,” went on Mary. + +“I am very glad to hear that,” spoke the baker-man. “But what do you +want me to do--buy him?” + +“Oh, no,” answered Tommy. “You see, he is lost, and we are lost, and he +came over here to look at your cakes because he was hungry, and we are +hungry, too. But you needn’t mind us, unless you have some cakes you +don’t want, and----” + +But then Tommy had to stop to catch his breath, which had nearly gotten +away from him, and Mary said: + +“Oh, you had better let me finish. What we want, Mr. Baker-man, is some +cake for our little bear. At least he isn’t really ours, but he belongs +to the man who plays tunes on the funny little horn, and he is lost.” + +“Who is lost, the man or the bear?” asked the baker, with a jolly laugh. + +“Both, I guess,” said Tommy, who had his breath by this time. “But have +you any cakes?” + +“Oh, yes, plenty of them,” said the kind baker. “I will give you some, +and the bear some, and----” + +“But we have no money,” said Mary quickly, “and we are lost--we’re +always getting lost,” she said. + +“No matter about the money,” went on the baker. “I will give you as +many cakes as the bear needs, and some for yourself. Bring in the bear.” + +So Johnny brought in the bear, and the baker cried out as soon as he +saw the shaggy little fellow: + +“Why, I know that bear! He belongs to a nice Italian in the next +street. You had better leave him with me, and I will see that he gets +home safely. But first he must have some cakes. Come here, Bruno!” +called the baker to the bear, and the little tame bear came right over +to him, and ate a chocolate cake out of his hand. + +“You see, he knows me,” said the baker. “I will see that he gets safely +home.” + +“Oh, dear!” exclaimed Mary. “I wish that some one knew _us_, and would +see that _we_ got home. It’s dreadful to be lost all the while, but we +can’t seem to help it.” + +“Never mind,” said the baker kindly. “Here, eat some cakes, and then we +will see what is to be done. Perhaps I can think of a way to get you +home.” + +Well, you would never believe it if I didn’t tell you, I suppose, but +this is just how it happened. All of a sudden into the baker shop +walked a man, and he had a string in his hand. + +“What are you leading by that string? Another bear?” asked the +baker-man. + +“No. I am leading my pink cow,” said the man. + +“A pink cow!” exclaimed the baker. “I never heard of a pink cow!” + +“Well, I have one,” said the man. “You can look for yourself, if you +don’t believe me.” + +So they all looked out on the sidewalk--that is, all but the little +bear, and he was too busy eating cakes to look--and there, sure enough, +was a nice pink cow, and the man was leading her by a yellow string +around her neck. + +“How did she get pink?” asked the baker-man. + +“She went to the circus once,” said the other man, “and she drank a +pailful of pink lemonade, in mistake for water, so she has been pink +ever since. But it doesn’t hurt her any, and she gives as good milk as +ever.” + +“What are you going to do with her?” asked the baker-man. + +“Why, I am going to sell her to a man named Mr. Jones,” said the +cowman. “He lives a few streets away, and he has always wanted a pink +cow. So I am taking mine to him.” + +“Oh! I wonder if that’s the Mr. Jones who lives two doors from us?” +cried Mary. + +“What might your names be?” asked the pink-cow man quickly. + +“The Trippertrots!” cried Tommy and Johnny and Mary, all at the same +time. + +“Then that’s the Mr. Jones, all right,” said the pink-cow man. “He said +he lived next door to a family of Trippertrot children, who were always +getting lost----” + +“And we’re lost now!” interrupted Mary. + +“But you can take us home!” cried Johnny. + +“To be sure I can,” answered the man. “I’ll take you home on my way to +leave my pink cow at Mr. Jones’s house. Come along, children.” + +So they said good-by to the little bear, who was still eating buns, and +then to the baker, who gave the Trippertrots some cakes to take home; +and then the children started out with the man and the pink cow to go +home to their house. + +“Oh, how thankful I am that we’re not lost any more!” exclaimed Mary, +as they walked along, with the pink cow following behind, and switching +her tail to keep the flies away. + +“Yes; and wasn’t it lucky that the baker-man knew what to do with the +bear?” said Johnny. + +“It certainly was,” spoke Tommy. + +“You will soon be home now,” said the pink-cow man, and they kept on up +the street, and in a little while they were safely at the Trippertrot +house. + +Just as the three children got in front of their house they saw their +papa and mamma, and Suzette, the nursemaid, looking at them out of the +parlor windows. + +“Oh, there are our dear children!” cried Mrs. Trippertrot. + +“I wonder where they have been this time?” asked Mr. Trippertrot. + +“There is no telling,” replied his wife. “They do seem to go to the +strangest places. And look what they have with them! A pink cow, of all +things!” + +“Oh, I hope they are not going to bring that pink cow in here!” +exclaimed Suzette, the nursemaid. “There is no place to put it!” + +“Oh, dear! I wonder what those children will do next?” asked Mrs. +Trippertrot. But there was no one there to answer her, for Mr. +Trippertrot ran out to get Mary and Tommy and Johnny, and Suzette ran +out to help him, and so Mrs. Trippertrot thought she would run out +herself. + +“Oh, mamma!” cried Mary. “We had the grandest time!” + +“And we took the little bear home,” said Johnny. + +“And the baker-man gave us some cakes, but we ate them all up,” spoke +Tommy. + +“Oh, you children!” cried their mamma. + +“And what about the pink cow?” asked Mr. Trippertrot. “I do hope you +haven’t brought that home with you!” + +“Oh, no,” said the man who owned the cow. “I am taking my cow to Mr. +Jones, who lives two doors from you. He wants her, and as I was coming +this way, I brought your children with me.” + +“That was very kind of you,” said Mr. Trippertrot, “and I hope they +don’t trip and trot off again. Come in, now, children, and tell your +mother and me all about where you were this time.” + +“And we can tell you why the cow is pink,” said Tommy. “She ate some +pink ice cream once--strawberry, I guess it was----” + +“No, she drank pink lemonade,” corrected Mary. + +“Oh, yes, that’s it,” agreed Tommy, “and so she’s been pink ever since.” + +So the three little Trippertrots went into their house, and the man +took the pink cow to where Mr. Jones lived, and everybody was happy for +a while, just as you all are, I hope. + + + + +ADVENTURE NUMBER FIFTEEN + +THE TRIPPERTROTS AND THE TRAIN OF CARS + + +It was shortly after the Trippertrot children got home, after finding +the little lost bear, that, one afternoon, when they were all looking +out of the window of their house, their mamma said: + +“Now, children, I am going across the street to see a lady, and I don’t +want you to stir out of the playroom until I come back.” + +“May we go out when you do come back, mamma?” asked Mary. + +“I’ll see,” returned Mrs. Trippertrot. “At any rate, you are to stay +here until I come back.” + +“Can’t we even go out if we see the little lost bear again?” asked +Tommy. + +“No, indeed,” answered his mamma. “Not on any account.” + +Well, the Trippertrots didn’t like to stay in very much, but they were +good little people, and they did just as they were told, unless, of +course, they happened to forget, or unless a very extra-extraordinary +thing happened. + +“Oh, I wish we had some game to play,” sighed Mary. + +“I know!” exclaimed Johnny, “let’s play another choosing game. I’ll let +you have first choice, Mary, of whatever comes along the street. Then +Tommy can have his choice, and then it will be my turn.” + +“All right!” cried Tommy and Mary, so they began to play. And when +Mary saw an automobile coming alone she chose that--not really to have +for her very own, you understand, but just to make-believe. Then it was +Tommy’s turn, and he picked out a nice horse and wagon. But when it +came Johnny’s turn, all there was left was a man pushing a wheelbarrow, +so Johnny took that. + +“Oh, that’s not a bit nice to choose,” said Mary, as she wrinkled up +her nose. “You may have part of my automobile, if you like, Johnny.” + +“And he can have part of my horse and wagon,” said Tommy. + +“All right, then I’ll take the horse, and we’ll all go riding,” quickly +cried Johnny. But, of course, this was only make-believe, you know. + +And then, all of a sudden, Mary happened to look down the street, and +she cried out: + +“Oh, look! There is the pink cow running away from the stable where Mr. +Jones put her.” + +“Sure enough, so she is!” exclaimed Tommy. + +“We must go after her,” declared Johnny. + +“No, mamma said we weren’t to leave the house,” said Mary. + +“Oh, but she said we weren’t to go if a bear came along,” insisted +Johnny. “This is a cow, not a bear, and, besides, she’s pink.” + +“And besides,” added Tommy, “Mr. Jones wouldn’t want to lose that cow, +as it must have cost a whole lot of money. I think we ought to chase +after her and bring her back.” + +“So do I,” added Johnny, and then the two boys, catching up their hats +and coats, ran out of the house. + +“Well, I’m not going to stay here all alone,” said Mary. “I guess mamma +would want us to catch the pink cow, as long as it isn’t a little tame +bear. Wait, boys, I’m coming,” she called. + +And there those three little Trippertrots were running away again, and +without in the least meaning to. But it just shows you what will happen +sometimes; doesn’t it? + +The pink cow was slowly walking down the street, chewing her gum--I beg +your pardon, I mean her cud--and the Trippertrot children were chasing +after her. + +“Hold on!” cried Tommy to the cow. + +“Yes, wait a minute,” called Johnny. + +“Oh, don’t talk to her,” said Mary. “Cows can’t understand our talk. +Just catch hold of the string around her neck, and then we can lead her +back to Mr. Jones.” + +“But there isn’t any string on her neck,” said Tommy. + +“Then, of course, you can’t do it,” spoke Mary. “Never mind, I guess +she will soon get tired, and then we can catch her.” + +But that pink cow didn’t seem to get tired, and all at once she ran +down a street where there weren’t any houses, and she kept on until she +was out in a big field, and the children were chasing after her, but +they couldn’t catch her. + +And then, all of a sudden, there was a loud whistling noise. At first +the children thought it was a giant, but it wasn’t, it was only the +choo-choo engine in front of a train of cars that just then came +puffing along. And as soon as the cow saw the engine, with the smoke +shooting up out of the black chimney, and when she heard the loud +whistle, that pink cow just kicked up her heels and jumped so high that +it looked if she jumped over the moon. + +At least I think she jumped over the moon, for the children couldn’t +see her any more, though maybe the cow was only hiding behind the +bushes until the train got past. Anyhow, she wasn’t in sight. + +“She’s gone!” exclaimed Mary. + +“There’s no use chasing after her any more, then,” said Tommy. + +“Yes, we had better hurry home, and tell Mr. Jones that his cow has run +away, so he can run after her,” spoke Johnny. + +Well, those Trippertrots started to go back home, but, would you +believe it, they couldn’t find the way. They looked everywhere, but +they couldn’t find the right path that led back to their house. + +“Oh, we’re lost again!” exclaimed Mary. + +“Yes, I guess we are,” said Tommy, sorrowfully. + +“And what are we to do?” asked Johnny. “This is a queer place to be +lost in--out in the fields.” + +Just then the train with the choo-choo engine on in front came to a +stop. A man with a blue coat, all covered with shiny brass buttons, +jumped off the first car. + +“All aboard!” he called, waving his arms around his head. “Everybody +get on! All aboard, everybody! No time to wait! Get on the train!” + +“Who is he?” asked Mary of her brothers in a whisper. + +“He’s the conductor,” said Tommy. + +“And I guess he’s talking to us,” spoke Johnny. “He wants us to get on.” + +“Of course,” said Mary. “I never thought of it. Papa has sent the train +to take us home. Get on board.” + +“Ladies first,” said the conductor, politely, and he helped Mary up the +steps, and then he helped Johnny and Tommy, for they were too little to +get up by themselves. + +“All aboard!” called the conductor again, and then the engine gave a +loud toot, and off the train started. + + + + +ADVENTURE NUMBER SIXTEEN + +THE TRIPPERTROTS IN A TROLLEY CAR + + +“Oh, this is fine!” cried Tommy, after they had ridden some distance. + +“It’s the best yet,” said Johnny. “I like this kind of running away!” + +“But we’re not running away,” said Mary. “We only ran after the pink +cow belonging to Mr. Jones, and now the train is taking us home.” + +“I hope we get in before mamma comes back from her call across the +street,” said Johnny. “She told us not to go out.” + +“Oh, but she only said not to go out after a little tame dancing bear, +as we once did,” said Tommy. “This time we went out after the pink cow.” + +“Well, I hope it will be all right,” spoke Mary. “Oh! look out of the +windows, boys, and see all the pretty fields and trees and--and----” + +“And telegraph poles,” added Tommy. “My, what a lot of them.” + +“And look! There is the pink cow!” suddenly cried Johnny, and, sure +enough, the pink animal was running along beside the train in a green +field. But pretty soon the train got going so fast that the cow was +left behind. + +“I hope she gets back home all right,” said Tommy; and Mary and Johnny +hoped the same thing. + +Well, the train kept going faster and faster, and the children were +looking out of the windows, having a good time, when the conductor, +with his blue coat all covered with brass buttons, came in. + +“Where do you children want to go?” he asked. + +“Home,” said Mary. + +“Home,” said Johnny. + +“Home,” said Tommy. + +“Ha, so you _all_ want to go home,” exclaimed the conductor, with a +jolly laugh. “Well, where might your home be?” + +“Why, don’t you know?” asked Mary in surprise. + +“No, I am sorry to say I don’t!” answered the conductor. + +“He--doesn’t--know--where--we--live!” exclaimed Tommy and Johnny +together, slowly. + +“Why, I thought papa sent this train to take us home,” went on Mary. + +“Well, it may take you to your home, if you tell me where your home +is,” went on the conductor. “Let me see your tickets, and I can tell +where you want to go.” + +“But we haven’t any tickets,” spoke Mary. + +“No tickets!” cried the conductor. “Then why did you take this train?” + +“We didn’t take it,” replied Mary slowly. “It took us, and it’s taking +us now. But if it doesn’t take us home I don’t want to stay on it.” + +“Me either,” said Tommy and Johnny, as they started to leave their +seats. + +“Wait a moment!” called the conductor. “Why did you get into this +railroad car?” + +“Because you told us to,” answered Mary. “We were chasing after the +pink cow, that belongs to Mr. Jones, but she got away from us, and then +your train came along, and you told us to get on board, and we did. It +isn’t our fault.” + +“Well, well! This is quite a puzzle,” said the conductor, shaking his +head, and scratching his nose with his ticket puncher. “And so you +haven’t any tickets at all, eh?” + +“Wait!” cried Tommy, with his jolly little laugh, “I think I have a +ticket.” He looked in all his pockets, and as he had a number of things +in them, it took him some time to find his ticket. There were balls of +cord, an old knife, some wheels from an alarm clock, and a piece of +chewing-gum. Then there was a red stone and a broken lead-pencil, and +when Tommy had all these articles out on the seat the conductor said: + +“Oh, I am afraid you have no ticket.” + +“Oh, yes, I have, just wait a minute, please,” said Tommy. And then +he pulled out a little tin can that he used to take with him when he +went fishing, and inside of that was a piece of paper. “There is our +ticket!” cried Tommy, with another jolly laugh. “It’s a ticket I made +for a magic-lantern show that I had, and it cost two pins to come in to +it. Now we can go home, can’t we, Mr. Conductor?” + +“Oh, dear! Oh, dear!” cried the conductor, again scratching his nose +with his ticket puncher, “that isn’t the kind of a ticket I meant at +all. ‘A ticket to a magic-lantern show! Admission two pins!’” he read +from the piece of paper as he looked at it. + +“What kind of a ticket did you mean?” asked Mary, politely. + +“A railroad ticket,” answered the conductor. “That is what I meant. +This one is no good.” + +“And can’t--can’t we ride on your train?” asked Mary, and, somehow or +other, a few tears came into her pretty eyes. Tommy and Johnny felt +like crying, also, but they happened to remember that boys never +cry--that is, hardly ever--so they didn’t. + +“I’m afraid you can’t ride on that ticket,” said the conductor slowly, +as he gave it back to Tommy. “I shall have to put you off----” + +“Wait, I’ll pay their fare!” interrupted a nice fat man, in the seat +behind the children. + +“Oh, I’m not going to put them off here,” said the conductor kindly, +and it is a good thing he wasn’t, for just then the train was going +through the woods. “But I’ll put them off at the next station,” he +said. “Then I will send word back to the place where they got on, and +some one can come for them. It would not be right to take them as far +off as where this train is going.” + +“No, indeed!” exclaimed Mary. “We want to go home.” + +“But some one will have to come for you when I put you off at the +station,” said the conductor. + +“Oh, no one ever comes for us,” exclaimed Mary. “We always have to go +home by ourselves, don’t we, boys?” + +“Of course,” answered Tommy and Johnny together. “We are the +Trippertrots, and we are always getting lost, but this time we didn’t +mean to. It was the pink cow’s fault.” + +“Oh, dear! I don’t know what in the world to do!” exclaimed the +conductor, and for the third time he scratched his nose with his cap--I +mean with his ticket puncher. + +“Well, I know what to do,” said a voice on the other side of the car. +“I am going to give those children something to eat. I know they must +be hungry--children always are.” + +And, would you ever believe it? there was the nice little old lady to +whose house the Trippertrots once went when they were lost, and she +had a cat, you remember, who purred as it lay asleep in the middle of +the floor. + +“Oh, that lady knows us!” exclaimed Mary. “You can tell where our home +is, can’t you?” + +“I’m afraid I can’t,” said the little old lady. “You know you were at +my house, but when I went to get a policeman, to show you the way home, +the queer little old man came, and you went away with him, and so I +never found your home. + +“But don’t worry now, I will give you something to eat, and then I will +get off at the next station with you, and I’ll see if I can’t find some +one to take you home.” + +So the little old lady opened her satchel and she took out some nice +chicken sandwiches, and some jam tarts, and some oranges, and gave them +to the Trippertrot children to eat. + +Well, the train kept going on and on, and lots of the passengers +watched the Trippertrots eating the lunch which the little old lady +gave them, and the children themselves were having a nice time, though +of course they were sorry that the pink cow had gotten lost. + +And then, all of a sudden, the train conductor called out: + +“Here’s where you get off, children. Come along; step lively, please.” + +So they hurried out of the car, and the little old lady went with them, +and there the children saw a nice little railroad station, like an +umbrella, built under a tree. It was right in the middle of a field. + +“My, this is a queer place,” said the little old lady, as she looked +around. “I don’t see how we are going to get away from here,” for, +would you believe me? as soon as they had gotten off the train, the +cars and the choo-choo engine puffed away and left them all standing +there. + +“Maybe we’ll find the pink cow, and she can take us home,” said Mary, +so she and her brothers looked all around, but they couldn’t see the +cow. But they heard a funny buzzing, humming noise, and, all at once, +along came a trolley car. + +“Oh, that’s the very thing!” cried the little old lady. “I’m sure you +can get home in that.” + +“Perhaps we can, if the conductor knows us,” said Mary. + +And when the trolley car buzzed up, with a lot of electric sparks +coming out of the roof, the conductor leaned out over the platform and +said: + +“Who wants to go home?” + +“We do!” cried Mary and Tommy and Johnny. + +“Then hop on!” said the trolley-car conductor, with a jolly laugh; so +they hopped on, and the car went off before the little old lady could +get aboard. + +“Oh!” cried Mary. “She’s left behind! Now we can never find our way +home.” + +“Oh, yes, you can,” exclaimed the trolley-car conductor. “I know you +children. You are the Trippertrots, and my car goes right past your +house. I’ll see you there safely.” + +So off the car started, with the three Trippertrots inside, and the +little old lady, who was left behind, waved good-by to them. And the +children didn’t have to pay any car-fare, either. + +Inside the car were many people. And there was one very slim boy, who +was very tall, and he kept going to sleep all the while, until finally +the conductor came in and hung him up across one of the straps, just +as if he was a clothes-pin. And there the tall thin boy slept just as +well as if he had been home in bed. + +And then, pretty soon, the car stopped right in front of the +Trippertrot home, and Tommy and Mary and Johnny ran up the steps of +their house, very glad indeed to get back, I do assure you. + + + + +ADVENTURE NUMBER SEVENTEEN + +THE TRIPPERTROTS AND THE LAME BIRD + + +Mary and Tommy and Johnny Trippertrot were coming home from school +early one day when something strange happened to them. You see, the +Trippertrot children were in the kindergarten class. + +“What did you learn to-day?” asked Mary of Tommy, as all three of them +came along the street together. + +“Oh,” said Tommy, “I learned how to cut out a paper lantern, and it’s +real pretty when you hang it up.” + +“That’s nice,” said Mary; “and will you show me how to make one when we +get home?” + +“Of course,” answered Tommy, who liked his sister very much. + +“And what did you learn to make in the kindergarten class?” asked Mary +of Johnny. + +“Oh, the teacher showed us how to make a chain out of paper,” answered +Johnny, “and you can put it around your neck for a necklace.” + +“Oh, how lovely!” cried Mary. “I’d like a chain like that.” + +“Then I’ll show you how to make one,” said Johnny kindly. “But what did +you learn to make to-day, Mary?” + +“Oh, our teacher showed us how to fold a piece of square red paper, and +then cut it with the scissors, and then bend the corners over and make +a pin-wheel just like the man sells at the circus, where there are +lions, and tigers, and elephants that eat peanuts.” + +“Lions and tigers don’t eat peanuts,” said Tommy. + +“I know that,” answered Mary, “but elephants do, for once I had a +whole bagful, and I was giving the baby elephant one peanut, and a big +elephant behind me, when I didn’t see him, reached over with his trunk, +and took my whole bag of peanuts out of my hand, and ate them up at one +mouthful.” + +“Oh! that was terrible!” cried Johnny. “I wish we had some peanuts now.” + +“Well, let’s hurry home, and maybe mamma will give us some,” said Mary. +“Anyhow, we can make the paper things which the kindergarten teacher +showed us. Let’s hurry home.” + +“That’s what we can,” exclaimed Johnny, and then the three little +Trippertrots tripped and trotted toward their home, for they didn’t +want to get lost again, you see, and have to be brought home in a +trolley car. + +As they were going down the street where their house was, and when they +were almost at home, all at once a little birdie fluttered along the +sidewalk. + +“Oh, look!” cried Mary. “There’s a little birdie.” + +“Yes, and it’s lame, too,” said Tommy. + +“Maybe we can catch it, and make it better,” spoke Johnnie, and he +hurried after the birdie, which really was lame. There was something +the matter with one of its legs, so that it couldn’t hop very well, and +there was something the matter with one of its wings, so that it could +only flutter along. + +“Wait, little birdie!” exclaimed Tommy kindly, “I won’t hurt you the +least bit.” + +But perhaps the bird didn’t understand Tommy’s talk. At any rate, it +still fluttered on, and the three Trippertrot children kept after it, +for Johnny and Mary wouldn’t let Tommy go on alone. + +“Wait, birdie!” called Tommy again, “and I’ll give you my paper +lantern,” for Tommy had brought one with him from his kindergarten +class. + +But I guess the birdie didn’t like paper lanterns. Anyway, he kept +on fluttering along, just far enough ahead so that the Trippertrot +children couldn’t catch him. They didn’t want to hurt him, you +understand; no, indeed! They only wanted to help him. + +“Oh, wait a minute, little bird!” called Johnny, “and I will give you +my paper chain.” + +But perhaps the birdie was afraid the paper chain might get tangled in +his legs. At any rate, he didn’t wait, but kept on fluttering along the +sidewalk. + +“Perhaps some cat might get him,” said Mary, after a while. “We must +try to catch that birdie, boys, and put him in a safe place. Wait, and +I will speak to him.” + +So Mary walked on in front of Tommy and Johnny, and said, in her soft +little voice: + +“Wait a minute, birdie, and you may have my paper pin-wheel that I +made in kindergarten class, and it goes around and around as fast as +anything.” + +“What goes around,” asked Tommy, with a laugh, “the pin-wheel or the +kindergarten class?” + +“Both of them,” answered Mary quickly. “The pin-wheel goes around when +you blow your breath on it, and the kindergarten class goes around when +teacher plays the piano, and we march and play games. But now please +keep quiet, and I may get the birdie.” + +So Mary walked on ahead, very, very softly, and once more she told the +lame birdie that it might have her pin-wheel. I don’t know just how it +was, but perhaps the birdie thought if he had the pin-wheel he might be +able to fly up in the air again. At any rate, he stopped fluttering, +and a moment later Mary had him softly nestled in her little, warm +hands. + +“Oh, you dear, darling little birdie!” she exclaimed. + +“One of his legs is hurt and so is one of his wings,” said Mary, as she +looked at the little lame birdie. “Oh, boys!” she exclaimed, “I know +what let’s do!” + +“What?” asked Johnny. + +“Let’s take this bird to a doctor’s office,” went on Mary, “and the +doctor will make him all better. How’s that?” + +“Fine!” cried Tommy and Johnny together, and then they looked up and +down the street to see a house where a doctor lived. And then, all of a +sudden, Johnny cried: + +“Oh, Mary! Oh, Tommy! We’re lost again! We came down the wrong street, +when we followed the fluttering birdie, and now can’t find our way home +again! Oh, what shall we do?” + +“Oh, never mind!” spoke Mary, after a bit, when she had looked all +around to see if she could find the way home, but she couldn’t. “Never +mind. We’ll go to the doctor’s office first, and maybe he can tell us +the way home.” + +“Maybe he can!” said Tommy and Johnny, and then they didn’t feel badly +any more. Well, the Trippertrot children walked on, Mary carrying the +birdie, which was just as happy as it could be now. And pretty soon the +children met a nice man. + +“If you please, sir,” said Tommy, “can you tell us where there’s a +doctor’s office?” + +“Why, are you sick?” asked the man quickly. + +“No, but the bird is,” said Johnny. “And we’re lost.” + +[Illustration: _The Trippertrot Children Ran On._] + +“But we didn’t mean to be,” said Tommy quickly. “You see, we were +coming home from school, and we kept on going after this birdie, until, +all of a sudden, we were lost.” + +“I see,” said the man, with a jolly laugh. “Well, I hope you will find +your home again. The doctor’s office is just a few houses down this +street. Right next to the candy store,” he added. + +“Oh, thank you, then we can easily find it,” said Mary quickly; “we +just love candy.” + +“Then here is a cent for each of you,” spoke the man, and he gave them +each a cent, and pretty soon the Trippertrot children ran on, and they +were at the candy store. And they bought some sticks of peppermint +candy, and then they rang the bell at the doctor’s office. + +“Well, what is it, children?” asked the doctor, when he came to the +door. “I hope you are not all sick.” + +“No, but the little lame birdie is,” said Tommy, “and will you please +cure him? We would give you some pennies for doing it, but we just +spent them all for candy, so we have none.” + +“Hum, then I’m afraid _you_ may be sick, as well as the birdie,” said +the doctor. + +“We’re lost, anyhow, but we’re not sick--that is, not yet, if you +please,” said Mary. “But can you cure the birdie?” + +“Oh, I’m afraid not,” said the doctor kindly. “You see, I am a +boy-or-a-girl or a man-or-a-lady doctor, but not a bird-doctor. You +will have to take the birdie to a bird-doctor.” + +“If you please, where is one?” asked Johnny. + +“I don’t know,” answered the man-doctor. + +“Then I guess you will have to be one yourself,” said Mary. “If you can +cure a boy or a girl you can cure a bird. And then, please will you +find our home for us? We’re the Trippertrots, and we’re lost.” + +“Oh, my! Oh, my!” exclaimed the doctor, and he laughed and scratched +his head. “I don’t know what in the world to do. But come in, and bring +the bird.” + +Then he took them inside and he gave the bird some warm milk, and he +put some salve on the sore wing and leg, and pretty soon the birdie was +all well again. + +“Now what are you going to do with the bird?” asked the doctor when he +had cured it. “Are you going to take it home, and put it in a cage?” + +“No, indeed!” exclaimed Mary. “Birdies don’t like to be shut up in a +cage. We’re going to let it go; aren’t we, boys?” + +“Of course,” said Tommy and Johnny. So the doctor opened a window and +out flew the little birdie, and it was so happy that it wiggled its +tail and called “cheep-cheep!” to the children. + +“And now can you please take us home?” said Mary to the doctor. “We are +tired and we haven’t been home from school yet, and mamma may worry. +Besides, we want to make some paper lanterns, and paper chains, and +paper pin-wheels. Please take us home.” + +“Dear me!” exclaimed the doctor. “I hardly know what to do. Where do +you live?” + +“We don’t know,” said Mary and Tommy and Johnny at once. + +“Oh, this is worse and worse!” exclaimed the doctor. + +“Don’t you know where we live?” asked Mary. “I thought doctors knew +everything.” + +“I only wish I did,” said the doctor kindly. “But I will see what I can +do.” So he called in Bridget, his cook, and asked her if she knew where +the children lived. + +“Of course,” answered Bridget. “They are the Trippertrots. They live a +couple of streets from here.” + +“Can you take them home?” asked the doctor. + +“Ah, sure I can,” said Bridget. + +“Then please do,” said the doctor. + +So Bridget put on her bonnet and shawl, and started to take the +Trippertrots home, but on the way there something else happened. + + + + +ADVENTURE NUMBER EIGHTEEN + +THE TRIPPERTROTS AND THE NICE BIG DOG + + +Bridget led Tommy and Mary and Johnny Trippertrot down the steps of the +house and started off up the street with them. + +“Are you sure, if you please, that you know where we live, Bridget?” +asked Mary. + +“Ah, sure I do!” exclaimed Bridget, with a laugh. “I know Suzette, your +mamma’s nursemaid, and if I know what house _she_ lives in, sure I can +take you to that _same_ house, can’t I?” + +“Oh, I’m sure you can!” exclaimed Mary, “and if we had any of our candy +left we’d give you some; wouldn’t we, boys?” + +“Yes, indeed!” exclaimed Tommy and Johnny together, like twins, you +know. + +“Oh, bless your dear little hearts!” exclaimed Bridget. “I don’t want +any candy. But come along now, and you’ll soon be home.” + +So she led them up one street, and down another, and pretty soon they +came to a window of a store that was filled with pretty toys. Oh, there +were trains of cars, and toy soldiers, and dolls, and doll carriages, +and steam engines, and elephants that waggled their heads, and all +things like that. + +“Oh, don’t you remember this place?” cried Mary to her brothers. + +[Illustration: THE TRAIN KEPT GOING ON AND ON] + +“Yes,” said Johnny, “this is the toy shop where we came the first time +we were lost, and we choosed things from the window.” + +“That’s what it is,” agreed Tommy. + +“Have you children been lost before?” asked Bridget. + +“Oh, we’re always getting lost!” exclaimed Mary. “Aren’t we, boys?” + +“Of course,” answered Tommy and Johnny together, once more like twins, +you know. + +“But it isn’t our fault,” said Mary. “It’s just like to-day; something +always leads us off, like a lame birdie or a pink cow, or the dancing +bears.” + +“Bless and save us!” cried Bridget. “What funny children you are, to be +sure! But come along, and we’ll soon be home.” + +Well, she was hurrying them along as fast as she could, for it was +getting on toward evening, you know, when all at once Johnny fell down +and he bumped his nose on the sidewalk. + +“Oh, my!” he exclaimed. + +“There now, don’t cry!” said Mary. + +“I’m not going to!” said Johnny bravely. “But--but I want to very much, +and it hurts awful, that’s what it does,” and he couldn’t help two +tears coming into his eyes, but he didn’t let them fall down on the +sidewalk; no, indeed. Oh, I tell you he was a brave little boy! + +“Never mind,” said Bridget, “I’ll rub my gold ring on the sore spot, +and maybe that will make it better.” + +So she rubbed her cold gold ring on Johnny’s sore nose, and it was soon +better--I mean his nose was better, not the ring, you know. + +Well, all of a sudden, as Bridget was leading the children along the +street, and they were thinking they would soon be at home, Bridget +cried out: + +“Oh, dear! I quite forgot that I left the meat cooking on the stove for +the doctor’s supper! It will be all burned up! I must hurry back to the +house. Oh, dear! Poor man, he can’t eat burned meat! I must go back at +once.” + +“Are you going to take us back with you?” asked Mary, and she didn’t +feel like going, as her feet were very tired, and she wanted to get +home. + +“Take you back with me?” cried Bridget. “No, I don’t believe I’ll do +that, or you’ll never get home. See, darlings, it’s but a short step +now to your house. Just down this street a little way, and then you +turn the corner, and there you are. Don’t you think you can find it by +yourselves? The little boy who didn’t cry when he bumped his nose ought +to be able to find it.” + +“I--I guess I can,” said Johnny. + +“We’ll try, anyhow,” spoke Tommy. + +“Well, if we get lost again we can’t help it,” said Mary. + +“Oh, you won’t get lost,” declared Bridget, and then, giving them each +a kiss, she hurried back to the doctor’s house so that the supper meat +wouldn’t burn. + +Well, the children stood still in the street for a minute, and then +they started in the direction Bridget had shown them. They thought +surely, this time, they could find their house. They were beginning to +be hungry. + +“Come on, let’s hurry,” said Mary, so she took hold of Johnny’s hand on +one side, and Tommy’s hand on the other, and away they went. + +They hadn’t gone very far before, all at once, and when they hadn’t +yet had time to turn the corner, a nice, big, black and white dog came +running toward them. + +“Oh, look, there’s Fido, our dog!” cried Tommy. + +“No, Fido isn’t as big as that,” said Johnny quickly. “That is another +dog.” + +“But he’s as nice as our Fido,” said Mary, and the boys were sure this +was so. + +“And oh, look!” exclaimed Tommy, when the big black and white dog came +closer to them, “this dog must have run away, for there’s a broken +string fast to his collar. Maybe he broke it, and pulled away from the +little house in the yard where he lives.” + +“Maybe he did,” agreed Mary. “Doggie, did you run away, and are you +lost?” she asked him. + +The doggie wagged his tail up and down. + +“Look! Look!” cried Tommy. “He’s saying ‘yes.’ He must be lost, the +same as we were.” + +“Do you want us to take you home?” asked Johnny, and once more the +nice, big dog wagged his tail up and down, just as if he was saying +“yes,” that he did. + +“Then we’ll take you home,” said Johnny kindly. “Wait a minute, doggie, +until I get hold of that string around your neck.” + +So the dog waited, and Johnny took hold of the cord, and so did Tommy; +and then Mary said: + +“Oh, boys, I am _so_ tired I don’t believe I can walk another step to +take that lost doggie home. Besides, you don’t know where he lives, and +it may take a long time.” + +“Doggies always know their own selves where they live,” said Tommy; +“don’t you, doggie?” + +And once more the doggie said “yes” with his tail, that he waggled up +and down. + +“Very well, then,” said Mary. “I’ll wait here until you come back, +after you take the doggie home.” + +“Oh, I know something better than that!” cried Tommy. + +“What?” asked Mary, looking about for a place where she could sit down. + +“Why, you can ride on the doggie’s back,” exclaimed Tommy. “He is big +and strong, and he won’t mind carrying you the least bit; will you, +doggie? You’ll carry Mary on your back, won’t you?” + +“Bow-wow!” barked the doggie, which means “yes,” of course, and besides +that he waggled his tail again. + +So Mary’s two brothers lifted her up on the doggie’s back, and he stood +still, just like a pony-horse. Then Tommy and Johnny took hold of the +string on the dog’s collar and they called: + +“Go ahead now, doggie. Go where you live.” + +Then the dog looked around, to make sure that Mary was safely on his +back, and off he trotted. He went so fast that he nearly pulled Tommy +and Johnny off their feet. + +“Oh, wait! Please wait!” cried Tommy. + +“Yes, don’t go so fast!” begged Johnny. + +“For you’re jouncing me all to pieces,” said Mary, who was holding on +as tightly as she could by winding her fingers in the dog’s shaggy hair +on his back. + +Then the dog said: “Bow-wow! bow-wow!” which meant that he was sorry, +and he went slower. + +Along the street went the three little Trippertrots, and the nice big +dog, and Tommy and Johnny and Mary were watching all the while for the +place where the dog lived. + +But that dog kept straight on, and didn’t seem to want to turn in +anywhere. + +“Oh!” exclaimed Mary, “s’posin’ he hasn’t any home!” + +“He’s _got_ to have a home,” said Tommy. “All dogs have homes, and +we’ll come to this one’s pretty soon.” + +[Illustration: _He Stood Still, Just Like a Pony-Horse._] + +“But we’re going right away from our home,” said Mary, “and maybe we +can’t ever find it. I’m afraid we’ll be lost again.” + +“Oh, I guess not,” spoke Johnny. “Is your home near here?” he asked, in +the doggie’s ear. + +“Bow-wow! Bow-wow!” barked the doggie. + +“Now what do you s’pose he means?” asked Mary. + +“I don’t know,” said Tommy. + +“Neither do I,” spoke Johnny, “but we’ll keep right on, and we’ll get +there some time.” + +Pretty soon they met a nice man, and he said to the children: + +“Well, where is that big dog taking you?” + +“If you please, he isn’t taking _us_ anywhere,” said Mary. “We’re +taking _him_ home. He’s lost.” + +“Oh, I see,” said the man, with a laugh. “Well, be sure you don’t get +lost yourselves.” + +Then Mary and Tommy and Johnny went on a little farther with the dog, +until all at once, when they got in front of a nice, big, brown-stone +house, they heard a little boy cry out: + +“Oh, papa, there’s Nero come back! Some children are bringing him back! +Oh, how glad I am! I thought he was lost.” + +“Is this your dog?” asked Tommy, when the little boy and a man came +down the steps. + +“Yes,” said the man, “that is my little boy’s dog.” + +“And his name is Nero, and he was lost,” spoke the boy. + +“Where did you find him?” asked the boy’s papa, while Nero danced +around and barked as loudly as he could, because he was so happy to be +home again. + +“He was lost, and we found him,” answered Mary, who had slid down off +Nero’s back, “but now _we_ are lost.” + +“Never mind,” said the man, “since you were so kind as to bring my +little boy’s dog home, I will send _you_ home in my carriage. James,” +he called to the coachman, “hitch up the horses, and take these +children home. And, Nero, you must never run away again.” + +So Nero barked, which, I suppose, was his way of saying that he never +would, and then he went in the house with the little boy. And pretty +soon the horses were hitched to the carriage. + +“Oh, goody! We’re going to have a ride home!” exclaimed Mary. + + + + +ADVENTURE NUMBER NINETEEN + +THE TRIPPERTROTS AND THE POOR LITTLE BOY + + +“Oh, this is the best fun yet!” exclaimed Tommy. “I’m real glad we got +lost this time.” He could see the nice coach and horses now. + +“So am I,” said Johnny. + +“And to think of going home in a real coach, with a real coachman!” +exclaimed Mary. “It will be real stylish!” + +“Yes, and they are real horses, too!” exclaimed Tommy, as the coachman +came along the driveway, driving the prancing animals. + +“Of course!” cried Johnny. “If they weren’t real horses we’d never get +home.” + +“Oh, well,” said Mary, “I guess Tommy meant they might be +rocking-horses, or sawhorses, or clothes-horses, such as we once rode +on. But I’m glad they are real horses. Oh, here we are, all ready for a +ride.” + +And with that the coachman drove up to the steps and stopped the +carriage. + +“Jump in, children!” he called to them, “and I’ll soon have you home. +Whoa, there, horsies! Don’t jump so and prance about, or you might step +on somebody’s toes.” + +Then the horses stood very quiet, and Tommy and Mary and Johnny got +into the nice carriage. Oh, it was a fine one! with such soft cushions +on the seats, and little windows, out of which the children could look, +and see what was happening in the streets. + +And oh, so many things were happening! There were trolley cars rushing +here and there, some one way and some another way, and there were +wagons being driven here, and there, and some were from the grocery +store, and some from the butcher store. And then there were such lots +of automobiles, with their horns going “Toot! Toot!” + +“I believe there must be forty-’leven autos at the very least,” said +Tommy. + +“I’m glad we’re not walking home,” said Mary, “because an automobile +might accidentally bump into us.” + +“Yes, it’s nice here,” said Tommy, and just then a man with a peanut +wagon ran it across the street, right under the noses of the coachman’s +horses. + +“Hey, there! Where are you going?” cried the coachman to the peanut +man, and the coachman had to pull up the horses very quickly, or the +peanut man might have been run over. Mind, I’m not saying for sure, but +he _might_ have been, you know, though I hope none of us would want a +thing like that to happen. “Where are you going?” called the coachman +again. + +“I am going across the street, so as to get on the other side,” said +the peanut man. “None of the people over there would buy any of my hot +peanuts, so I want to go over on the other side.” + +“Quite right,” said the coachman kindly. “I don’t blame you a bit.” + +“Oh, isn’t it too bad that nobody would buy his peanuts, poor man!” +said Mary. “I would buy some, if I had the money.” + +“So would I!” exclaimed Tommy. + +“And so would I,” added Johnny. + +“Would you now, bless your hearts?” said the hot peanut man. “Then it +is I who will be wishing you _did_ have the money.” + +“Oh, well, maybe if they haven’t I have,” said the coachman, and, +with that, what did he do? He put his one hand in his pocket, while +holding on to the horses’ reins with the other, and out he pulled three +five-cent pieces. “Here,” said the coachman kindly, “give the children +each a bag of hot peanuts.” + +“That I will!” exclaimed the peanut man, “and here’s a bag for +yourself, Mr. Coachman, for being so kind as not to run over me while I +was crossing the street.” + +“Oh, pray don’t mention such a little thing as that,” said the +coachman, with a smile, as he took the fourth bag. Then the peanut man +hurried on across the street, and the coachman drove the Trippertrot +children on a little farther. + +Pretty soon, after a while the coachman turned around, and, looking +into the back part of the big carriage, where the children were, he +asked them: + +“And now, my little dears, where would you like me to be driving? I +mean where is your home? for I want to get the horses back in the +stable pretty soon. Where do you live?” + +“Why, don’t you know?” asked Mary in wonder. + +“Not a bit of it,” answered the coachman, and he was so surprised that +he stopped eating peanuts. + +“He--doesn’t--know--where--we--live!” cried Tommy and Johnny together, +and they, too, were so surprised that they stopped eating peanuts. And +then Mary stopped, too. + +“How should I know where you live?” asked the coachman. “The master +just told me to take you home, and I thought you knew where it was.” + +“But we don’t,” said Mary gently. “You see, we are the Trippertrots, +and we are always tripping and trotting off somewhere, and getting +lost. That’s what we did this time. But I should have thought the man, +whose boy owns the big dog we found, would have told you where to take +us.” + +“Well, he didn’t,” said the coachman. “But I’ll tell you what I’ll do.” + +“What is it?” asked Tommy and Johnny and Mary, all at once. + +“I’ll drive all around, up one street and down the other, and maybe you +will see your house,” said the coachman. “Please keep a sharp lookout.” + +“Oh, that’s just the way the banana man did, the time we rode in the +hay on his cart,” said Johnny. + +“Yes, we got home then all right,” said Mary, “and I think we will this +time. Go on, Mr. Coachman, if you please, and we will tell you when we +come to our house, so you can stop and let us out.” + +“Bless their dear little innocent hearts!” exclaimed the coachman--and +he spoke to the horses to make them go faster--“I never saw such +children in all the days of my life. Not to know where they live! Ah, +well, sure the little fairies will watch over ’em, and me, too, I hope, +and I’ll get them safely home if I can.” + +So he drove on and on, through street after street, but he couldn’t +seem to find the Trippertrot house, and, though the children looked out +of the carriage windows, and ate their peanuts, they couldn’t see their +house, either. + +And then, all of a sudden, as Mary was looking at the nice horses, and +wondering if they would ever get home again--all at once, I say--she +saw a poor little ragged boy standing on the street corner, and he was +crying. + +“Oh, Tommy and Johnny! Look there!” exclaimed Mary. “That little boy is +crying. Something must be the matter.” + +“I guess there is,” said Johnny. “We ought to help him.” + +“We will!” exclaimed Tommy. “Oh, Mr. Coachman, stop, if you please!” he +called out of the front window of the carriage. + +“Why, what is the matter?” asked the coachman. “Have you found your +house?” + +“Not yet,” answered Mary, “but we have found a poor little boy, and we +want to see what is the matter with him.” + +So the coachman stopped the horses, and out jumped Tommy. He went right +up to the poor little crying boy, and asked: + +“What is the matter? Are you hurt?” + +“No, I am lost,” said the poor little boy, and he cried harder than +ever. + +“My! My!” exclaimed Tommy, in his jolly little voice. “That is nothing. +We are lost, too, and we don’t mind it a bit. We are always getting +lost. But the coachman is taking us home, and I know he’ll take you +home also. Get in the carriage.” + +So the poor little ragged boy started to get into the carriage. The +coachman saw him and cried out: + +“I say now, where are you going?” + +“He is coming with us,” answered Mary. “He is lost; and will you please +take him home, too?” + +“Oh! Oh!” cried the coachman. “This is the worst I ever heard! Here are +you children who don’t know where your own home is and you’re trying to +find a home for another lost boy. Oh, dear! This is terrible! Terrible!” + +“But I _do_ know where my home is,” said the poor little boy, “only it +got away from me somehow or other. I know what street it’s on.” + +“Do you, indeed?” cried the coachman. “Then that’s more than the +Trippertrots know. Whisper now, and tell me where is your home, and +I’ll take you to it as fast as the horses can trot. And then, maybe, +we’ll have good luck, and find out where these children live.” + +So the little boy, who had stopped crying now, told the name of his +street and the number of his house. I forget where it was, but that +doesn’t matter. + +“Oh, joy! Now I know where I’m going,” said the coachman, and the +horses started up. Inside the coach the three Trippertrots were eating +peanuts, and, of course, they gave the little boy some, and he liked +them very much. + +And then, all of a sudden, the little boy cried: + +“Oh, there’s my house!” + +“Are you sure?” asked the coachman. But the little boy didn’t have to +answer, for just then out ran a lady. + +“Oh, Teddy!” she cried, when she saw the poor little boy. “I thought I +would never see you again! Where have you been?” and she took him in +her arms. + +“I’ve been lost, mamma,” he said, “and these nice children brought me +home.” + +“And where do you live?” asked the lady. + +“That’s the trouble,” said Mary sadly. “Everyone seems to have a home +but us.” + +And now I’m coming to the strange part of this adventure. Just as Mary +said that, along the street came a man with a long, white beard, and as +soon as Johnny saw him he cried out: + +“Oh, there is the nice old fisherman! You’ll take us home, won’t you?” + +“Yes, please do,” said Tommy. + +“We wish it so very much,” added Mary. “Won’t you, please?” + +“To be sure I will,” said the old fisherman, and there he stood, the +same one who had fished up the rubber boots and the raincoat and the +umbrella, and who had taken the children to the house of the false-face +man. “I’ll take you home,” he said. So he got into the carriage with +the Trippertrots, and away they went. + + + + +ADVENTURE NUMBER TWENTY + +THE TRIPPERTROTS AND THE LITTLE GIRL + + +“And where have you been since I saw you last?” asked the fisherman of +Mary, as she and her brothers sat on the coach cushions eating peanuts. + +“Oh, we have been getting lost nearly every day,” she replied. “Haven’t +we, boys?” + +“Yes, indeed,” answered Tommy and Johnny together. “This time it was a +nice big dog that made us get lost,” added Tommy. + +“And on other times it was a pink cow, or the dancing bears,” added +Johnny. + +“My! You children certainly have strange adventures,” said the old +fisherman, with a jolly laugh. “But I think they will soon be over +to-day, as we will be home in a little while.” + +“Tell me,” said the coachman, as he turned around to speak to the old +fisherman, “do you know where these children live? For they don’t +themselves, and I never saw nor heard of such a thing in all the born +days of my life. Do you know where they live?” + +“Oh, yes,” said the old fisherman. + +“Thank goodness for that!” exclaimed the coachman. “Get up, horses, we +will soon have them home, and then we can go home ourselves, and I’ll +give you your suppers. Not that I want to be impolite,” the coachman +said quickly, “but you must see that it is a strange thing to be +driving around with children who don’t know where they live.” + +“It _is_ queer,” admitted Mary, as she ate the last of her peanuts. + +“The next time we get lost,” said Tommy, “we’ll tie a string to our +house and take the cord with us, and when we want to go back, all we’ll +have to do will be to follow the string.” + +“That’s a good idea,” said the old fisherman, and then he told the +coachman where to drive, so as to get to the Trippertrot house as soon +as possible. + +“Have you caught any more queer fish?” asked Tommy, as they drove +along, for he could not help thinking of the rubber boots, and the +umbrella, that the fisherman had pulled up on the hammock-hook out of +the little lake. + +“No, I haven’t been fishing since then,” said the old gentleman. “But +I have my hammock-hook now, and, if the driver will lend me one of the +lines, I’ll fish right here, out of the carriage window.” + +“Why, you can’t catch anything by fishing out of a carriage window,” +said Mary politely. + +“How do you know?” inquired the old fisherman, with a smile. “Did you +ever try it?” + +“No,” said Mary, “I never have.” + +“Then you can’t tell!” exclaimed the fisherman. “Why, I have caught +fish in the queerest places you ever heard of, and then again, I’ve +gone fishing in places where I was sure there were fish, and I never +got a bite--except a mosquito bite. So you never can tell. + +“Why, once I was in the market, getting something to eat, and I +happened to drop my umbrella, that had a crooked handle. And when I +picked it up, there was a fish fast to it. What do you think of that?” + +“Oh, well, yes, of course!” exclaimed Johnny. “There are fish in a +market, for people want to buy them. I believe _that_ all right.” + +“So do I,” said Tommy. + +“But listen to this,” said the old fisherman. “Once I was in a lady’s +house, and I went in the parlor, and there was a glass jar there on the +table. I put my finger in the jar and a fish bit me. What do you think +of that?” + +“Oh, yes, but,” said Mary, “they were goldfish, in water, in the jar. I +have often seen goldfish in a parlor.” + +“Then,” said the old fisherman, “if there are goldfish in a parlor and +other fish in the meat market, how can you tell but what there may be +fish in this carriage? I’m going to try, anyhow, for I haven’t fished +in some time. Please, Mr. Coachman, lend me a piece of the horse lines.” + +So the coachman did this, and the old fisherman fastened the line on +his hammock-hook, and then he sat on the seat, and let the hook dangle +on the floor. + +Every once in a while the old fisherman would pull up the horse line, +with the hammock-hook on it, and he would look carefully at it. But +each time there was nothing on, and the fisherman was much disappointed. + +“I’m afraid you will never get any fish in here,” said Mary, after a +while. + +“No, indeed!” exclaimed Tommy. “For we have been riding in here for +some time, and if there were any fish we would know it.” + +“Besides,” added Johnny, “there isn’t any water here, or else our feet +would be wet, and fish can’t live without water.” + +“I believe you’re right!” exclaimed the old fisherman. “I never thought +of that. I have made a mistake. I should have put my hook out of the +back window of the carriage. I’ll do it now,” and he did so at once, +and then he sat very quietly, waiting for a bite, while the coachman +drove on to the Trippertrot house. + +All at once the old fisherman cried out: + +“I have a bite! I have a bite!” + +“Is it a mosquito bite?” asked Mary quickly. “Because if it is you must +put witch hazel on it.” + +“No, it is a fish bite,” said the old gentleman. + +“On your finger?” asked Tommy. + +“No, on the hammock-hook,” said the old gentleman, and then he pulled +in the horse-fish-line, and there, on the hammock-hook, was a tall silk +hat, such as doctors sometimes wear. + +“Oh, what a funny catch!” exclaimed Mary. + +“Isn’t it, though!” agreed the fisherman. “I don’t know when I ever +caught a silk hat before.” + +He was just taking the hat off the hook, and looking at it to see if +there were any holes in it, when all at once the coach stopped and the +coachman said: + +“If you please, sir, there is trouble out here.” + +“What sort of trouble?” asked the old fisherman. + +“Why, there is a gentleman here, sir, without any hat, and he says, +sir, that it’s in my coach.” + +“I shouldn’t wonder but what he was right,” spoke the queer fisherman. +“I think _I_ have his hat.” + +“Ha! What do you mean by taking off my hat?” asked a voice, and there, +at the coach window, stood a little man, with a very red face. “Where +is my hat?” he cried. + +“Here it is,” answered the fisherman. “I beg your pardon. You see when +I fish I never can tell what I am going to catch. I hope I haven’t +bothered you.” + +“Well, if I don’t catch cold I won’t mind,” said the little man with +the red face. And he took the hat from the fisherman, put it on his +head, and hurried off. + +Then the coachman drove his horses on some more, and the queer old +fisherman dangled his hammock-hook out of the back carriage window +again. + +“I wonder what we shall catch this time?” he said to the children, with +a jolly laugh. + +“Oh, maybe you’ll catch a chocolate cake,” said Tommy. + +“Or an orange pudding,” added Mary. + +“Or a dish of ice cream,” said Johnny. + +“Well, it might happen,” spoke the fisherman. “Hello! I have something, +anyhow,” he cried, as he pulled in the hook and line. + +And what do you suppose was dangling on the end of it? + +Why, a lady’s bonnet, of course! Yes, a real lady’s bonnet, all covered +with flowers, and lace, and ribbons, and things like that. I mean the +bonnet was covered with those things--not the lady, you understand. + +“Why--why!” exclaimed the fisherman, with a pleased laugh. “I don’t +know when I have caught a lady’s bonnet before. I am having very good +luck to-day.” + +Then, just as he was taking the bonnet off the hook, the coachman +stopped the horses and said: + +“If you please, sir, there is more trouble out here!” + +“What sort of trouble?” asked the fisherman. + +“Why, there is a lady here, sir, that says you have her new bonnet.” + +“I shouldn’t wonder,” spoke the fisherman. “This must be it. It got +caught on my hook by mistake.” + +“Oh, I hope it’s not torn!” cried the lady, as she looked in at the +coach window. + +“Not in the least,” said the fisherman politely, as he gave the bonnet +to her. + +And on they went again. + +“I must be careful what I catch next time,” said the fisherman, as he +once more put the hammock-hook out of the back window of the coach. In +a minute he pulled it in again, and this time there was a loaf of bread +on it, all wrapped up in paper, and tied with a pink string. And no +sooner had the bread been pulled in, than there was a crying sound out +in the street, and a voice said: + +“Oh, my bread! Some one has taken my loaf of bread, and I haven’t any +money to buy any more! Oh, dear!” + +“Bless me!” cried the old fisherman. “I wouldn’t have taken any one’s +loaf of bread for the world.” + +Then he looked out of the coach window, and he saw a poor little girl +crying real, salty tears. + +“Oh, my! don’t cry,” said the kind fisherman. “Are you lost, too?” + +“No, but I was coming home from the store, with a loaf of bread,” said +the poor little girl, “and all at once I--I didn’t have it.” + +“Ah, here it is,” said the old fisherman kindly, and he handed it to +her out of the coach window. Well, you just should have seen how wide +open the little girl’s eyes were. + +“Are--are you one of the magicians that makes rabbits come out of a +hat?” the poor little girl asked. + +“Oh, yes. I can do those tricks sometimes,” said the old fisherman. “I +just caught your bread by mistake.” + +“Oh, will you do some tricks?” cried Mary and Johnny and Tommy, all +together. + +“Not now, some other day,” said the old fisherman. “Get up in the +carriage, little girl, and we will take you home.” + +So the poor little girl got up in the carriage, and as she knew where +her home was, the coachman soon drove her there, and the old fisherman +gave her ten cents. + +“And now for the Trippertrot house!” cried the old fisherman, as they +started off again. “We’ll soon be there.” + +“And very glad I’ll be of it!” said the coachman, “for such queer +goings on I never saw before in all the born days of my life. Fishing +out of a coach! The idea!” + +All of a sudden, as the children and the old fisherman were riding +along, a policeman, who was on a horse, galloped up to the coach, and +holding up his hand to stop it, cried out: + +“Is the old fisherman in there?” + +“Of course I am,” replied the fisherman. “What is the matter?” + +“You are wanted at once,” spoke the policeman. “Down at the bird and +animal store. The big glass globe, where the goldfish swim, was upset +by a puppy dog wagging his tail, and the fish are all flopping over the +floor. The man who owns them wants you to come and help him catch them.” + +“Of course, I’ll go at once,” said the kind old fisherman. “It will be +fun for the children to watch me catch the fish.” + +“No, the Trippertrot children must stay here,” said the policeman. “I +forgot to tell you that a snake also got loose when the fish fell out +of the globe, and we wouldn’t want the children to be bitten by the +snake.” + +“No, indeed, we don’t want to be, either,” spoke Mary. “But what is to +become of us? Who will take care of us? How will we ever get home?” + +“Oh, I will look after you,” said the policeman. “Here, I will wrap you +up in my nice coat,” he went on, taking off the coat that he wore. + +“But where will we stay?” asked Tommy. + +“Yes, we must stay somewhere, until the coach and the old fisherman +come back for us,” went on Johnny. + +“Ha! I have it! The very thing!” cried the policeman, as he saw a man +going past carrying a big rocking-chair on his head. “Let me take that +chair for the Trippertrot children to sit in until this coach comes +back,” the policeman said to the man, and the man did it at once. + +So the policeman wrapped the three children in his coat, and set them +in the big rocking-chair, close to a street lamp-post, so the coachman +could easily find them again when he came back. + +“I’ll just write your names and addresses on a card, and tie it to the +chair,” said the policeman. “Then there will be no trouble about you +getting home again.” So he did that, for he knew where the Trippertrots +lived, though he didn’t have time to take them home himself. + +Then the policeman rode away on his horse, and the fisherman drove off +in the coach to catch the goldfish, and the children were left sitting +in the rocking-chair on the street, beside the lamp-post. + +And they didn’t mind it a bit, not even when it began to rain all of a +sudden, for they were very snug in the coat. + +Well, it rained and it rained, and pretty soon the children were so +nice and cozy and warm that they went to sleep. And then, who should +come along but an expressman, driving his wagon, and the wagon was +painted red. + +“Whoa!” called the expressman to his horse, as he saw the rocking-chair +by the lamp-post. “I must see what this is. Maybe it dropped off some +one’s wagon.” + +So he went up to the rocking-chair, and my goodness me sakes alive and +a spoonful of mustard! Wasn’t he surprised when he opened the big +coat, and saw Mary and Tommy and Johnny sleeping inside it. + +“Why, this is very strange!” said the expressman. “I wonder who could +have left three little children out in the rain like this?” Then he +looked at his wagon to see if he would have room for them inside it. +And he thought he had. + +“My! My! My sakes alive and some Thanksgiving turkey!” cried the +expressman. “I never heard of such a thing in all my born days and +nights! I am certainly surprised!” + +“Heard of what? What is the matter?” cried Tommy, who suddenly +awakened, and looked up at the expressman. “What is it that you are +surprised at? Is it a surprise party?” + +“No, indeed,” replied the expressman. “But I am surprised that any one +would leave you here in the storm like this.” + +“The policeman did,” explained Mary, “but he wrapped us up in his big +coat. We were with the old fisherman, but he had to go away to catch +the goldfish that spilled all over the floor. I guess he is coming back +for us.” + +“But if he doesn’t, what are we to do?” asked Johnny. “I wish some one +could take us home now.” + +“Perhaps this nice expressman can take us home,” suggested Tommy, for +he could see the expressman’s wagon standing there. + +“Of course, I could take you home, if I knew where you lived,” said the +expressman. + +“It’s written on a tag tied to the chair,” said Mary, in her most +polite voice. + +“What is?” asked the expressman. “What is written there?” + +“The address where we live,” went on the little Trippertrot girl. “Do +you think you can find our house?” + +“Of course I can,” answered the expressman. “I’ll soon have you home. +You’ll be all right now, and I’ll pull the canvas sides down on my +wagon, and you’ll be as nice and snug as you can be, even though it +rains all the while, for my express wagon has a top on it. And later on +I’ll tell the policeman and the fisherman that I took you away. Then +they won’t worry.” + +So he picked up the chair and the children, both at the same time, +still wrapped in the coat as they were, and the expressman put them, +chair and all, into his big wagon. Then, having looked at the address +on the tag, which told on which street the Trippertrot family lived, +and the number of the house, the expressman whistled a funny, jolly +little tune to his horse, and away he galloped through the storm, up +one street and down another. + +And, oh! how nice, and warm, and cozy it was for the Trippertrot +children in the express wagon. The canvas sides kept out the wind and +the rain, and none of the drops could get in the top, for there was +a roof over the wagon. It was so warm in there (for there was a nice +lantern all lighted and burning, as it was getting dark)--it was so +warm, I say--that the children didn’t need the coat around them any +more. + +“Let’s get out of the chair, and see the different things that are in +the wagon,” suggested Mary, after a while. + +“Oh, yes, let’s,” agreed Johnny. “We have never ridden in an express +wagon before. This is a new adventure.” + +So they laid aside the coat, and crawled out of the big rocking-chair. +They saw lots of boxes and packages in the wagon, and they wondered +what they contained, but they were too polite to ask. In fact, the +expressman was too busy to answer them, for the storm was quite bad +now, and he had all he could do to drive his horse through it. But it +was fun for the children in the wagon, as they were warm, and they +could see very well by the light of the lantern. + +All of a sudden, in one corner of the wagon they heard a noise that +sounded like: + +“Cut! Cut! Cut-ka-dah-cut!” + +“What’s that?” cried Johnny. + +“That’s a chicken,” answered Tommy. + +“What, in this wagon?” asked Mary. + +“It sounded so,” went on Tommy. “Let’s look around and find it.” + +So the children began looking in and around the different boxes and +packages, until, all of a sudden, Mary saw a little box, with slats +nailed across the front, like a small chicken-coop, and inside was a +dear, little red hen. + +“Cut! Cut! Cut-ka-dah-cut!” called the red hen. + +“Oh, you little dear!” exclaimed Mary. “I wish I had you for my own.” + +“Maybe it is coming to our house for a present to us,” suggested Tommy. + +“See if there’s a tag on it, like on our rocking-chair, to tell where +the expressman is to leave it,” said Johnny. + +“No, there isn’t any,” said Mary, after she had looked. + +“Cut! Cut! Cut-ka-dah-cut!” cried the red hen again, just as if she was +trying to tell where she belonged. + +“Has she laid any eggs?” asked Tommy. + +“I don’t see any,” spoke Mary, as she looked inside the little +chicken-coop. “But maybe she will, if we wait a little longer.” + +So the three Trippertrot children sat down on the floor of the express +wagon, and watched the little red hen, as she scratched around in the +coop, but she didn’t seem to be laying any eggs. And all this while the +expressman was driving through the rain toward the place where Tommy +and Mary and Johnny lived. + +And then, all of a sudden, there was a noise in another corner of the +wagon, and when the children looked there they saw a dear, little white +bunny-rabbit in a cage. + +“Oh, if we could only have that!” exclaimed Tommy, in delight. + +“Has it got a tag on it, to say that it is coming to our house?” asked +Johnny eagerly. + +“No,” replied his sister Mary. “It’s just like the coop of the little +red hen--no tag on it.” + +And then there was a queer little chattering sort of a noise in another +corner of the express wagon, and when the children ran over there, they +saw a squirrel, with a big, bushy tail, in a wire cage, and there was +no tag on his cage to tell where he belonged. + +“Oh, maybe the expressman will let us keep the three pets!” cried Mary. +“It would be lovely if he would.” + +And just then the express wagon stopped. + +“Here you are, children!” cried the man, in a jolly voice. + +“Where are we?” asked Tommy and Mary and Johnny all together, like +twins. + +“Right in front of your own house!” said the expressman. “I have +brought you home, and the big coat, and the rocking-chair, also. Here +we go!” + +And with that he picked up Tommy and Johnny and Mary, and the chair, +and the coat, and carried them into the house. And maybe Mr. and Mrs. +Trippertrot and Suzette, the nursemaid, weren’t surprised to see their +children back after such a long time away. + +“Oh, you runaway darlings!” cried their mamma. “Where have you been?” + +“Almost everywhere,” answered Mary. “But, mamma, dear, one minute, +please. I want to ask the expressman if we can have the little red hen, +and the rabbit, and the squirrel we found in his wagon, because they +have no tags on the cages to show who owns them, and we might have +them.” + +“Have them? Of course you may!” cried the expressman. “I’ll bring them +right in. You see, the tags were torn off the boxes, and I don’t know +what to do with them, and I’ll be glad to have some nice children feed +the animals.” + +So he brought into the Trippertrot house the squirrel and the rabbit +and the little red hen, and gave them to the children, who had lots of +fun with them for many days after that. + +And then Papa Trippertrot thanked the expressman, and all of a sudden, +who should come along but the old fisherman. He got to the house just +as the expressman was driving away. + +“Oh, such a time as I had catching those goldfish!” the fisherman +exclaimed. “They flopped all over the floor, and the monkey in the bird +store nearly caught one, and the parrot almost had another. But, thank +goodness, I got them all safe in the fish-globe again, and then I went +to take care of you children, but I found you had gone away. So I came +on here.” + +“How did you know we were here?” asked Mary. + +“I met Jiggily Jig, the funny boy, and he told me,” said the fisherman. +“He came along just as the expressman was taking you home, and so I +knew just what to do. I sent the coachman and coach back, and I came +here by walking. Oh, but such a time as I’ve had! And how glad I am +that you children are safe home!” + +And Mary and Tommy and Johnny were also very glad to get home, and +their papa and mamma were very glad to see them, and they invited +the old fisherman to stay to supper. And he said he would, and the +Trippertrots thought they would never trip or trot away from home again. + +But, of course, that isn’t saying that they did not go away. In fact, +they did, and they had many more wonderful adventures, and I will tell +you about them in the next book of this series, which will be called, +“Three Little Trippertrots on Their Travels.” + +So Mary and Tommy and Johnny, and their papa and mamma, sat talking +to the old fisherman, who told them many strange stories of the funny +things he had caught. + +“Oh, but it is nice to be home again,” said Mary. + +“Indeed it is,” agreed Tommy and Johnny. + +“And we are happy to have you home,” said their mamma and papa. And +now, for a little while, we will say good-by to the Three Little +Trippertrots. + + +THE END + + + + +TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES: + + + Italicized text is surrounded by underscores: _italics_. + + Perceived typographical errors have been corrected. + + Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized. + + Archaic or variant spelling has been retained. + + New original cover art included with this eBook is granted to the + public domain. + + + +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 75474 *** |