The two older twins had picked out a nice seat in the center of the car, and were comfortably settled, Bert kindly letting Nan sit next to the window.

“You may sit here after a while,” Nan said to Bert.  “We’ll take turns.”

“That will be nice,” replied Bert.

But Flossie and Freddie were not so easily pleased.  Each of the smaller twins wanted to sit next to the window, and their father and mother knew that soon the little snub noses would be pressed close against the glass, and that the bright eyes would see everything that flashed by as the tram speeded on.

But the trouble was that there were not enough seats for Flossie and Freddie each to have one, and, for a moment, it looked as though there would be a storm, Freddie slipped into the only whole vacant seat and took his place next the window.

“Oh, I want to sit there!” cried Flossie.  “Mother, make Freddie give me that place!  Please do!”

“No!  I was first!” exclaimed the little boy, and this was true enough.

“I want to look out the window and see the cows!” went on Flossie, and her voice sounded as though she might cry at any moment.  “I want to see the cows!”

“And I want to see the horses,” declared Freddie.  “If I’m going to be a fireman I’ve got to look at horses, haven’t I?” he asked his father.

“Cows are better than horses!” half-sobbed Flossie.  “Mother, make Freddie let me sit where I can look out!”

“Children!  Children!  This isn’t at all nice!” exclaimed Mrs. Bobbsey.  “What shall I do?” she asked her husband in a low voice, for several of the passengers were looking at Flossie and Freddie, whose voices were rather loud.

“I’ll let Flossie have my place,” offered Nan.  “I don’t mind sitting in the outside seat.  Here, Flossie, come over here and sit with Bert, and I’ll sit with Freddie.”

“Thank you, very much, Nan,” said her mother in a low voice.  “You are a good girl.  I’m sure I don’t know what makes Flossie and Freddie act so.  They are usually pretty good on such a journey as this.”

But Nan did not have to give up her place at the window, for a gentleman in the seat across the aisle arose and said to Mr. Bobbsey with a smile: 

“Let your little girl take my seat near the window.  I’m going into the smoking car, and I get off at the next station.  I know how I liked to sit near a window, where I could see the horses and cows, when I was a little boy.”

“Oh, thank you!” exclaimed Mr. Bobbsey.  “That is very kind of you.”

So the change was made.  Flossie had a seat near one window, and Freddie near another, and Mr. Bobbsey sat with his “little fireman,” while Mrs. Bobbsey took the other half of the seat with the “little fat fairy.”  Nan and Bert were together, and so there was peace at last.  On rushed the train taking the Bobbsey twins to New York; and from there they were to go to Washington, where a strange adventure awaited them.