Mr. Whipple, at another time, once more met Mr. Bobbsey, whom he had seen that day in the store, and the two families became very good friends, though Mr. Whipple was so busy he did not have much time for calling.

One evening, however, Mr. Whipple came home from the store rather earlier than usual, and, finding Flossie and Freddie in his apartments playing with Laddie, the store-owner asked: 

“How would you youngsters like to come and see a woodland camp—­a camp with tents, a real fire, where a man is cooking his dinner and all that?  How would you like it?”

“Oh, please take us!” begged Laddie.

“Where is it?” Freddie asked, ready to go at once.

“In my store,” said Mr. Whipple.

“A store is a funny place for a camp in the woods,” said Freddie.  He and Flossie had often pretended to camp out in a tent made from a blanket or quilt, and they knew what it meant.

“Well, you just come and see it,” laughed Mr. Whipple.  “If your folks say it’s all right, I’ll take you all to-morrow.”

“Oh, we’ll come!” cried Freddie.  “I love a camp!”

CHAPTER XV

SAD NEWS

Bert and Nan Bobbsey were so interested when they heard that Freddie and Flossie were going to see some sort of a camping scene at Mr. Whipple’s store that they, too, begged to be allowed to join the party.

“Come right along!” exclaimed the merchant.  “The more the merrier.  I hope you’ll like it.”

“Is it a real camp, with trees and all?” asked Freddie.

“Well, there are some real bushes, and make-believe trees,” said Mr. Whipple.  “I couldn’t grow real big woodland trees in my store, you know.  But the tent is real, so is the fire, and the men who are camping out eat real food.”

“I’d like that part,” said Flossie.

“Well, come along, then,” invited Mr. Whipple.

Mrs. Bobbsey, as well as Mrs. Whipple, were to go with the five children, and they made up a merry party as they set out for the uptown department store.

“Oh, we’re going in an automobile!” cried Freddie, as they came out of the Parkview Hotel and saw a big car standing at the curb.  The chauffeur got down off his seat and opened the door as he saw Mr. and Mrs. Whipple.

“Yes, this is our machine,” said the merchant.  “I don’t care much for riding around New York, though in the Summer I take long trips in the car.  But as we have so many children with us to-day,” and he looked at Nan, Bert, Flossie, Freddie and Laddie, “it will be better to go in the machine.”

On the way up, through the streets of the great city, the Bobbsey twins, as did Laddie, looked out of the windows at the many sights.  Once Freddie saw a fire engine speeding on its way to some blaze.

“Oh, let’s get out and watch!” he begged.

“Of course we can’t do that!” said Mrs. Bobbsey.