“We might get lost again—­we get lost lots of times,” said Freddie with a smile.  “It’s nice here.  I like it!” and, very much at home, he looked around the office of the store owner.  It was almost closing time, and Mr. Whipple was wondering whether in case the children’s father did not come it would not be better to take them to his own home, when the clerk came back from the elevated station with Mr. Bobbsey himself.

“Oh, Daddy!” cried Flossie and Freddie.

“Well, you two certainly gave me a fine chase!” exclaimed Mr. Bobbsey, with a smile, hugging his “little fat fireman” and his “fat fairy,” one after the other.  “Where in the world have you been?”

“Oh, we heard a hand organ and we went to look at the monkey and it chewed Flossie’s hat and we’re here!” gasped Freddie, all in one breath.

“And I got a new hat, and you’ll please pay for it, Daddy,” added Flossie.  “And did you bring my bugs—­the ones that go around and around and around?” she asked.

“Yes, Flossie, I have them.  But what’s all this about a hat?”

“I bought her a new one,” explained Freddie, “but I didn’t have any money to pay for it, so we charged it.”

“The little girl seemed to need one, Mr. Bobbsey,” said the store owner.

“Oh, that will be all right, I’m glad to pay for it, Mr.—­er——­”

“Whipple is my name,” said the store man.  “Daniel Whipple.”

“Whipple!” exclaimed Mr. Bobbsey, and a thoughtful look came over his face.  “Daniel Whipple,” and he seemed to be trying to think of something he had heard a long while before.

“Yes; you may have seen it in my advertisements.  I advertise in the papers every day.”

“Ah, yes, I presume so,” said Mr. Bobbsey.  “Thank you very much, Mr. Whipple, for looking after the children for me.  I reached the One Hundred and Twenty-fifth Street elevated station a little while ago, and the ticket agent there was very much excited because the children had slipped out while he was in his office.

“We were just trying to think where they could have gone, when your clerk came up to say they were here.  Now I’ll take them to their mother, who is quite anxious about them.”

“I can well believe she is,” said Mr. Whipple.  “Come and see me again,” he invited Flossie and Freddie, who, after their father had paid for the new hat, went away with him.

A little later they were safe in the hotel where the Bobbsey family was to live while in New York.  Mrs. Bobbsey, Bert and Nan were already there, and quite glad to see the two runaways, you may be sure.

“What a lot of adventures you must have had!” cried Nan, when Flossie and Freddie had told her a few of the things that had happened.

“We did!” laughed Freddie.  “You ought to have seen that monkey’s face when he bit on those make-believe cherries on Flossie’s hat!” and Freddie laughed loudly.

“Anyhow I got a new hat!”