"Oh, can't we see it; whatever it is?" begged Nan.
"First I'll have to make sure there is a fire," replied Mr. Bobbsey. "I
hope there isn't. But, if there should be a small one, and the firemen
on the boat are putting it out, and if they let us get near enough to
see, and if the smoke isn't too thick--"
"Oh, Daddy! Not so many 'ifs' please!" laughed Nan.
The Bobbseys all laughed at this, as did Nell and Billy.
"Freddie would like to see the fire, if there is one," remarked Nell
Martin.
"Oh, that's so! Where is Freddie?" cried Bert.
Then, for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Bobbsey noticed that the little
blue-eyed and light-haired boy was not with them.
But at that moment around the corner of a deck cabin came a man wearing
a cap with gold braid around the edge. He was smiling and leading by the
hand a little boy. And the little boy was Freddie!
"Oh, there he is!" cried Flossie. "Freddie, where were you?" she asked.
"And did you been to see the fire?"
"Well, I rather guess he did!" exclaimed the man, who was the captain of
the boat. "He Was the whole fire himself!"
"The whole fire?" cried Mr. Bobbsey.
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