“All right,” Bert answered.  “Here, Freddie!” he called.  “Don’t run with that sharp-pointed boat in your hand.  If you fall on it you’ll get hurt.”

“But I’m not going to fall!” said Freddie.

“You can’t tell what you’re going to do!  Go easy!” Bert advised, and Freddie walked as slowly as he could to the gate where Flossie was eagerly gazing down the road.

The noise of the auto horns sounded more loudly, and soon two big trucks, filled with children and gay with flags, came into view.  Boxes had been placed in the trucks for seats, and on these boxes, laughing, shouting, waving their hands and flags, were scores of happy, smiling boys and girls.

One of the trucks drew up at the gate of the house where lived the Bobbsey twins, the other auto keeping on, as it was well filled.  But room had been saved in this one for Bert, Nan, Flossie and Freddie.

“Come on, Nan!  Come on!” cried Flossie, still jumping up and down.

“Tell Nan to hurry!” added Freddie to his brother.

“She’s coming,” Bert said, as he walked down to the gate with the packages of lunch.

“Hello, Bert!” called Charlie Mason, from the truck.  “Got enough to eat?”

“I guess so,” Bert answered his chum, holding up the boxes and baskets.  “Enough for two picnics I should say!”

“You can eat a lot when you’re off in the woods,” added Dannie Rugg.  “It’s like camping out.”

“Here comes Nan!” exclaimed Grace Lavine, a particular chum of the older Bobbsey girl.

Nan, having hurried in to tell her mother the trucks had arrived, now hastened down the path, her hair flying in the wind.

“Have you everything?  Take good care of Flossie and Freddie!  Have a good time, and don’t fall into the water!” Mrs. Bobbsey said, as she waved good-by to her twins while they clambered up into the truck.

“We will!” they answered.

“Good-by, Mother!  Good-by!”

“Good-by, children!”

“Honk!  Honk!” tooted the auto horn.

“All aboard!” called Nellie Parks.  “All aboard!”

“I want to sit on the end!” declared Freddie, struggling to get in this position.

“You might fall out going up hill,” said Bert.  “I’ll sit there, Freddie, and you can sit next me.”  The little fellow had to be content with this.

With children laughing, children singing, children shouting and children smiling, with flags flying and the horn tooting, the big auto started off, having taken aboard the Bobbsey twins; and soon the two trucks were out of sight around a turn in the road, bound for Pine Grove, on the outskirts of the town of Lakeport.  It was the yearly picnic of one of the Lakeport Sunday schools.

“Isn’t it a wonderful day?” asked Grace of Nan.  The two friends and Nellie were sitting together.

“Yes, beautiful.  We nearly always have a good day for the picnic.”

“Did you bring any olives in your lunch.  Nan?”