the piles of boards under which there were a number of good places to
sleep.

Mr. Bobbsey did not mean to be unkind to the poor men who had no
homes, but tramps often smoke, and are not careful about their
matches. There had been one or two fires in the lumber yard, and Mr.
Bobbsey did not want any more blazes.

Soon the footsteps of the children's father were heard on the deck
above them, and, a little later Freddie and the others could hear the
talk of two persons.

"I guess it was one of the men," said Mrs. Bobbsey.

"I'm going to see," spoke Bert, and he moved toward the stairway,
followed by Nan, Flossie and Freddie. They went up on deck and saw
their father talking to a strange boy. None of the Bobbsey children
knew him.

"Are you looking for some one?" asked Mr. Bobbsey kindly, of the
strange boy. Often, when he was in distant parts of the lumber yard,
and he was wanted at the office, or telephone, his men might ask some
boy to run and tell the owner of the yard he was needed. But Mr.
Bobbsey had never seen this lad before.

"No, sir, I--I wasn't looking for any one," said the boy, as he looked
down at his shoes, which were full of holes, and put his hands into
the pockets of his trousers, which were quite ragged. "I was just
looking at the boat. It's a fine one!"