The snow was rather soft, and just right for the making of big balls, of the kind that had been put on the school steps. And, as it continued to slide down the hill, the mass of snow got larger and larger, until it was big enough to frighten even older persons than the Bobbsey twins and their cousins.
Harry had reached the tree with Freddie at the same time that Bert came to the protecting trunk with his little sister. Nan and Dorothy also were struggling toward it.
“Form in line!” called Bert. “In a long string down the hill, and every one stand right in line with the tree. The big trunk may split the snow slide in two.”
He and Harry took their positions nearest the trunk, with Flossie and Freddie between them. Nan and Dorothy came next. Bert clasped the tree trunk with both arms, and told Harry to grasp him as tightly as he could.
“And you and Flossie hold on to Harry, Freddie,” Bert directed. “Nan, you and Dorothy hold on to the little ones. Here she comes!”
By this time the snowslide had reached the tree, and the mass was now much larger than at first. Freddie and Flossie felt like crying, but they were brave and did not. It was an anxious moment.
Then just what Bert had hoped would happen came to pass. The snow slide was split in two by the tree trunk, and slid to either side, leaving the Bobbsey twins and their cousins safe.
“Oh!” gasped Nan.
“What was that you said about seeing someone up there on top of the hill?” asked Bert of Harry, a little later.
“I did see someone there just before the snow began to slide, and I’m almost sure I saw him roll that ball down that started the slide,” answered Harry.
“Is that so? Could you see his face?”
“Not very well.”
“Never mind. You don’t know Danny Rugg, anyhow.”
“Oh, Bert! Do you think Danny could have done such a thing as that?” asked Nan, in shocked tones.
“He might; not thinking how dangerous it would be,” answered her brother. “I’m going up there and take a look.”
“What for?” asked Dorothy.
“To see if I can find any marks in the snow. If someone was up there making a big snow ball to roll down on us there will be some marks of it. And if it was Danny Rugg I’ll have something to say to him.”
“He wouldn’t be there now, probably,” said Harry. “But do you think it would be safe to go up the side of the hill?”
“Yes, it would, by keeping right in the path of where the snow slide came down,” answered Bert. “There’s hardly any more snow to come down, now.”
“Then I’ll go with you,” said Harry.
Leaving the two girls, with Flossie and Freddie, at the tree, Bert and Harry made their way up to the top of the slope. There they saw the signs of where, some one—a boy to judge by the marks of his shoes—had tramped about, rolling a big snowball.
“That’s what happened,” decided Bert. “Danny Rugg, or some other mean chap, started that slide toward us. And I think it must have been Danny. He’s up around here somewhere, and he’s the only one who would have a grudge against me.”
Several days went by at the Lodge, and they were very busy ones. As soon as breakfast was over the boys and girls would go for a walk, or would coast down hill on a slope not far away from the old farmhouse. Freddie and Flossie were not allowed to go very far away, as it was hard traveling. But they had good times around the house, and out in the old barn.
Bert and Harry made snowshoes out of barrel staves, fastening them to their feet with straps. They managed to walk fairly well on the crust.
The lake was still covered with a coating of snow, and there was no skating, nor could the ice-boat be used. Mr. Bobbsey, with Harry and Bert, took the team of horses one afternoon and went after the Ice Bird. They found it where Bert had left it the night of the storm, and hitching the horses to it, pulled the craft to the dock in front of Snow Lodge.
“It will be all ready for us when the snow is gone,” said Bert.
The nights in Snow Lodge were filled with fun. Mr. Bobbsey had bought a barrel of apples, and when the family gathered about the fireplace there were put to roast in the heat of the glowing embers.
Corn was popped, and then it was eaten, with salt and butter on, or with melted sugar poured over it. Sometimes they would make candy, and once, when they did this, a funny thing happened.
Bert, Nan, Flossie and Freddie, with the two cousins, had been out in the kitchen making a panful of the sweets. I must say that Dinah did the most work, but the children always declared that they made the candy. Anyhow, Dinah always washed up the pans and dishes afterward.
“Now we’ll set it out on the back steps to cool,” said Nan, “and then we’ll pull it into sticks.”
The candy was soon in the condition for “pulling” and, putting butter on their fingers, so the sweet stuff would not stick to them, the children began their fun.
The more they pulled the candy the harder it got, and the lighter in color, Flossie and Freddie soon tired of the work, that was hard on their little arms, and Nan set their rolls of candy outside again to cool, ready for eating.
All at once a great howling was heard at the back stoop, and Flossie cried:
“Oh, someone is taking my candy!”
Bert laid the lump he was pulling down on the table, and rushed to the kitchen door. As he looked out he laughed.
“Oh, look!” he cried. “Snap tried to eat your candy, Freddie, and it’s stuck to his jaws. He can’t get his mouth open!”
This was just what had happened. Snap, playing around outside, had smelled the cooling candy. He was fond of sweets and in a moment had bitten on a big chunk. In an instant his jaws seemed glued together, and he set up a howl of pain and surprise.
“Oh, my lovely candy!” cried Freddie. “You bad Snap!”
“I guess Snap is punished enough,” said Mrs. Bobbsey, coming to the kitchen to find out what the trouble was. And the poor dog was. He would not get his jaws open for some time, so sticky was the candy, and finally Bert had to put his pet’s mouth in warm water, holding it there until the candy softened. Then Snap could open his jaws, and get rid of the rest of the sweet stuff in his mouth. He looked very much surprised at what had happened.
Freddie was given more candy to pull, and this time he set the pan in which he put it up high where no dog could get at it.
With the roasting of apples, making of popcorn and pulling of candy, many pleasant evenings were spent. Then came a thaw, and some rain that carried off most of the snow. A freeze followed, and the lake was frozen over solidly.
“Now for skates and our ice-boat!” cried Bert, and the fun started as soon as the lake was safe. The children had many good times, often going up to the nearest village in the ice-boat.
Sometimes Bert had races with other ice-boats, and occasionally he won even against larger craft that were bought, instead of being home-made. But almost as often the Ice Bird came in last. But Bert and the others did not care. They were having a good time.
Bert met Danny Rugg in the woods one day, and spoke to him about the snow slide. Danny said he had had nothing to do with it, but Bert did not believe the bully.
Then came a spell of fine, warm weather, and as there was no snow on the ground, Bert, Nan, Dorothy and Harry decided to take a long walk one afternoon. Nan wanted to get some views with her new camera.
So interested did they all become that they never noticed how late it was, nor how far they had come.
“Oh, we must turn back!” cried Nan, when she did realize that it would soon be dark. “We’re a good way from Snow Lodge.”
“Oh, we can easily get back,” declared Bert. “I know the path.”
But though Bert might know the path they had come by daylight, it was quite different to find it after dark. However, he led the way, certain that he was going right. But when they had gone on for some distance, and saw no familiar landmarks, Nan stopped and asked:
“Are you sure this is the
right path, Bert? I don’t remember passing any of these rocks,” and she pointed to a group of them under some trees.
“I don’t, either,” said Dorothy.
“Well, maybe this path leads into the right one,” suggested Harry. “Let’s keep on a little farther.”
There seemed to be nothing else to do, so forward they went. Then a few flakes of snow began to fall, and they rapidly increased until the air was white with them. It made the scene a little lighter, but it caused Bert and the others to worry a good deal.
“I hope this isn’t going to be much of a storm,” said Bert in a low voice to Harry.
“Why not? It would make good sleigh riding.”
“Yes, but it’s no fun to be in the woods when it storms; especially at night and when you’re—lost.”
“Lost!” cried Harry. “Are we lost?”
“I’m afraid so,” answered Bert, solemnly. “I haven’t seen anything that looked like the path we came over for a long time. I guess we’re lost, all right.”
“Oh! Oh!” cried Dorothy.
“Will we have to stay out in the woods all night?” Nan wanted to know.
Bert shook his head sadly.
“I’m afraid so,” he said.
CHAPTER XVII
Henry Burdock
With the wind blowing about them, whirling the snowflakes into their faces, and with night fast coming on, the four young folks stood close together, looking at one another. Bert’s solemn words had filled the hearts of the others with fear. Then Harry, sturdy country boy that he was, exclaimed:
“Oh, don’t let’s give up so easily, Bert. Many a time I’ve been off in the woods, and thought I was lost, when a little later, I’d make a turn and be on the road home. Maybe we can do that now.”
“Oh, I do hope so!” murmured Dorothy.
“Let’s try!” exclaimed Nan, taking hold of her brother’s arm.
“Wait a minute!” exclaimed Bert as Harry and Dorothy were about to start off. “Do you know where you’re going?”
“We’re going back that way,” declared Harry, pointing off to the left.
“Why, that way?” asked Bert.
“I think that’s the way to Snow Lodge,” was the answer. “We’ve tried lots of other ways, and haven’t struck the right one, so it can’t do any harm to go a new way.”
“Now just hold on,” advised Bert. “I don’t mean to say that I know more than you about it, Harry, but it does seem to me that it won’t do any good to wander off that way, especially if you’re not sure it’s the right path. We’ll only get more lost than we are, if that’s possible.”
“Well, maybe you’re right,” admitted Harry. “But we can’t stay here all night, that’s sure.”
“Of course not,” added Dorothy, looking around with a shiver. The snow seemed to be coming down harder than ever and the cold wind blew with greater force.
“We may have to stay here,” said Bert. “But don’t let that scare you,” he said quickly, as he saw Dorothy and his sister clutch at each other and turn pale. “We can build a sort of shelter that will keep us warm, and there won’t be any danger of freezing.”
“No, but how about starving?” asked Harry. “I’m real hungry now.”
“We had a good dinner,” observed Dorothy. “If we don’t get anything more to eat until morning I guess we can stand it. But I do hope we can find some sort of shelter.”
“We’ll have to make one, I guess,” said Nan, looking about her.
“That’s right,” cried Bert. “It’s the only way. If we go wandering about, looking for a shelter, we may get into trouble. We’ll make one of our own. There’s a good place, over by that clump of trees. We can cut down some branches, stand them up around the trees and make a sort of tent. Then, when the snow has covered it, we’ll be real warm.”
“Well, let’s start building that snow tent,” proposed Harry. “It will give us something to do, and moving about is warmer than standing still. I know that much, anyhow.”
“Yes, it is,” agreed Bert. “Come on, girls. Harry and I will cut the branches and you can stack them up.”
Bert led the way to where three trees grew close together in a sort of triangle. The trees had low branches and it would be an easy matter to stand other branches up against them, one end on the ground, and so make a fairly good shelter.
With their pocket-knives Bert and Harry began cutting branches from the evergreen trees that grew all about. As fast as they were cut the girls took them, and piled them up as best they could. All the while the wind blew the falling snow about, and it became darker.
“Oh, if we only had some sort of a fire!” exclaimed Nan.
“A fire?” said her brother.
“That’s so,” agreed Dorothy. “It would not be so lonesome then, and it—would scare away—the bears!” and she looked over her shoulder in some fear.
“Bears!” cried Bert “There aren’t any within a hundred miles, unless they’re tame ones. But we might as well have a fire. I never thought of that. I’ve got a box of matches. Harry, if you’ll gather wood, and the fire, I’ll keep on cutting branches. We’ve got almost enough, anyhow.”
“Sure, I will!” said the other boy, and soon he had scraped away the snow from a spot on the ground, and had piled some sticks on it. He managed to find some dry twigs and leaves in a hollow stump, and these served to start a blaze. The wood was rather wet, and it smoked a good deal, but soon some of the fagots had caught and there was a cheerful fire reflecting redly on the white snow that was falling faster than ever.
“That’s something like!” cried Bert, coming over to the blaze to warm his cold fingers. “We’ll get a pile of wood and keep the fire going all night. Then, if any of our folks come looking for us, they can see it.”
Harry, who had just come up with an armful of wood, plunged his hands into his pockets to warm them. The next moment he uttered a joyful cry, and drew out two small packages.
“Look!” he cried. “Here’s our supper!”
“Supper?” asked Bert, slowly. “What do you mean?”
“It’s chocolate candy,” went on Harry. “I forgot I had it, but it’s fine stuff when you’re hungry. Lots of travelers use it when they can’t get anything else to eat. Here, I’ll divide it, and we’ll imagine we’re having a fine feast.”
He was about to do this when Bert suddenly exclaimed:
“Wait a minute! I have a better plan than that if I can only find a tin can. Everybody look for one. There may have been picnickers here during the summer, and they may have left a lot of tin cans.”
“But what do you want of one?” asked Nan.
“I’ll tell you if I find one,” said her brother. “If I told you now, and we didn’t pick up one, you’d be disappointed.”
But they were not to be, for a little later Harry, kicking about in the snow, turned up a rusty tin can.
“That’s it!” cried Bert. “Now we’ll put some snow in it, and melt it over the fire. That will give us water, and when it boils we’ll be sure the can is clean. Then we’ll melt snow and have hot chocolate. We’ll dissolve the chocolate candy in the water, Harry, and drink it. That will be something hot for us, and better than if we ate the cold candy. I’ve got a folding drinking cup we can use.”
“Say, that’s a fine idea!” cried Dorothy. “Bert, you’re wonderful.”
“Oh, no, the idea just popped into my head,” he replied.
The can, with some snow in it, was soon on the fire, and in a little while steam arising from it told that the water, formed from the melting snow, was boiling. They rinsed the can out carefully, made more hot water, and then put in the chocolate candy, saving half for another time.
Nan and Dorothy took turns stirring it with a clean stick until the mixture was foamy and hot. Then it was passed around in the single drinking cup.
“Oh, but I feel so much better now,” sighed Nan, after taking her share. “So warm and comfortable!”
“So do I!
” exclaimed Dorothy, and the boys admitted that the drink of chocolate was very good, even though it had no milk in it.
Then they finished making the shelter, brought up more wood for the night, and went in the little snow-tent. Though it was only partly covered with a coating of white flakes, it was already warm and cozy, and they knew that they were in no danger of freezing.
As much of the snow as possible was scraped away from the ground inside, and thick hemlock branches were laid down for a sort of carpet. Then, with the cheerful fire going outside, the four young people prepared to spend the night. That it would be lonesome they well knew, but they hoped Mr. Bobbsey would come and find them, perhaps with a searching party.
The warm chocolate, the warmth of the fire, the effect of the wind, weariness of the long walk, and the work of making a shelter, all combined to make the boys and girls sleepy in spite of their strange situation. First one and then the other would nod off, to awake with a start, until finally they were all asleep.
How long he had been slumbering thus, in little snow-tent, Bert did not know. He suddenly awoke with a start, and listened. Yes, he heard something! The sound of someone tramping through the woods. A heavy body forcing its way through the bushes!
At first Bert’s heart beat rapidly, and he thought of wild animals. Then he realized that none was near Snow Lodge. He glanced about. The campfire was burning only dimly, and by the light of it, as it came in through the opening of the shelter, the boy could see the others sleeping, curled up on the soft branches.
The sound of someone approaching sounded louder. Bert looked about for some sort of weapon. There was none in the tent. Then he almost laughed at himself.
“How silly!” he exclaimed, “Of Course it’s father, or someone looking for us. I’ll give a call.”
He crawled to the edge of the shelter, looked out, and raised his voice in a shout:
“Hello there! Here we are! Father, is that you?”
Those inside the little snow-covered tent awoke with a start. Bert tossed some light wood on the fire and it blazed up brightly. By its glow the boy saw, coming into the circle of light, a man dressed in thick, heavy garments, with a coonskin cap on his head. Over his shoulder was a gun, and he had some rabbits and birds slung at his back.
The Bobbsey Twins Megapack Page 54