UP IN A BALLOON
The pumpkin won the race. I suppose you had already guessed that it
would. For the pumpkin, being almost perfectly round, could roll down
the hill faster than Freddie could.
So the pumpkin was the first to reach the bottom of the little grassy
hill on which stood the tent where the prize fruits and vegetables were
on exhibition. And Freddie came tumbling after, like Jack and Jill, you
know.
And I believe it is a good thing the pumpkin reached the bottom of the
hill first, for if Freddie had been first the big, heavy pumpkin would
have rolled up against him with a bump, and might have hurt him. But
Freddie, bumping into the pumpkin, as he did, was not hurt at all.
"Oh, you funny little boy!" cried the little girl who had laughed, as
she ran up to Freddie, who was now sitting on the grass. "The pumpkin
beat you in the rolling race down hill. But maybe you'll win next time."
"There isn't going to be any next time," laughed Mother Bobbsey, as she
ran to pick Freddie up. "He didn't do that on purpose, little girl."
"Oh, I thought he did. Anyhow, it was funny!" and she laughed again.
"Yes, it was funny," agreed Bert. "And here comes a man after the
pumpkin, I guess."
"Be careful that he doesn't take you and put you on exhibition in the
tent," said Nan to her little brother.
"Will he, Mother?" asked Flossie.
"No, of course not. Nan is only joking."
"The pumpkin isn't hurt any," said Harry, helping the man lift it up on
his shoulder.
"I'm glad of it," the man said. "It has won the prize, and the farmer
who owns it wouldn't like it if it should be broken."
"Let's go over to the merry-go-round," suggested Freddie, who did not
like so many people looking at him, for quite a crowd had gathered when
word of the funny pumpkin race spread. "I want a ride on the
merry-go-round."
"So do I," added Flossie.
"And then it will be time for the balloon to go up," added Bert. "Do you
think the wind is too strong?" he asked his father.
"Well, it is blowing pretty hard, and it's getting worse. I think there
is going to be a storm. But I see men working around the balloon, and I
think they are going to send it up. Perhaps they think they can send it
up and let it come down again before the storm."
"Oh, let's hurry and see it!" cried Nan, who was as much interested in
the big gas bag as were the boys.
"First we'll give Flossie and Freddie a ride on the merry-go-round, I
think," suggested Mrs. Bobbsey. So they all voted to have a ride, as Mr.
Bobbsey wanted a chance to speak to Mr. Blipper.
But, just as had happened the other time, Mr. Blipper was not there. Bob
Guess was taking tickets, and when he saw Nan he smiled.
"I'll get you the brass ring," he promised, and he did.
The children liked the lively music, and also the whirling ride on the
backs of the wooden animals. Even Mrs. Bobbsey took one ride, but she
said that was enough. Nan had a special ride, because Bob Guess had
saved for her the brass ring, and when the other children learned that
Nan was to ride for nothing, of course they wanted an extra ride, for
which Mr. Bobbsey had to pay.
"When do you think Mr. Blipper will be here?" Mr. Bobbsey asked of Bob,
as the party was leaving. "I want to talk to him."
"I don't know," was the boy's answer. "He doesn't stay at the
merry-go-round as much as he used to. He lets me and one of his men run
it. He's away a lot."
"Well, you tell him I want to see him," went on Mr. Bobbsey. "I shall be
here to-morrow and the next day."
"I'll tell him," promised Bob Guess.
"Now let's go see the balloon," suggested Bert.
"They're getting ready to send it up!" exclaimed Harry, as they neared
the place where the big bag, already partly filled with gas, was swaying
to and fro. Over the bag was a net work of strong cords, and the cords
were fastened to the rim of a large square basket. To the basket were
tied ropes, and to the ends of these ropes were bags of sand, thus
holding the balloon to the ground.
"What makes it go up?" asked Flossie, as she watched the swaying bag.
"Gas," explained Mr. Bobbsey. "They put in the big bag some gas,
sometimes one kind and sometimes another, just like the gas in your toy
balloons. This gas is so very light--it's not even so heavy as air--that
it wants to go up into the air, all by itself. And when it is inside a
bag the gas takes the bag up into the air with it."
"And the basket too? Doesn't it take the basket?" Freddie asked.
"Yes, the basket goes up with the balloon," said Mrs. Bobbsey.
"Who goes in the basket?" asked Freddie.
"Oh, the man," his father answered.
"Do any children go in the balloon?" called out Flossie. "Any boys or
girls?"
"Oh, no!" quickly said Nan, for she did not want her little sister and
brother to tease for a ride in a balloon basket.
"I'd like a ride in a balloon," murmured Freddie.
Just then the wind began to blow more strongly, and the big gas bag
swayed to one side, toward a crowd of people who ran to get out of the
way.
"Get more ropes!" cried one of the balloon men. "Get more ropes and sand
bags!"
"That's right!" shouted another man. "There's going to be a storm. I
don't know whether we ought to send the balloon up!"
"Oh, let her go!" cried several in the crowd. They did not want to be
disappointed. Bert and Harry added their voices to the cries for an
ascension.
"Well, we'll have to tie the balloon down until we get more gas in it,"
said the first man. "Come on now, more ropes and sand bags!"
While these were being brought the Bobbsey twins and their relatives
drew as near to the balloon as they could get, closely looking at it. At
times the big bag, partly filled with gas, swayed until it swept the
ground. The basket, too, pulled and tugged at the ropes that held it
down.
"What does the man do when he's in the basket?" Freddie asked.
"Oh, he sits there and rides along up in the clouds," said Bert. "I wish
I could go up."
"Does he have anything to eat?" Flossie wanted to know.
"Oh, yes," said Nan. "There are things to eat in the basket. See!" And
she held Flossie up so she could look over the edge and down into the
basket. Of course Freddie had to be lifted up, also.
The basket seemed a cosy place. There were blankets in it, for it is
often very cold high up in the air where balloons go, though it may be
very warm on the earth. And there were boxes and packages containing
food and many strange things at which the Bobbsey twins wondered.
The wind kept blowing harder and harder, and the crowd grew larger as
word went around the fair grounds that the balloon was soon to go up.
"What about those ropes?" cried the man who was in charge of the
balloon.
"They're coming," another man told him. "Be here right away!"
"Well, those lads want to hurry if this balloon isn't to go sailing off
by itself! My, but the wind is blowing hard! I've a good notion to call
this off. I'm afraid we're in for a bad storm."
"We can't stop it now," said the second man. "The crowd expects us to go
up, and we'll have to go."
"Well, we'll try it. But we must tie the balloon down and put in more
gas. It won't go up very far only half filled as it is."
Suddenly some voices cried:
"One side! One side if you please!"
It was the men coming up with ropes to tie the balloon down.
Mr. and Mrs. Bobbsey tried to gather the children close to them, to get
them out of the way of the men. But, in some manner, Flossie and
Freddie turned to one side, and before they knew it they were separated
from their friends. And then Flossie and Freddie found themselves pushed
close up against the balloon basket.
"Oh, let's get in!" cried Freddie.
"We'll just sit down for a minute and then get out," agreed Flossie.
The crowd was so excited, trying to get out of the way of the men with
the coils of rope, that no one noticed what the small Bobbsey twins did.
And so Freddie and Flossie climbed into the balloon basket and snuggled
down in the blankets.
"Quick now with those ropes!" cried the head man. "She's going to tear
loose! Feel that wind!"
There came a heavy blow, causing the balloon to sway back and forth.
"Look out!" cried another voice. "There she goes!"
Almost as he spoke there was a further scramble on the part of the
crowd, and the balloon tore loose from the holding ropes before the men
had time to put on the new ones.
"There she goes!" echoed the crowd. "Up goes the balloon!"
And up it went, taking Flossie and Freddie with it! Up and up it rose,
shooting above the heads of the crowd.
"Oh, Freddie!" cried Flossie, "what's going to happen?"
"We're going up in a balloon!" shouted Freddie, and then he laughed. He
thought it was fun.
"Oh, I want to get down!" screamed Flossie. She looked over the edge of
the basket, as did her brother, and just then Mrs. Bobbsey glanced up.
"Oh, my children! Flossie and Freddie!" she gasped, pointing. "They're
in the balloon!"