“I don’t know who you are!” spluttered the angry Mr. Blipper.  “But you haven’t any right to stop me.”

“This lady is my wife,” said Mr. Bobbsey, and he spoke in such a way that Mr. Blipper at once lost some of his bluster.  “She has the same right that any one has to inquire into something he thinks is wrong.”

“But this isn’t wrong!” cried Mr. Blipper.  “I have a right to this boy.  I adopted him legally, I did!  I gave him a name when he didn’t have any before.  Bob Guess I call him, ’cause I had to guess at his name.  I took him out of an orphan asylum and give him a good home!”

“Home!” cried Bob Guess.  “You didn’t give me any home!  You keep dragging me all over the country with that merry-go-round!  I haven’t any home except sleepin’ in a truck.”

“You were glad enough to come with me!” sneered Mr. Blipper.

“Anyway, I’m sick of it.  That’s why I ran away.”

“Well, you’re going to run back again!” said Mr. Blipper, grimly, as he gave the boy a shake.

“Wait a minute,” said Mr. Bobbsey.  “Have you a legal right to this boy?”

“That’s what I have.  I expected some such question would be asked of me, and I brought along my papers.  There they are.  You can look ’em over for yourself.”

He tossed a long envelope containing papers to Mr. Bobbsey, and the latter looked at the documents.

“Don’t let him take me back!” pleaded Bob Guess.  “I don’t like him!”

“I don’t like you, when it comes to that!” sneered the angry man.  “But I’m going to have you back!  I have a right to you, and you’ve got to work for me.”

“These papers seem to be all right,” said Mr. Bobbsey, slowly.  “He is your legal guardian, Bob.  You had better go with him, and do as he says.  But if he treats you cruelly let me know.  I am going to the Bolton County Fair, and when I get there I’ll keep my eye on you.”

“Say, who are you, anyhow?” sneered Mr. Blipper.

“My name is Bobbsey,” answered the children’s father.  “I live in Lakeport.  I thought perhaps you might know my name.”

“How should I know your name?”

“It was on some papers in my coat that disappeared from the Sunday school picnic grounds the day you had trouble with your engine near the grove.”

Mr. Blipper looked first at Bob and then at Mr. Bobbsey.

“Say!” cried the merry-go-round owner, “maybe you think I know something about your coat.”

“Maybe you do,” answered Mr. Bobbsey, easily.

“And the lap robe!” whispered Bert.

“Hush, Bert!” warned his mother.  “Leave this to Daddy!”

“Well, I don’t know anything about your coat or a lap robe, either!” declared Mr. Blipper.  “All I know is that Bob ran away from me, and now I’m going to run him back!”

There seemed no help for it.  Mr. Bobbsey sadly shook his head when the twins and his wife pleaded with him to do something to save Bob.