Freddie and Johnnie had fun at the edge of the lake.  They each had a small sailboat, and, holding the strings, which were fast to the toy vessels, the boys let the wind blow the boats out a way and then hauled them in again.

After a while, however, they grew tired of this, and Freddie said: 

“Let’s go up to the office to see my father.  He likes me to come to see him, and maybe he’ll give us five cents for ice cream cones.”

“That’ll be nice,” said Johnnie.

Mr. Bobbsey was very busy, for he had a great deal of work to do after having spent so much time in the country that Summer.  But he was glad to see the boys.

“Well, how’s my little fireman this morning?” he asked, catching Freddie up in his arms.  “Have you put out any fires yet?”

“Not yet.  We’ve been playing boats.”

“And how are you, Johnnie?” went on Mr. Bobbsey, as he patted Freddie’s playmate on the back.

“Oh, I’m all right.  I’m going in the ship with Freddie to help find Tommy Todd’s father who’s on a desert island.”

“Oh, you are; eh?  Well speaking of Tommy, that looks like him out there now.”

Mr. Bobbsey pointed to the outside office.  There stood the boy Freddie and Flossie had talked to on the train.  He was speaking to one of the clerks, who did not seem to want to let him inside the railing.

“That’s all right,” called Mr. Bobbsey.  “He may come in.  What is it, Tommy?” he asked kindly, as the clerk stepped aside.

“I’ve come to do the errands, to earn the quarter you gave me yesterday,” said the fresh air boy, as he came in.

“Oh, there’s no hurry about that,” returned Mr. Bobbsey.  “I don’t know what errands I want done to-day.”

“Well, I’d like to do some,” Tommy said.  “I’d like to earn that money, and then, maybe, you’d have some more errands for me to run, afterward, so I could earn more money.  I need it very much, and Mr. Fitch hasn’t any work for me to-day.  I want to do all I can before school opens,” Tommy went on, “’cause it gets dark early in the afternoon now, and my grandmother doesn’t like to have me out too late.”

“That’s right.  How is your grandmother, Tommy?”

“She—­she’s sick,” was the answer, and Tommy’s voice sounded as though he had been crying, or was just going to do so.

“Sick?  That’s too bad!”

“That’s why I want some more errands to do, so I can earn money for her.  She was hungry when I got home yesterday, and I spent that money you gave me—­all but the five cents for car fare—­to buy her things to eat.  There wasn’t anything in the house.”

“Oh, come now!  That’s too bad!” said Mr. Bobbsey.  “We must look into this.  Here, Freddie, you and Johnnie and Tommie go down to the corner and get some ice cream.  It’s a hot day,” and he held out some money to Tommy.  “I’ll let you carry it,” he said, “as the other boys might lose it.  Get three ten cent plates of cream.”