Produced by David Widger from page images generously provided by The Internet Archive BOBBIE BUBBLES By E. Hugh Sherwood And By Maud Gridley Budlong Illustrated by E. Hugh Sherwood [Illustration: 0001] [Illustration: 0005] [Illustration: 0006] [Illustration: 0009] BOBBIE BUBBLES Bobbie Bubbles was the most wonderful bubble blower that ever lived. No, his father's name wasn't Bubbles, and bubble blowing wasn't the family trade. Maybe the Smiths got their name because their great-great-great-grandfather's grandfather was a blacksmith, and maybe the Johnsons got their name because once, ages ago, a man named John had a son; but Bobbie Bubbles didn't get his name secondhand from anybody. He got it himself, because he was a famous person. And this is how it happened. [Illustration: 8007] One day Bobbie and Betty and Billy were out in the garden blowing bubbles. They all blew bubbles, big ones and little ones, till evening came and it was almost time for tea. Then Billy said, “I can blow the biggest bubble anybody's blown to-day,” and blew a bubble as big as an apple. “I can blow one bigger than that,” said Betty, and blew a bubble as big as a toy balloon. “I'll blow a bigger one still,” said Bobbie, and he blew and blew, and the bubble grew and grew--as big as a pumpkin, as big as the snowball they'd rolled in the yard at Christmas. Even then the wonderful bubble did not stop, but kept growing bigger and bigger. And still Bobbie blew and blew, and still the shining bubble grew and grew. Then, wonder of wonders! The great shimmering bubble, floating in the sunlit air and glowing with all the colors of the rainbow, suddenly reached out and took in Bobbie--pipe, arm, and all. Slowly the bubble rose with the surprised Bobbie and, light as thistledown, floated gently to and fro in the soft summer air just above the garden. [Illustration: 0012] “Dear me!” thought Bobbie, looking down through what seemed like walls of gleaming crystal. “Dear me! That's not our garden where Betty and Billy and I blew soap bubbles. No, that rainbow-colored place looks just like Fairyland in our story books. Really, now,” thought he, “have we sailed over into Fairyland?” Then, just as he was wondering what would happen next, along came a puff of wind, and, whiff! away sailed the bubble with Bobbie in it. Over the trees they went, up toward the clouds. Bobbie looked down through the bubble and saw his house grow smaller and smaller. Soon the whole village was only a little dark speck. Honk! Honk! Honk! “Mercy!” thought Bobbie. “Have they automobiles up here?” He looked around at the smooth sides of his delicate airship, but there was no way to steer it that he could see. Honk! Honk! Honk! “I can't!” shouted Bobbie. “I'd get out of the way if I could, but--” [Illustration: 0014] By this time he'd managed to wiggle around in the bubble so that he could see what was behind him. It was a flock of geese.