“When I became old enough, I started to look for John, but could not find him.  My sister could not, either, though lately she heard he was in California, but it was not true.  And so, for many years, we have been trying to find John Whipple.  And at last I know where he is!”

“Let us hope Uncle Jack is your brother,” said Mr. Bobbsey gently.

“We will soon know,” said Mrs. Whipple.

The stay of the Bobbseys in the great city of New York came to a sudden end, but they had had a good time, and might come again some time.  Besides, Mr. and Mrs. Whipple were going back with them, to see if the old woodchopper were really the long-lost man, and Flossie and Freddie thought that almost as good as if they had stayed in the city.

“And Laddie is coming, too!” cried Freddie.  “We’ll have heaps of good times.”

“And maybe we’ll get a goat,” said Flossie.  “If we do, I’m going to drive him sometimes.”

“Yes, you can,” agreed Freddie.

Mr. Bobbsey closed up most of his New York business matters, and Mr. Whipple, with his wife and Laddie, got ready to go to Lakeport with the Bobbseys.  Word was sent to Dinah, the fat cook, and her husband, Sam, to get the Lakeport house ready for the family and for the Whipples, who would stay with them for a short time.

Another telegram came from the hospital about Uncle Jack.  It said he was doing well, and that his mind was clear.  He was certain he was John Whipple, and that he had relations somewhere.  But, for fear there might be a disappointment, after all, no word was sent him about Mr. Daniel Whipple’s coming on.  Nor was Laddie’s mother, in California, told.  They wanted to make sure there would be no mistake.

Once more the Bobbsey twins were in the big Pennsylvania station, and Freddie almost made the whole party miss the train by stopping in the arcade to show Laddie where the bugs, that went “around and around and around,” had been bought.

“See what beautiful colors they are!” exclaimed Freddie.  “Green and blue and red and brown and pink and yellow and—­and—­oh, every kind!”

“And you ought to see how fast some of ’em go around!” exclaimed Flossie.  “They just keep on going around and around and around till sometimes you can’t most see ’em go!”

“And you wind ’em just like this——­” explained Freddie, making a queer little movement with his chubby hand.

“Oh, I know just how they go,” said Laddie.  “Didn’t I see yours run?”

“Come, children, we’ll have to hurry,” said Mr. Bobbsey.  “We don’t want to miss the train.”

“I want some of those bugs,” said Laddie wistfully.

“We can get some later,” replied his aunt.

“But they may be all gone when we come back!”

“I don’t think so,” his aunt replied.  “See!  They have a whole store full of them.”  And then the crowd hurried off to catch the train.