The baker would come twice every day: once when he set out in the morning for his selling round, and then again when he returned after selling all the bread.
The children ran to meet the baker because they were eager to get bread- bangles from him, which were a special treat for them. They did not run to meet him for the ordinary loaves of bread as those were usually bought by the maid-servant of the house. The bread-bangles and sometimes sweet bread of special make were what the children longed for and chose carefully.
Moreover, the sound of the baker's bamboo staff, a jingling thud, announced his arrival and acted as an alarm for the children, waking them up and signaling that it was time to meet and greet him.
Thus, the baker was like a friend and companion to the children, and the excitement of his daily visits made the children run to meet him eagerly.
