his open mouth.

"Shut it off!" cried Mr. Bobbsey. "Here, I'll do it!"

He started across the kitchen floor.

"Look out, Massa Bobbsey!" yelled Dinah. "It'll cotch yo' shuah. It
done cotched me!" and then as she saw the little rubber hose of
Freddie's fire engine swing around, and the nozzle point at her, the
fat cook ran into the dish-closet and shut the door.

"How did it happen?" asked Mrs. Bobbsey, not so excited, now that she
found nothing serious was the matter.

"Freddie--Freddie--he wanted to try how his fire engine worked, 'cause
he hadn't played with it this week," explained Flossie. Freddie was
busy wiping the water from his face. "So he filled the tank, and wound
it up, and now--and now--it won't--it won't stop-squirtin'!" went on
Flossie. "It--it---"

And then she, too, had to stop talking, for the hose was spurting
water at her now.

"I'll shut it off. Something must be the matter with the spring," said
Mr. Bobbsey. He walked toward Freddie's fire engine, which was pretty
large, for a toy. But before he reached it, the water hose had swung
around, and, instead of sprinkling Flossie, was aimed at Mr. Bobbsey.
However he did not mind. Holding the newspaper in front of his face,
Freddie's father reached the fire engine, and turned off the machinery
that pumped the water.