"Freddie! Freddie!" shrieked Flossie, when she saw her twin brother disappear. "Do come out!"
But Freddie could not come out, and when, after a few seconds he did not show himself, she ran toward the kitchen door, screaming at the top of her breath.
"Oh, Dinah! Dinah! Freddie is buried! Freddie is buried!"
"Wot's dat yo' say, Flossie?" demanded the cook, coming to the door.
"Freddie is buried. The ceiling of the snow house came down on him!"
"Gracious sakes alive, chile!" burst out Dinah, and without waiting to put anything on her head she rushed forth into the garden. "Gib me dat shovel quick! He'll be stuffocated fo' yo' know it."
"DAT CHILE DUN GWINE AN' BURIED HIMSELF ALIVE."—P. 53."DAT CHILE DUN GWINE AN' BURIED HIMSELF ALIVE."—P. 53.
She began to dig away at the pile of snow, and presently uncovered one of Freddie's lower limbs. Then she dropped the shovel and tugged away at the limb and presently brought Freddie to view, just as Mrs. Bobbsey and Nan appeared on the scene.
"What in the world is the matter?" questioned Mrs. Bobbsey, in alarm.
"Dat chile dun gwine an' buried himself alive," responded the colored cook. "De roof of de snow house cabed in on him, pooh dear! He's 'most stuffocated!"
In the meantime Freddie was gasping for breath. Then he looked at the wreck of the snow house and set up a tremendous roar of dismay.
"Oh, Flossie, it's all spoilt! The bay window an' all!"
"Never mind, Freddie dear," said his mother, taking him. "Be thankful that you were not suffocated, as Dinah says."
"Yes, but Flossie and me were makin' anev'rythinghouse, with a parlor, an' a bay window, an'ev'rything. I didn't want it to fall down." Freddie was still gasping, but now hestruggled to the ground. "Want to build it up again," he added.
"I am afraid you'll get into trouble again, Freddie."
"No, I won't, mamma. Do let us build it up again," pleaded the little fellow.
"I kin watch dem from de doah," suggested Dinah.
"Let me help them, mamma," put in Nan. "Bert is reading a book, so he won't want me for a while."
"Very well, Nan, you may stay with them. But all of you be careful," said Mrs. Bobbsey.
After that the building of the snow house was started all over again. The pile of snow was packed down as hard as possible, and Nan made Flossie and Freddie do the outside work while she crept inside, and cut around the ceiling and the bay window just as the others wanted. It was great sport, and when the snow house was finished it was large enough and strong enough for all of them to enter with safety.
"To-night I'll poah some water ober dat house," said Sam. "Dat will make de snow ashard as ice." This was done, and the house remained in the garden until spring came. Later on Bert built an addition to it, which he called the library, and in this he put a bench and a shelf on which he placed some old magazines and story papers. In the main part of the snow house Freddie and Flossie at first placed an old rug and two blocks of wood for chairs, and a small bench for a table. Then, when Flossie grew tired of the house, Freddie turned it into a stable, in which he placed his rocking-horse. Then he brought out his iron fire engine, and used the place for a fire-house, tying an old dinner bell on a stick, stuck over the doorway.Dong! dong!would go the bell, and out he would rush with his little engine and up the garden path, looking for a fire.
"Let us play you are a reg'lar fireman," said Flossie, on seeing this. "You must live in the fire-house, and I must be your wife and come to see you with the baby." And she dressed up in a long skirt and paid him a visit, with her best doll on her arm. Freddie pretended to be very glad to see her, and embraced the baby. But a moment later he made the bell ring, andthrowing the baby to her rushed off again with his engine.
"That wasn't very nice," pouted Flossie. "Dorothy might have fallen in the snow."
"Can't help it," answered Freddie. "A fireman can't stop for anything."
"But—but—he doesn't have to throw his baby away, does he?" questioned Flossie, with wide open eyes.
"Yes, he does,—ev'rything."
"But—but supposing he is—is eating his dinner?"
"He has to throw it away, Flossie. Oh, it's awful hard to be a real fireman."
"Would he have to throw his jam away, and his pie?"
"Yes."
"Then I wouldn't be a fireman, not for a—a house full of gold!" said Flossie, and marched back into the house with her doll.
Flossie's dolls were five in number. Dorothy was her pride, and had light hair and blue eyes, and three dresses, one of real lace. The next was Gertrude, a short doll with black eyes and hair and a traveling dress that was very cute.Then came Lucy, who had lost one arm, and Polly, who had lost both an arm and a leg. The fifth doll was Jujube, a colored boy, dressed in a fiery suit of red, with a blue cap and real rubber boots. This doll had come from Sam and Dinah and had been much admired at first, but was now taken out only when all the others went too.
"He doesn't really belong to the family, you know," Flossie would explain to her friends. "But I have to keep him, for mamma says there is no colored orphan asylum for dolls. Besides, I don't think Sam and Dinah would like to see their doll child in an asylum." The dolls were all kept in a row in a big bureau drawer at the top of the house, but Flossie always took pains to separate Jujube from the rest by placing the cover of a pasteboard box between them.
With so much snow on the ground it was decided by the boys of that neighborhood to build a snow fort, and this work was undertaken early on the following Saturday morning. Luckily, Bert was by that time well enough to go out and he did his fair share ofthe labor, although being careful not to injure the sore ankle.
The fort was built at the top of a small hill in a large open lot. It was made about twenty feet square and the wall was as high as the boys' heads and over a foot thick. In the middle was gathered a big pile of snow, and into this was stuck a flag-pole from which floated a nice flag loaned by a boy named Ralph Blake.
"Let us divide into two parties of soldiers," said Ralph. "One can defend the fort and the others can attack it."
"Hurrah! just the thing!" cried Bert. "When shall the battle begin?"
The boys talked it over, and it was decided to have the battle come off after lunch.
The boys went home full of enthusiasm, and soon the news spread that a real soldiers' battle was to take place at the lot.
"Oh, Bert, can't I go and look on?" asked Nan.
"I want to go, too," put in Flossie.
"Can't I be a soldier?" asked Freddie. "I can make snowballs, and throw 'em, too."
"No, Freddie, you are too little to be asoldier," answered Bert. "But you can all come and look on, if you wish."
After lunch the boys began to gather quickly, until over twenty were present. Many girls and a few grown folks were also there, who took places out of harm's way.
"Now, remember," said a gentleman who was placed in charge. "No icy snowballs and no stones."
"We'll remember, Mr. Potter," cried the young soldiers.
The boys were speedily divided into two parties, one to attack and one to defend the fort. It fell to Bert's lot to be one of the attacking party. Without loss of time each party began to make all the snowballs it could. The boys who remained in the fort kept out of sight behind the walls, while the attacking party moved to the back of the barn at the corner of the big lot.
"Are you all ready?" shouted Mr. Potter presently.
A yell of assent came from nearly all of the young soldiers.
"Very well, then; the battle may begin."
Some of the boys had brought horns along, and now a rousing blast came from behind the barn and then from the snow fort.
"Come on and capture the fort!" cried Bert, and led the way, with his arms full of snowballs.
There was a grand cheer and up the hill rushed the young soldiers, ready to capture the snow fort no matter what the cost.
"Oh, the fight is going to start!" cried Nan, in high excitement. "See them coming up the hill!"
"Will they shoot?" asked Flossie, just a bit nervously.
"Course they won't shoot," answered Freddie. "Can't shoot snowballs. Ain't got no powder in."
The attacking party was still a good distance from the fort when those inside let fly a volley of snowballs. But the snowballs did not reach their mark, and still the others came up the hill.
"Now then, give it to them!" cried Bert, and let fly his first snowball, which landed on the top of the fort's wall. Soon the air was full of snowballs, flying one way and another. Many failed to do any damage, but some wenttrue, and soon Bert received a snowball full in the breast and another in the shoulder. Then he slipped and fell and his own snowballs were lost.
The attacking party got to within fifty feet of the fort, but then the ammunition gave out and they were forced to retreat, which they did in quick order.
"Hurrah! they can't take the fort!" cried those inside of the stronghold, and blew their horns more wildly than ever. But their own ammunition was low and they made other snowballs as quickly as they could, using the pile of snow in the middle of the fort for that purpose.
Back of the barn the attacking party held a consultation.
"I've got a plan," said a boy named Ned Brown. "Let us divide into two parties and one move on the fort from the front and the other from the back. Then, if they attack one party, the other party can sneak in and climb over the fort wall and capture the flag."
"All right, let us do that," said Bert.
Waiting until each boy had a dozen or moresnowballs, half of the attacking force moved away along a fence until the rear of the fort was gained. Then, with another cheer, all set out for the fort.
It was a grand rush and soon the air was once more filled with snowballs, much to the delight of the spectators, who began to cheer both sides.
"Oh, I hope they get into the fort this time," said Nan.
"I hope they don't," answered another girl, who had a brother in the fort.
Inside the fort the boys were having rather a hard time of it. They were close together, and a snowball coming over the walls was almost certain to hit one or another. More than this, the pile of snow around the flag was growing small, so that the flag was in great danger of toppling over.
Up the two sides of the hill came the invaders, Bert leading the detachment that was to attack the rear. He was hit again, but did not falter, and a moment later found himself at the very wall.
"Get back there!" roared a boy from thefort and threw a large lump of soft snow directly into his face. But Bert threw the lump back and the boy slipped and fell flat. Then, amid a perfect shower of snowballs, Bert and two other boys fairly tumbled into the fort.
"Defend the flag! Defend the flag!" was the rallying cry of the fort defenders, and they gathered around the flag. The struggle was now a hand-to-hand one, in which nothing but soft snow was used, and nearly every boy had his face washed.
"Get back there!" roared Danny Rugg, who was close to the flag, but as he spoke two boys shoved him down on his face in the snow, and the next moment Bert and another boy of the invading party had the flag and was carrying it away in triumph.
"The fort has fallen!" screamed Nan, and clapped her hands.
"Hurrah!" shouted Freddie. "The—the forters are beaten, aren't they?"
"Yes, Freddie."
A cheer was given for those who had captured the fort. Then some of the boys began to dance on the top of the walls, and down theycame, one after another, until the fort was in ruins, and the great contest came to an end.
"It was just splendid!" said Nan to Bert, on the way home. "Just like a real battle."
"Only the band didn't play," put in Freddie disappointedly. "Real soldiers have a band. They don't play fish-horns."
"Oh, Freddie!" cried Flossie. "They weren't fish-horns. They were Christmas horns."
"It's all the same. I like a band, with a big, fat bass-drum."
"We'll have the band next time—just for your benefit, Freddie," said Bert.
He was tired out and glad to rest when they got home. More than this, some of the snow had gotten down his back, so he had to dry himself by sitting with his back to the sitting-room heater.
"Danny Rugg was terribly angry that we captured the fort," said he. "He is looking for the boys who threw him on his face."
"It served him right," answered Nan, remembering the trouble over the broken show window.
The second fall of snow was followed by steady cold weather and it was not long before the greater part of Lake Metoka was frozen over. As soon as this happened nearly all of the boys and girls took to skating, so that sledding and snowballing were, for the time being, forgotten.
Both Nan and Bert had new skates, given to them the Christmas before, and each was impatient to go on the ice, but Mrs. Bobbsey held them back until she thought it would be safe.
"You must not go too far from shore," said she. "I understand the ice in the middle of the lake, and at the lower end, is not as firm as it might be."
Freddie and Flossie wanted to watch the skating, and Nan took them to their father's lumber yard. Here was a small office directly on the lake front, where they could see much that was going on and still be under the care of an old workman around the yards.
Nan could not skate very well, but Bert could get along nicely, and he took hold of his twin sister's hand, and away they went gliding over the smooth ice much to their combined delight.
"Some day I am going to learn how to do fancy skating," said Bert. "The Dutch roll, and spread the eagle, and all that."
"There is Mr. Gifford," said Nan. "Let us watch him."
The gentleman mentioned was a fine skater and had once won a medal for making fancy figures on the ice. They watched him for a long while and so did many of the others present.
"It's beautiful to skate like that," cried Nan, when they skated away. "It's just like knowing how to dance everything."
"Only better," said Bert, who did not care for dancing at all.
Presently Nan found some girls to skate with and then Bert went off among the boys. The girls played tag and had great fun, shrieking at the top of their lungs as first one was "it" and then another. It was hard work for Nan to catch the older girls, who could skate better, but easy enough to catch those of her own age and experience on the ice.
The boys played tag, too, and "snapped the whip," as it is termed. All of the boyswould join hands in a long line and then skate off as fast as they could. Then the boy on one end, called the snapper, would stop and pull the others around in a big curve. This would make the boys on the end of the line skate very fast, and sometimes they would go down, to roll over and over on the ice. Once Bert was at the end and down he went, to slide a long distance, when he bumped into a gentleman who was skating backwards and over went the man with a crash that could be heard a long distance off.
"Hi! you young rascal!" roared the man, trying to scramble up. "What do you mean by bowling me over like that?"
"Excuse me, but I didn't mean to do it," answered Bert, and lost no time in getting out of the gentleman's way. The gentleman was very angry and left the ice, grumbling loudly to himself.
Down near the lower end of Mr. Bobbsey's lumber yard some young men were building an ice-boat. Bert and Charley Mason watched this work with interest. "Let us make an ice-boat," said Charley. "I can get an old bed-sheet for a sail, if you will get your father to give you the lumber."
"I'll try," answered Bert, and it was agreed that the ice-boat should be built during the following week, after school.
Christmas was now but four weeks away, and the stores of Lakeport had their windows filled with all sort of nice things for presents. Nan and Bert had gazed into the windows a number of times, and even walked through the one big department store of which the town boasted, and they had told Freddie and Flossie of many of the things to be seen.
"Oh, I want to see them, too!" cried Flossie, and begged her mother to take her along the next time she went out.
"I want to go, too," put in Freddie. "Bert says there aresixteenrocking horses all in a row, with white and black tails. I want to see them."
"I am going to the stores to-morrow," answered Mrs. Bobbsey. "You can go with me, after school. It will be better to go now thanlater on, when the places are filled with Christmas shoppers."
The twins were in high glee, and Freddie said he was going to spend the twenty-five cents he had been saving up for several months.
"Let us buy mamma something for Christmas," said Flossie, who had the same amount of money.
"What shall we buy?"
That question was a puzzling one. Flossie thought a nice doll would be the right thing, while Freddie thought an automobile that could be wound up and made to run around the floor would be better. At last both consulted Nan.
"Oh, mamma doesn't want a doll," said Nan. "And she ought to have a real automobile, not a tin one."
"Can't buy a real auto'bile," said Freddie. "Real auto'biles cost ten dollars, or more."
"I'll tell you what to do," went on Nan. "You buy her a little bottle of cologne, Freddie, and you, Flossie, can buy her a nice handkerchief."
"I'll buy her a big bottle of cologne," saidFreddie. "That big!" and he placed his hands about a foot apart.
"And I'll get a real lace handkerchief," added Flossie.
"You'll have to do the best you can," said practical Nan, and so it was agreed.
When they left home each child had the money tucked away in a pocket. They went in the family sleigh, with Sam as a driver. The first stop was at Mr. Ringley's shoe store, where Mrs. Bobbsey purchased each of the twins a pair of shoes. It may be added here, that the broken window glass had long since been replaced by the shoe dealer, and his show window looked as attractive as ever.
"I heard you had a window broken not long ago," said Mrs. Bobbsey, when paying for her purchases.
"Yes, two bad boys broke the window," answered the shoe dealer.
"Who were they?"
"I couldn't find out. But perhaps I'll learn some day, and then I mean to have them arrested," said Mr. Ringley. "The broken glass ruined several pairs of shoes that were in thewindow." And then he turned away to wait on another customer.
Soon the large department store was reached and Mrs. Bobbsey let Freddie and Flossie take their time in looking into the several windows. One was full of dolls, which made the little girl gape in wonder and delight.
"Oh, mamma, what a flock of dolls!" she cried. "Must be 'bout ten millions of them, don't you think so?"
"Hardly that many, Flossie; but there are a good many."
"And, oh, mamma, what pretty dresses! I wish I had that doll with the pink silk and the big lace hat," added the little girl.
"Do you think that is the nicest, Flossie?"
"Indeed, indeed I do," answered the little miss. "It's too lovely for anything. Can't we get it and take it home?"
"No, dear; but you had better ask Santa Claus to send it to you," continued her mother with a smile.
Some wooden soldiers and building blocks caught Freddie's eye, and for the time being his favorite fire engines were forgotten.
"I want wooden soldiers," he said. "Can set 'em up in a row, with the sword-man in front, an' the man with the drum."
"Perhaps Santa Claus will bring you some soldiers in your stocking, Freddie."
"Stocking ain't big enough—want big ones, like that," and he pointed with his chubby hand.
"Well, let us wait and see what Santa Claus can do," said Mrs. Bobbsey.
Inside of the store was a candy counter near the doorway, and there was no peace for Mrs. Bobbsey until she had purchased some chocolate drops for Flossie, and a long peppermint cane for Freddie. Then they walked around, down one aisle and up another, admiring the many things which were displayed.
"Bert said they had a lavater," said Freddie presently. "Mamma, I want to go in the lavater."
"Lavater?" repeated Mrs. Bobbsey, with a puzzled look. "Why, Freddie, what do you mean?"
"He means the stairs that runs up and down on a big rope," put in Flossie.
"Oh, the elevator," said the mother. "Very well, you shall both ride in the elevator."
It was great sport to ride to the third story of the store, although the swift way in which the elevator moved made the twins gasp a little.
"Let us go down again," said Freddie. "It's ever so much nicer than climbing the stairs."
"I wish to make a few purchases first," answered the mother.
She had come to buy a rug for the front hallway, and while she was busy in the rug and carpet department she allowed the twins to look at a number of toys which were located at the other end of the floor.
For a while Freddie and Flossie kept close together, for there was quite a crowd present and they felt a little afraid. But then Flossie discovered a counter where all sorts of things for dolls were on sale and she lingered there, to look at the dresses, and hats, and underwear, and shoes and stockings, and chairs, trunks, combs and brushes, and other goods.
"Oh, my, I must have some of those thingsfor my dolls," she said, half aloud. There was a trunk she thought perfectly lovely and it was marked 39 cents. "Not so very much," she thought.
When Freddie got around to where the elevator was, it was just coming up again with another load of people. As he had not seen it go down he concluded that he must go down by way of the stairs if he wanted another ride.
"I'll get a ride all by myself," he thought, and as quickly as he could, he slipped down first one pair of stairs and then another, to the ground floor of the store. Then he saw another stairs, and soon was in the basement of the department store.
Here was a hardware department with a great number of heavy toys, and soon he was looking at a circular railroad track upon which ran a real locomotive and three cars. This was certainly a wonderful toy, and Freddie could not get his eyes off of it.
In moving around the basement of the store, Freddie grew hopelessly mixed up, and when he started to look for the elevator or the stairs, he walked to the storage room. He was tootimid to ask his way out and soon found himself among great rows of boxes and barrels. Then he made a turn or two and found himself in another room, filled with empty boxes and casks, some partly filled with straw and excelsior. There was a big wooden door to this room, and while he was inside the door shut with a bang and the catch fell into place.
"Oh, dear, I wish I was back with mamma," he thought, and drew a long and exceedingly sober breath. "I don't like it here at all."
Just then a little black kitten came toward him and brushed up affectionately. Freddie caught the kitten and sat down for a moment to pet it. He now felt sleepy and in a few minutes his eyes closed and his head began to nod. Then in a minute more he went sound asleep.
Long before this happened Mrs. Bobbsey found Flossie and asked her where Freddie was. The little girl could not tell, and the mother began a diligent search. The floor-walkers in the big store aided her, but it was of no avail. Freddie could not be found, and soon it was time to close up the establishmentfor the day. Almost frantic with fear, Mrs. Bobbsey telephoned to her husband, telling him of what had occurred and asked him what had best be done.
When Freddie woke up all was very, very dark around him. At first he thought he was at home, and he called out for somebody to pull up the curtain that he might see.
But nobody answered him, and all he heard was a strange purring, close to his ear. He put up his hand and touched the little black kitten, which was lying close to his face. He had tumbled back in the straw and this had proved a comfortable couch upon which to take a nap.
"Oh, dear me, I'll have to get back to mamma!" he murmured, as he struggled up and rubbed his eyes. "What can make it so awful dark? They ought to light the gas. Nobody can buy things when it's so dark as this."
The darkness did not please him, and he was glad to have the black kitten for a companion. With the kitten in his arms he arose to his feet and walked a few steps. Bump! he went into a big box. Then he went in another direction and stumbled over a barrel.
"Mamma! Mamma!" he cried out. "Mamma, where are you?"
No answer came back to this call, and his own voice sounded so queer to him that he soon stopped. He hugged the kitten tighter than ever.
He was now greatly frightened and it was all he could do to keep back the tears. He knew it must be night and that the great store must be closed up.
"They have all gone home and left me here alone," he thought. "Oh, what shall I do?"
He knew the night was generally very long and he did not wish to remain in the big, lonely building until morning.
Still hugging the kitten, he felt his way around until he reached the big wooden door. The catch came open with ease, and once more he found himself in that part of the basement used for hardware and large mechanical toys. But the toy locomotive had ceased to run andall was very silent. Only a single gas jet flickered overhead, and this cast fantastic shadows which made the little boy think of ghosts and hobgoblins. One mechanical toy had a very large head on it, and this seemed to grin and laugh at him as he looked at it.
"Mamma!" he screamed again. "Oh, mamma, why don't you come?"
He listened and presently he heard footsteps overhead.
"Who's there?" came in the heavy voice of a man.
The voice sounded so unnatural that Freddie was afraid to answer. Perhaps the man might be a burglar come to rob the store.
"I say, who's there?" repeated the voice. "Answer me."
There was a minute of silence, and then Freddie heard the footsteps coming slowly down the stairs. The man had a lantern in one hand and a club in the other.
Not knowing what else to do, Freddie crouched behind a counter. His heart beat loudly, and he had dim visions of burglars who might have entered the big store to rob it. Ifhe was discovered, there was no telling what such burglars might do with him.
"Must have been the cat," murmured the man on the stairs. He reached the basement floor and swung his lantern over his head. "Here, kittie, kittie, kittie!" he called.
"Meow!" came from the black kitten, which was still in Freddie's arms. Then the man looked in that direction.
"Hullo!" he exclaimed, starting in amazement. "What are you doing here? Are you alone?"
"Oh, please, I want my mamma!" cried Freddie.
"You want your mamma?" repeated the man. "Say!" he went on suddenly. "Are you the kid that got lost this afternoon, youngster?"
"I guess I did get lost," answered Freddie. He saw that the man had a kindly face and this made him a bit braver. "I walked around and sat down over there—in the straw—and went to sleep."
"Well, I never!" cried the man. "And have you been down here ever since?"
"Yes, sir. But I don't want to stay—I want to go home."
"All right, you shall go. But this beats me!"
"Are you the man who owns the store?" questioned Freddie curiously.
At this the man laughed. "No; wish I did. I'm the night watchman. Let me see, what is your name?"
"Freddie Bobbsey. My papa owns the lumber yard."
"Oh, yes, I remember now. Well, Freddie, I reckon your papa will soon come after you. All of 'em are about half crazy, wondering what has become of you."
The night watchman led the way to the first floor of the department store and Freddie followed, still clutching the black kitten, which seemed well content to remain with him.
"I'll telephone to your papa," said the watchman, and going into one of the offices he rang the bell and called up the number of the Bobbsey residence.
In the meantime Mrs. Bobbsey and the others of the family were almost frantic withgrief and alarm. Mr. Bobbsey had notified the police and the town had been searched thoroughly for some trace of the missing boy.
"Perhaps they have stolen Freddie away!" said Nan, with the tears starting to her eyes. "Some gypsies were in town, telling fortunes. I heard one of the girls at school tell about it."
"Oh, the bad gypsies!" cried Flossie, and gave a shudder. The idea that Freddie might have been carried off by the gypsies was truly terrifying.
Mr. Bobbsey had been out a dozen times to the police headquarters and to the lake front. A report had come in that a boy looking like Freddie had been seen on the ice early in the evening, and he did not know but what the little fellow might have wandered in that direction.
When the telephone bell rang Mr. Bobbsey had just come in from another fruitless search. Both he and his wife ran to the telephone.
"Hullo!" came over the wire. "Is this Mr. Bobbsey's house?"
"It is," answered the gentleman quickly. "What do you want? Have you any news?"
"I've found your little boy, sir," came back the reply. "He is safe and sound with me."
"And who are you?"
"The night watchman at the department store. He went to sleep here, that's all."
At this news all were overjoyed.
"Let me speak to him," said Mrs. Bobbsey eagerly. "Freddie dear, are you there?" she asked.
"Yes, mamma," answered Freddie, into the telephone. "And I want to come home."
"You shall, dear. Papa shall come for you at once."
"Oh, he's found! He's found!" shrieked Nan. "Aren't you glad, Bert?"
"Of course I am," answered Bert. "But I can't understand how he happened to go to sleep in such a lively store as that."
"He must have walked around until he got tired," replied Nan. "You know Freddie can drop off to sleep very quickly when he gets tired."
As soon as possible Mr. Bobbsey drove around to the department store in his sleigh. The watchman and Freddie were on the look-out for him, the little boy with the kitten still in his arms.
"Oh, papa!" cried Freddie. "I am so glad you have come! I—I don't want to go to sleep here again!"
The watchman's story was soon told, and Mr. Bobbsey made him happy by presenting him with a two-dollar bill.
"The little chap would have been even more lonely if it hadn't been for the kitten," said the man. "He wanted to keep the thing, so I told him to do it."
"And I'm going to," said Freddie proudly. "It's just the dearest kitten in the world." And keep the kitten he did. It soon grew to be a big, fat cat and was called Snoop.
By the time home was reached, Freddie was sleepy again. But he speedily woke up when his mamma and the others embraced him, and then he had to tell the story of his adventure from end to end.
"I do not know as I shall take you with me again," said Mrs. Bobbsey. "You have given us all a great scare."
"Oh, mamma, I won't leave you like thatagain," cried Freddie quickly. "Don't like to be in the dark 'tall," he added.
"Oh, it must have been awful," said Flossie. "Didn't you see any—any ghosts?"
"Barrels of them," said Freddie, nodding his head sleepily. "But they didn't touch me. Guess they was sleepy, just like me." And then he dropped off and had to be put to bed; and that was the end of this strange happening.
The building of the ice boat by Bert and Charley Mason interested Nan almost as much as it did the boys, and nearly every afternoon she went down to the lumber yard to see how the work was getting along.
Mr. Bobbsey had given Bert just the right kind of lumber, and had a man at the saw-mill saw the sticks and boards to a proper size. He also gave his son some ropes and a pair of old iron runners from a discarded sleigh, so that all Charley had to provide was the bed-sheet already mentioned, for a sail.
The two boys worked with a will, and by Thursday evening had the ice boat completed. They christened the craft theIce Bird, and Bert insisted upon it that his father come and see her.
"You have certainly done very well," saidMr. Bobbsey. "This looks as if you were cut out for a builder, Bert."
"Well, I'd like to build big houses and ships first-rate," answered Bert.
The sail was rigged with the help of an old sailor who lived down by the lake shore, and on Friday afternoon Bert and Charley took a short trip. TheIce Birdbehaved handsomely, much to the boys' satisfaction.
"She's a dandy!" cried Bert. "How she can whiz before the wind."
"You must take me out soon," said Nan.
"I will," answered Bert.
The chance to go out with Bert came sooner than expected. On Monday morning Mrs. Mason made up her mind to pay a distant relative a visit and asked Charley if he wished to go along. The boy wanted to see his cousins very much and said yes; and thus the ice boat was left in Bert's sole charge.
"I'll take you out Monday afternoon, after school," said Bert to his twin sister.
"Good!" cried Nan. "Let us go directly school is out, so as to have some good, long rides."
Four o'clock in the afternoon found them at the lake shore. It was a cloudy day with a fair breeze blowing across the lake.
"Now you sit right there," said Bert, as he pointed to a seat in the back of the boat. "And hold on tight or you'll be thrown overboard."
Nan took the seat mentioned, and her twin brother began to hoist the mainsail of theIce Bird. It ran up easily, and caught by the wind the craft began to skim over the surface of the lake like a thing of life.
"Oh, but this is lovely!" cried Nan gleefully. "How fast the boat spins along!"
"I wish there were more ice boats around," answered Bert. "We might then have a race."
"Oh, it is pleasure enough just to sail around," said Nan.
Many other boys and girls wished a ride on the ice boat, and in the end Bert carried a dozen or more across the lake and back. It was rather hard work tacking against the wind, but the old sailor had taught him how it might be done, and he got along fairly well. When the ice boat got stuck all the boys and girls got off and helped push the craft along.
"It is 'most supper time," said Nan, as the whistle at the saw-mill blew for six o'clock. "We'll have to go home soon, Bert."
"Oh, let us take one more trip," pleaded her twin brother.
The other boys and girls had gone and they were left alone. To please Bert, Nan consented, and their course was changed so that theIce Birdmight move down the lake instead of across.
It had grown dark and the stars which might have shone in the sky were hidden by heavy clouds.
"Not too far now, remember," said Nan.
The wind had veered around and was blowing directly down the lake, so, almost before they knew it, theIce Birdwas flying along at a tremendous rate of speed. Nan had to hold on tight for fear of falling off, and had to hold her hat, too, for fear that would be blown away.
"Oh, Bert, this is too fast!" she gasped, catching her breath.
"It's just glorious, Nan!" he cried. "Just hold on, it won't hurt you."
"But—but how are we to get back?"
Bert had not thought of that, and at the question his face fell a little.
"Oh, we'll get back somehow," he said evasively.
"You had better turn around now."
"Let us go just a little bit further, Nan," he pleaded.
When at last he started to turn back he found himself unable to do so. The wind was blowing fiercely and theIce Birdswept on before it in spite of all he could do.
"Bert! Bert! Oh, why don't you turn around?" screamed Nan. She had to scream in order to make herself heard.
"I—I can't," he faltered. "She won't come around."
Nan was very much frightened, and it must be confessed that Bert was frightened too. He hauled on the sail and on the steering gear, and at last theIce Birdswung partly around. But instead of returning up the lake the craft headed for the western shore, and in a few minutes they struck some lumpy ice and some snow and dirt, and both were thrown out atfull length, while theIce Birdwas tipped up on one side.
Bert picked himself up without difficulty and then went to Nan's aid. She lay deep in the snow, but fortunately was not hurt. Both gazed at the tipped-up ice boat in very great dismay.
"Bert, whatever shall we do now?" asked Nan, after a spell of silence. "We'll never get home at all!"
"Oh, yes, we shall," he said, bravely enough, but with a sinking heart. "We've got to get home, you know."
"But the ice boat is upset, and it's so dark I can't see a thing."
"I think I can right the ice boat. Anyway, I can try."
Doing his best to appear brave, Bert tried to shove theIce Birdover to her original position. But the craft was too heavy for him, and twice she fell back, the second time coming close to smashing his toes.
"Look out, or you'll hurt your foot," cried Nan. "Let me help you."
Between them they presently got the craftright side up. But now the wind was blowing directly from the lake, so to get theIce Birdout on the ice again was beyond them. Every time they shoved the craft out the wind drove her back.
"Oh, dear, I guess we have got to stay here after all!" sighed Bert, at last.
"Not stay here all night, I hope!" gasped Nan. "That would be worse than to stay in the store, as Freddie did."
It began to snow. At first the flakes were but few, but soon they came down thicker and thicker, blotting out the already darkened landscape.
"Let us walk home," suggested Nan. "That will be better than staying out here in the snow storm."
"It's a long walk. If only we had brought our skates." But alas! neither had thought to bring skates, and both pairs were in the office at the lumber yard.
"I don't think we had better walk home over the ice," said Bert, after another pause. "We may get all turned around and lost. Let us walk over to the Hopedale road."
"I wish we had some crullers, or something," said Nan, who was growing hungry. They had each had a cruller on leaving home, but had eaten them up before embarking on the ice-boat voyage.
"Please don't speak of them, Nan. You make me feel awfully hollow," came from her twin brother. And the way he said this was so comical it made her laugh in spite of her trouble.
The laugh put them both in better spirits, and leaving theIce Birdwhere she lay, they set off through the snow in the direction of the road which ran from Lakeport to the village of Hopedale, six miles away.
"It will take us over an hour to get home," said Nan.
"Yes, and I suppose we'll catch it for being late," grumbled Bert. "Perhaps we won't get any supper."
"Oh, I know mamma won't scold us after she finds out why we were late, Bert."
They had to cross a pasture and climb a fence before the road was reached. Here was an old cow-shed and they stood in the shelterof this for a moment, out of the way of the wind and driving snow.
"Hark!" cried Bert as they were on the point of continuing their journey.
"It's a dog!" answered Nan. "Oh, Bert, he is coming this way. Perhaps he is savage!"
They listened and could hear the dog plainly. He was barking furiously and coming toward them as fast as he could travel. Soon they made out his black form looming into view through the falling snow.
Nan dearly loved the dogs with which she was well acquainted, but she was in great terror of strange animals, especially if they barked loudly and showed a disposition to bite.
"Bert! Bert! what shall we do?" she gasped as she clung to her twin brother's arm.
Bert hardly knew what to say, for he himself did not like a biting dog. He looked around for a stick or a stone, and espied the doorway to the cow-shed. It was open.
"Let us get into the shed," he said quickly. "Perhaps we can close the door and keep the dog out."
Into the shed sprang Nan and her twin brother after her. The dog was almost upon them when Bert banged the door in his face. At once the animal stopped short and began to bark more furiously than ever.
"Do you—you think he can get in at the window?" faltered Nan. She was so scared she could scarcely speak.
"I don't know, I'm sure. If you'll stand by the door, Nan, I'll try to guard the window."
Nan threw her form against the door and held it as hard as if a giant were outside trying to force it in. Bert felt around the empty shed and picked up the handle of a broken spade. With this in hand he stalked over to the one little window which was opposite the door.
"Are there any cows here?" asked Nan. It was so dark she could see next to nothing.
"No cows here, I guess," answered Bert. "This building is 'most ready to tumble down."
The dog outside was barking still. Once in a while he would stop to catch his breath and then he would continue as loudly as ever. He scratched at the door with his paw, which made Nan shiver from head to feet.
"He is trying to work his way in," she cried.
"If he does that, I'll hit him with this," answered her twin brother, and brandished thespade handle over his head. He watched the window closely and wondered what they had best do if the dog leaped straight through and attacked them in the dark.
The barking continued for over quarter of an hour. To Nan and Bert it seemed hours and hours. Then came a call from a distance.
"Hi, Tige, what's the matter? Have you spotted a tramp in the shed?"
"Help! help!" called out Bert. "Call off your dog!"
"A tramp, sure enough," said the man who was coming toward the cow-shed.
"I am not a tramp," answered Bert. "And my sister isn't a tramp, either."
"What's that? You've got your sister with you? Open the door."
"Please, we are afraid of the dog," came from Nan. "He came after us and we ran into the shed for shelter."
"Oh, that's it?" The farmer gave a short laugh. "Well, you needn't be skeert! Tige won't hurt ye none."
"Are you sure of that?" put in Bert. "He seems to be very savage."
"I won't let him touch ye."
Thus assured Nan opened the door and followed Bert outside. At a word from the farmer Tige stopped barking and began to wag his tail.
"That dog wouldn't hurt nobody, 'ceptin' he was attacked, or if a person tried to git in my house," said Farmer Sandborn. "He's a very nice fellow, he is, and likes boys and gals fust-rate; don't ye, Tige?" And the dog wagged his tail harder than ever, as if he understood every word.
"I—I was so scared," said Nan.
"May I ask what you be a-doin' on the road all alone and in this snowstorm?"
"We are going home," answered Bert, and then explained how they had been ice-boating and what had happened on the lake.
"I do declare!" cried Farmer Sandborn. "So the boat up an' run away with ye, did she? Contrary critter, eh!" And he began to laugh. "Who be you?"
"I am Bert Bobbsey and this is my twin sister Nan."
"Oh, yes, I know now. You're one pair o'the Bobbsey twins, as they call 'em over to Lakeport. I've heard Sary speak o' ye. Sary's my wife." The farmer ran his hand through his thick beard. "You can't tramp home in this storm."
"Oh, we must get home," said Nan. "What will mamma say? She will think we are killed, or drowned, or something,—and she isn't over the scare she got when Freddie was lost."
"I'll take you back to town in my sleigh," said Farmer Sandborn. "I was going to town for some groceries to-morrow morning, but I might just as well go now, while the roads are open. They'll be all closed up ag'in by daylight, if this storm keeps up."
He led the way down the road to his house and they were glad enough to follow. By Nan's side walked Tige and he licked her hand, just to show that he wanted to make friends with her.
"I guess you are a good dog after all," said she, patting his head. "But you did give mesucha scare!"
Both of the twins were very cold and glad enough to warm themselves by the kitchen firewhile the farmer hitched up his horse. The farmer's wife wished to give them supper, but this they declined, saying they would get supper at home. But she made each eat a big cookie, which tasted exceedingly good.
Soon Farmer Sandborn drove around to the door with his sleigh and in they piled, on the soft straw, with several robes to keep them warm. Then the horse set off on a brisk trot for town.
"It's a nice enough sleigh ride for anybody," declared Bert. And yet they did not enjoy it very much, for fear of what would happen to them when they got home.
"Where in the world have you been?" exclaimed Mrs. Bobbsey as she ran to the door to let them in. "We have been looking all over for you. Your papa was afraid you had been drowned in the lake."
An evening dinner was in waiting for them, and sitting down to satisfy their hunger, they told their story, to which all of the others listened with much interest.
"You can be thankful you weren't blown clear to the other end of the lake," said Mr.Bobbsey. "I think after this you had better leave ice-boating alone."
"I know I shall!" declared Nan.
"Oh, I'll be more careful, papa, after this," pleaded Bert. "You know I promised to go out again with Charley."
"Well then, don't go when the wind is strong," and Bert promised.
"I'm so glad the dog didn't bite you," said little Flossie. "He might have given you hy—hydropics."
"Flossie means hydrophobics," put in Freddie. "Ain't no hydropics, is there, Bert?"
"Oh, Freddie, you mean hydrophobia!" burst out Nan, with a laugh.
"No, I mean hydrophobics," insisted the little fellow. "That's what Dinah calls them anyway."
After the adventure on the ice boat matters ran smoothly with the Bobbsey twins for two weeks and more. There was a great deal of snow and as a consequence Freddie and Flossie stayed home from school most of the time. Nan and Bert also remained home two separate days, and during those days all of thechildren had great fun in the attic, where there was a large storeroom, filled with all sort of things.
"Let us play theater," said Nan, who had been to several exhibitions while at home and while visiting.
"All right," said Bert, falling in with the plan at once. "Let us play Rip Van Winkle. I can be Rip and you can be the loving wife, and Flossie and Freddie can be the children."
Across the storeroom a rope was placed and on this they hung a sliding curtain, made out of a discarded blanket. Then at one side they arranged chairs, and Nan and Flossie brought out their dolls to be the audience.
"They won't clap their hands very much," said Bert. "But then they won't make any disturbance either."
The performance was a great success. It was their own version of Rip Van Winkle, and Bert as old Rip did many funny things which caused Freddie and Flossie to roar with laughter. Nan as the loving wife recited a piece called "Doughnuts and Daisies," pretending to be working around the kitchen in the meantime. The climax was reached when Bert tried to imitate a thunderstorm in the mountains and pulled over a big trunk full of old clothes and some window screens standing in a corner. The show broke up in a hurry, and when Mrs. Bobbsey appeared on the scene, wanting to know what the noise meant, all the actors and the doll audience were out of sight.
But later, when mamma went below again, Bert and Nan sneaked back, and put both the trunk and the screens in their proper places.
"Let's!" cried Nan.
"Yes, let's!" echoed Flossie.
"I want to help too," put in Freddie, "Want to make a cake all by my own self."
"Freddie can make a little cake while we make a big one," said Bert.
It was on an afternoon just a week before Christmas and Mrs. Bobbsey had gone out to do some shopping. Dinah was also away, on a visit to some relatives, so the children had the house all to themselves.
It was Bert who spoke about cake-making first. Queer that a boy should think of it, wasn't it? But Bert was very fond of cake, and did quite some grumbling when none was to be had.
"It ought to be easy to make a nice big plain cake," said Bert. "I've seen Dinah do it lotsof times. She just mixes up her milk and eggs and butter, and sifts in the flour, and there you are."
"Much you know about it!" declared Nan. "If it isn't just put together right, it will be as heavy as lead."
"We might take the recipe out of mamma's cook-book," went on Bert; and then the cry went up with which I have opened this chapter.
The twins were soon in the kitchen, which Dinah had left spotlessly clean and in perfect order.
"We mustn't make a muss," warned Nan. "If we do, Dinah will never forgive us."
"As if we couldn't clean it up again," said Bert loftily.
Over the kitchen table they spread some old newspapers, and then Nan brought forth the big bowl in which her mother or the cook usually mixed the cake batter.
"Bert, you get the milk and sugar," said Nan, and began to roll up her sleeves. "Flossie, you can get the butter."
She would have told Freddie to get something, too—just to start them all to work—but Freddie was out of sight.
He had gone into the pantry, where the flour barrel stood. He did not know that Nan intended to use the prepared flour, which was on the shelf. The door worked on a spring, so it closed behind him, shutting him out from the sight of the others.
Taking off the cover of the barrel, Freddie looked inside. The barrel was almost empty, only a few inches of flour remaining at the bottom. There was a flour scoop in the barrel, but he could reach neither this nor the flour itself.
"I'll have to stand on the bench," he said to himself and pulled the bench into position. Then he stood on it and bent down into the barrel as far as possible.
The others were working in the kitchen when they heard a strangethumpand then a spluttering yell.
"It's Freddie," said Nan. "Bert, go and see what he is doing in the pantry."
Bert ran to the pantry door and pulled it open. A strange sight met his gaze. Out ofthe top of the barrel stuck Freddie's legs, with a cloud of flour dust rising around them. From the bottom of the barrel came a succession of coughs, sneezes, and yells for help.
"Freddie has fallen into the flour barrel!" he cried, and lost no time in catching his brother by the feet and pulling him out. It was hard work and in the midst of it the flour barrel fell over on its side, scattering the flour over the pantry and partly on the kitchen floor.
"Oh! oh! oh!" roared Freddie as soon as he could catch his breath. "Oh, my! oh, my!"
"Oh, Freddie, why did you go into the barrel?" exclaimed Nan, wiping off her hands and running to him. "Did you ever see such a sight before?"
Freddie was digging at the flour in his eyes. He was white from head to feet, and coughing and spluttering.
"Wait, I'll get the whisk-broom," said Bert, and ran for it.
"Brush off his hair first, and then I'll wipe his face," came from Nan.
"Here's the wash-rag," put in little Flossie, and catching it up, wringing wet, she began to wipe off Freddie's face before anybody could stop her.
"Flossie! Flossie! You mustn't do that!" said Bert. "Don't you see you are making paste of the flour?"
The wet flour speedily became a dough on Freddie's face and neck, and he yelled louder than ever. The wash-rag was put away, and regardless of her own clean clothes, Flossie started in to scrape the dough off, until both Nan and Bert made her stop.
"I'll dust him good first," said Bert, and began such a vigorous use of the whisk-broom that everybody began to sneeze.
"Oh, Bert, not so hard!" said Nan, and ran to open the back door. "Bring him here."
Poor Freddie had a lump of dough in his left ear and was trying in vain to get it out with one hand while rubbing his eyes with the other. Nan brushed his face with care, and even wiped off the end of his tongue, and got the lump out of his ear. In the meantime Flossie started to set the flour barrel up once more.
"Don't touch the barrel, Flossie!" called Bert. "You keep away, or you'll be as dirty as Freddie."
It was very hard work to get Freddie's clothes even half clean, and some of the flour refused to budge from his hair. By the time he was made half presentable once more the kitchen was in a mess from end to end.
"What were you doing near the flour barrel?" asked Nan.
"Going to get flour for the cake."
"But we don't want that kind of flour, Freddie. We want this," and she brought forth the package.
"Dinah uses this," answered the little boy.
"Yes, for bread. But we are not going to make bread. You had better sit down and watch Bert and me work, and you, Flossie, had better do the same."
"Ain't no chairs to sit down on," said Freddie, after a look around. "All full of flour."
"I declare, we forgot to dust the chairs," answered Nan. "Bert, will you clean them?"
Bert did so, and Freddie and Flossie sat down to watch the process of cake-making,being assured that they should have the first slices if the cake was a success.
Nan had watched cake-making many times, so she knew exactly how to go to work. Bert was a good helper, and soon the batter was ready for the oven. The fire had been started up, and now Nan put the batter in the cake tin.
The children waited impatiently while the cake was baking. Nan gave Freddie another cleaning, and Bert cleaned up the pantry and the kitchen floor. The flour had made a dreadful mess and the cleaning process was only half-successful.
"'Most time for that cake to be done, isn't it?" questioned Bert, after a quarter of an hour had passed.
"Not quite," answered Nan.
Presently she opened the oven door and tried the cake by sticking a broom whisp into it. The flour was just a bit sticky and she left the cake in a little longer.
When it came out it certainly looked very nice. The top was a golden brown and had raised beautifully. The cake was about a foot in diameter and Nan was justly proud of it.
"Wished you had put raisins in it," said Freddie. "Raisins are beautiful."
"No, I like plain cake the best," said Bert.
"I like chocolate," came from Flossie.
"And I like layer cake, with currant jelly in between," said Nan. "But I didn't dare to open any jelly without asking mamma."
"Let us surprise her with the cake," said Bert.
"Want cake now," protested Freddie. "Don't want to wait 't all!"
But he was persuaded to wait, and the cake was hidden away in the dining-room closet until the hour for the evening meal.
When Dinah came home she noticed the mussed-up kitchen, but Nan begged of her to keep quiet.
"All right, honey," said the colored cook. "But I know youse been a-bakin'—I kin smell it in de air."
When they sat down to the evening meal all of the children produced the cake in great triumph.
"Oh, Nan, a real cake!" cried Mrs. Bobbsey. "How nice it looks!"
"We've got some real housekeepers around here," said Mr. Bobbsey. "I'll have to try that sure."
When the cake was cut all ate liberally of it. They declared it just right and said it could not be better. Even Dinah was tickled.
"Couldn't do no better maself," she declared. "Bymeby Dinah will be cut out of a job—wid Miss Nan a-doin' ob de bakin'."
"No, Dinah, you shall stay even if I do do the baking," answered Nan; and went to bed feeling very happy.