“Dinah!  Dinah!” called Flossie, to the colored cook who had gone into the dining room for a moment.  “Come quick, or Nan won’t have any cake.  Snap wants it!”

I don’t suppose that the dog really wanted the cake batter, though he liked sweet things.  But he thought Nan had his dinner in the pan.

However, before he could get near enough to her to “jiggle” her arm, and make her drop the pan, Dinah came in.

“Heah, you Snap!” cried the cook with a laugh.  “Yo’ done got t’ git outen dish yeah kitchen when cake-bakin’ am goin’ on!”

She reached for Snap’s collar, and, as Dinah was very strong, she managed to hold the big dog, who was barking and wagging his tail faster than ever.  He thought they were all playing with him.

“Hurry, honey!” called Dinah to Nan.  “Snap’s pullin’ away from me a little.”

Nan reached the oven, and put the cake in, closing the door.

“There!” she cried.  “Now it’s all right, and you can let go of Snap!”

“An’ he’d bettah git outdoors where he kin romp around t’ suit hisse’f,” added Dinah.  “Kitchens ain’t no place fo’ dogs when bakin’s goin’ on.”

So Snap was put outside, with a nice bone to gnaw, and he did not feel unhappy.  Flossie and Freddie cleaned out the brown bowl, on the sides and bottom of which were bits of the sweet cake batter.  And after Nan had mixed up sugar and water to make icing to go on top of the cake, the two little twins cleaned out that dish also.

Finally Nan’s cake was done.  It was taken from the oven, being a lovely brown in color, and, after it had cooled, the icing was put on top.  Then the cake was put away for the party.

Everyone, whom Nan had invited, came that night.  There were more than a dozen, counting the Bobbsey twins, and they all had a good time.  They played a number of games, ending with hide-and-go-seek.

Freddie wanted to “blind” and look for the others, so they let him do it.  One after another the others stole away on tiptoe, while Freddie stood with his head in a corner that he might not see where they hid.  Each boy and each girl picked out a place where he thought Freddie would not see him.

“Ready or not I’m coming,” called the little boy at last.

Then he opened his eyes and started to look for the hidden children.  The piano in the parlor stood out a little way from the wall, and Freddie thought that would be a good place for some one to hide.  He thrust his head behind it, to see if any one was back of it, there being just about room enough for him to do his.  No one was there, but when Freddie tried to pull his head out again it would not come.

“Oh! oh!” he cried, and his voice sounded queer, coming from behind the piano.  “Oh.  I’m stuck!  I’m caught fast just like Snoop, only worse!  Papa!  Mamma!  Come and get me out of the piano!”

CHAPTER X