“I want to be the steam, and go puff-puff!” cried Freddie.

“And I want to be the captain and say ‘All aboard!’” was Flossie’s wish.

“You can take turns,” agreed Bert.  “Now don’t get in our way, Flossie and Freddie.  Nan and I want to see how big a swing we can take by holding to the ropes.”

“All right.  I’ll go and see if I can find any eggs,” replied Freddie.  “Hens lay eggs in the barn.”

“Well, if you find a nest don’t step in it and break all the eggs,” warned Nan.

She and Bert, as Flossie and Freddie went marching around the big barn, climbed up on the pile of hay, and began swinging on the ropes.  To and fro swung the older Bobbsey twins.

“Isn’t this better than Blueberry Island?” asked Nan.

“Well no, it isn’t any better,” said Bert; “but it’s just as good.  Look, I’m going to let go and drop on the hay.”

“Be careful and don’t hurt yourself!” begged Nan, as she swung to and fro, her feet raised from the hay beneath her, while Bert, also, swayed slowly to and fro.

“Oh, I’ll be careful!” Bert promised.  “Anyhow, the hay is nice and soft to fall in.  I’ll make believe I’m a man in the circus, falling from the top of the tent.”

He swung a little farther to and fro, and then suddenly cried: 

“Here I go!”

“Oh!” screamed Nan, but, really, nothing happened to harm Bert.  He just dropped into the pile of soft hay.

“Come on, Nan!  You try it!  Lots of fun!” laughed Bert as he scrambled up and made for his rope again.

Nan said “no” at first, but when Bert had swung once more and again dropped into the hay, she took her turn.  Into the hay she plunged, and sank down to her shoulders in the soft, dried grass.

“Come on—­let’s do it some more!” laughed Bert.  Then he and his older sister had lots of fun swinging on the ropes and dropping into a pile of hay.

“I wonder what Flossie and Freddie are doing,” said Bert, after they had had about an hour of this fun.  “I haven’t seen them for a long while.”

“Maybe they found a hen’s nest and took the eggs to the house,” said Nan.  “They’d do that.”

“Yes, if they found one,” agreed Bert.  “Well, we’ll see where they are after I take another swing.  And I’m going to take a big one.”

“So will I!” decided Nan.  “Oh, it’s just as nice as Blueberry Island or on the deep, blue sea, isn’t it, Bert?”

“It is when we play this way—­yes.  But just watch me.”

“Here come Flossie and Freddie now!” exclaimed Nan, as she glanced at her older brother, who was taking a firm hold of the rope for his big swing.  The two smaller twins, at this moment, came into the barn through the door that led to the cow stable.

“Where have you been?” asked Nan, as she watched Bert get ready for his swing.

“Oh, we had fun,” said Flossie.

“And I squirted water, out where the horse “drinks,” added Freddie,