“Do you really think we can go, Mother?” asked Nan, the next day.

“I don’t see why not.  Your father seems to have made up his mind to it.”

“Well, I hope he doesn’t change it, as he does sometimes,” said Bert, with a laugh.  “They’re going to have airships and a balloon at the fair, Charlie Mason says, and maybe I can go up in the balloon.  Wouldn’t that be great, Nan?”

“I’m not going up in any balloon!”

“I am!” decided Bert, as if that was all there was to it.

“An’ I’m going to ride on a lion!” cried Flossie.

“So’m I!” chimed in her brother Freddie.

Uncle Daniel Bobbsey and his wife Sarah, with their son Harry, lived at Meadow Brook Farm.  The Bobbsey twins had been there more than once, as those who have read the other books of this series will remember.  And now it was proposed to go there again.

“But we’ll be at the fair more than we will be at Meadow Brook, sha’n’t we?” asked Nan of her father.

“Well, sort of betwixt and between,” he answered, with a laugh.

Uncle Daniel having been written to, said he would be delighted to have his brother and his brother’s family come out for the remainder of the summer and early fall.  And in about a week all preparations were made.

The trip was to be made in the Bobbsey’s big auto, and would take about a day.  By starting early in the morning Meadow Brook Farm could be reached by night.  From there it was only a short distance to Bolton where, each year, a big fair was held.

“And if I see that Bob Guess I’ll make him tell where daddy’s coat is!” declared Bert.

“And the lap robe, too!” added Nan.

It was a fine, sunny day when the start was made.  Into the auto piled the Bobbsey twins, with boxes and baskets of lunch.

“It’s like another picnic!” laughed Nan, as she saw Bert piling away the good things to eat.

“Hab a good time, honey lambs!” called fat Dinah, as she and her husband stood on the steps, waving good-by.

“Take good care of Snoop and Snap!” begged Nan.

“We will!” promised Sam.

Snap, the dog, wanted to come along, but as he could not very well be looked after on this trip he had to be left behind, much to his sorrow.  He howled dismally as the auto went down the road.

Not very much happened on the way to Meadow Brook.  Once a tire was punctured and Mr. Bobbsey had to stop to put on a spare one.  But this happened near a garage, so he had a man from there do the work, while he and his wife, with the twins, went into a little grove of trees and ate lunch.

“Be careful of your coat!” warned Mrs. Bobbsey, as her husband took it off and hung it on a tree while he built a fire to heat the water for tea.

“Oh, no one is going to steal this one!” he said.  “Anyhow, it’s an old one.  But there’s no one here to take it.  No Mr. Blipper or Bob Guess around now.”