THROUGH THE ICE
Charley was laughing so hard at the queer look on Bert's face, and at
the funny way in which Bert stood in the snow, that, at first, he did
not make a move to go to his chum's help. Then Bert cried again:
"I am stuck I tell you, Charley! Come on and help me. I can't lift my
feet."
"Can't you, really?" Charley asked.
"No. The front edges of the barrel staves have slipped under the snow
and it's packed on them so I can't raise them."
"All right, I'll help you," said Charley, still laughing. He waded out
to where Bert was stuck. Charley's feet sank down deep in the soft snow.
"I ought to have a pair of those shoes myself," he said, floundering
along.
"Well, don't stop to make them now," said Bert. "Help me first."
But even with Charley's help it was impossible to pull up Bert's feet
with the queer wooden shoes on. They had got stuck sideways in the deep
snow. Finally Charley said.
"Oh, take 'em off, Bert! Loosen the straps and then you can pull your
feet free, and lift up the barrel staves afterward."
"I guess that is the only way," Bert agreed, and he did it. Once his
feet were clear of the staves, it was easy enough to raise them up and
then he could wade back to the barn, carrying the staves.
"I won't try to go on the soft snow again," he said as he sat down on a
box and once more fastened the snowshoes to his feet.
"Do you mean to say you're going to try it again?" asked Charley.
"I surely am," answered Bert. "I'm not going to give up, just because I
got stuck once. Why don't you make you a pair of these shoes? There are
some more barrel staves, and I'll get you the straps."
"I believe I will," Charley said, and set to work at once. Then he and
Bert walked together over the hard frozen snow. As long as they stayed
on this, where there was a crust, they were all right. They did not go
where the snow was soft, and so they got along very well.
Freddie saw what his brother and Charley were doing, and he cried out:
"I want a pair of snowshoes, too!"
"You're too little," Bert said. But later on he and Charley made Freddie
a pair, cutting the long barrel staves in two pieces. But Freddie did
not find it as easy as his brother had found it, and he tripped and fell
down in the snow, so the older boys had to pick him up. Then the small
twin gave up the use of snowshoes.
"I like riding down hill better," he said.
Winter had now set in, with all its cold and snow, around Lakeport, and
there were many days of fine coasting. Flossie and Freddie stayed on the
hill Bert had made for them in the yard, but Nan and Bert, with their
friends, went to the big hill, and used the bob-sled.
Then came a thaw and the coasting was spoiled. There were puddles of
water all about, and one day coming home from school Freddie slipped
and fell right into a puddle which was rather muddy.
"Oh, Freddie!" cried Flossie, who was walking with him. "Your clothes
are all spoiled!"
"Well, I--I couldn't help it," Freddie said, looking down at the
dripping mud and water. "I didn't see the slippery place."
"You must hurry home as soon as you can, and change into dry things,
Freddie," said Nan, who was on the other side of the street with Ellen
Moore and Nellie Parks. Nan had seen her little brother fall. "Run," Nan
went on, "I'll hold your hand so you won't fall again."
Freddie gave his books to Flossie to carry, and he hurried on with Nan,
running so he would be warmer and not take cold, for though the snow was
melting it was still Winter.
As Nan and Freddie reached the house, they heard several persons talking
in the parlor.
"Oh, there's company!" cried Nan. "They mustn't see you, Freddie,
looking like this. I'll take you up the back stairs and change your
clothes myself, or get Dinah to. Come on."
But just as Nan and Freddie were about to slip past the parlor door
Mrs. Bobbsey came out to see who had come in, and with her came a boy
about Bert's age. At the sight of him Freddie cried:
"Why, it isn't company. It's cousin Harry!"
"Oh, Freddie! What happened to you?" his mother asked.
"I--I fell down in a puddle," said the little boy. "But I couldn't help
it, Mother. Oh, Harry, I'm glad you've come!" Freddie went on. "We can
slide down hill---- Oh, no, we can't either," he said quickly. "All the
snow is melted. But Bert made a hill in our back yard and when it snows
again we'll have lots of fun on it. Did Uncle Daniel and Aunt Sarah
come?"
"Yes, we're here," said Aunt Sarah herself, coming to the door. "Oh, but
mercy, child! What happened?"
"Fell in a mud puddle," answered Freddie. "Where's Uncle Dan?"
"In there, talking to daddy," replied Mrs. Bobbsey. "But don't stand
here talking, Freddie. Cousin Harry will excuse you until you change
your clothes."
"Of course," answered Harry. "Where's Bert?" he asked of Nan.
"Coming along with Charley Mason. They're just down the street. I
hurried on with Freddie."
"I guess I'll go to meet him," said Harry. "I'll see you when I come
back, Freddie, and be sure you're good and dry."
"I will," promised the little chap, as his mother led him upstairs. "How
long can Cousin Harry stay, Mother?" Freddie asked.
"Oh, about a week I guess."
"I hope he can stay until there's more snow."
Uncle Daniel, with Aunt Sarah and Harry, had come from Meadow Brook to
pay a visit in Lakeport, just as Cousin Dorothy had come from the
seashore some time before.
A little later, when Freddie had on dry clothes, he and Bert, with Harry
and Charley, went out in the barn to play. Nan had to go to the store
for her mother.
Freddie's hope that snow would come soon was not to be gratified--at
least right away. The weather remained warm for nearly a week, and what
little snow was left melted. Bert and Charley had no chance to show
Harry how they could walk on the barrel-stave shoes. But Harry noticed
how they were made, and said when he went back to Meadow Brook he was
going to make a pair for himself.
Then one night the weather suddenly turned cold. It was a cold "snap,"
as Mr. Bobbsey said, and certainly there was "snap" to it, for the cold
made the boards of the house crack and snap like a toy pistol.
"My, but it's cold!" exclaimed Nan, as she came down to breakfast.
"Just what we want!" cried Bert. "Eh, Harry?"
"Sure. This will make skating all right. Do you think the lake will be
frozen over?"
"We can soon find out," Bert said. "I'll telephone down to dad's office
and ask. One of the men can look out of the window and tell. If it is
frozen we'll take our skates down and have some fun."
"I didn't bring any skates," Harry said.
"I've some extra pairs," said Bert "I guess one of 'em will fit you."
He called up his father's bookkeeper on the telephone, and word came
back over the wire that Lake Metoka was frozen solidly, and that already
some boys were out on it, gliding along.
"Hurrah!" cried Bert, when he heard this. "Talk about good luck! And
to-day's Saturday, too!"
A pair of skates was found to fit Harry and the two larger boys, with
Freddie trailing along behind, soon went down to the lake. They were
well wrapped up to keep out the cold. Nan said she would come down later
with Flossie.
"I have to practise my music first," said Nan.
Bert and Harry were good skaters, and Freddie did very well too, for his
age. But he could cut none of the "fancy figures" as did his brother and
cousin. Freddie was satisfied to glide around with some of the smaller
boys he knew.
"Will you be all right, if Harry and I have a race down at the lower end
of the lake?" asked Bert, after a bit.
"Course I will," said Freddie.
"Well, then we'll leave you for a little while. But don't go over near
the point," warned Bert. "It isn't frozen so solidly there. The ice is
thin and you may go through. Keep away from the point."
"I will," promised Freddie. The point was where some land curved out
into the lake, making a sort of little cove, and as this was a sheltered
place the ice had not frozen so thick there.
Bert and Harry raced away, to see who would first get to a certain
point, while Freddie stayed with his little chums. Pretty soon, however,
Freddie felt cold.
"I'm going in my father's office to get warm," he said to Johnnie Wilson
who was with him. "Come on."
The two little chaps were soon in the warm office of the lumber yard.
Freddie saw Tommy Todd come in, having been on an errand to the
post-office for Mr. Bobbsey.
"Hello, Tommy!" called Freddie, who was warming his hands at the stove.
"Why don't you go skating?"
"Haven't any skates," was the answer, and Tommy smiled. He was poor, and
did not have any of the playthings other boys had, but for all that he
was not cross or gloomy. "Besides, if I did have a pair I couldn't go. I
have to work to-day," Tommy went on.
"Oh, I could let you have some time off to go skating, if you wanted
to," said Mr. Bobbsey.
"Well, I would like it, if I had the skates," Tommy said. "But, as I
haven't, I'll stay and run errands for you."
"You could take my skates, while I'm getting warm," Freddie said. "I
guess I'll be quite a while getting warm, too, for it's awful cold out."
"Your skates are too small, I'm afraid," said Tommy.
"Bert has an extra pair. I heard him say so when he gave those to
Harry," put in Freddie. "Couldn't Tommy take them, Daddy?"
"Why, yes, I think so. If you want to go up to the house after them I'll
telephone Mrs. Bobbsey to have them ready for you," the lumber merchant
said to his errand boy.
"Oh, yes, sir, I should like it! I haven't skated for a long time."
Mr. Bobbsey telephoned, and a little later Tommy was gliding about the
frozen lake on a pair of Bert's skates, which, however, were quite good.
Bert had laid them aside when he had been given a pair of shoe hockeys.
"Well, I'm warm enough now," said Freddie to Johnnie, after a bit.
"Shall we go out and skate some more?"
Johnnie was willing and out they went. It seemed a little warmer now,
for the sun was up higher. Many skaters were on the lake. All at once
Freddie saw Tommy skating over toward the place which Bert had spoken of
as not being safe.
"Tommy! Tommy!" cried Freddie. "Don't go there. The ice is too thin!"
But he was too late. Straight toward the point Tommy glided and the next
minute there was a cracking of the ice and Tommy went down out of
sight.