The Bobbsey Twins at Snow Lodge

  CHAPTER XIV

  AT SNOW LODGE

  "Are we all here?"

  "Have we got everything?"

  "Here, Snap! If you jump out again you can't go!"

  "Dinah, you hold Snap, will you?"

  "Good lan' chile! I'se got about all I kin do to hold mah own self!"

  These were some of the cries and exclamations as the Bobbsey familyprepared to start on the trip to Snow Lodge. With the exception of Nanand Bert, and Dorothy and Harry, they were all in a big sled, drawn byfour horses that were prancing about in the snow, anxious to getstarted. At every step the bells jingled. Sam, the colored man, wasdriving. With him on the front seat sat fat Freddie.

  "I'm going to drive, as soon as we get out on the country road!" criedFreddie.

  "He is not; is he, Sam?" demanded Flossie, who was taking one of herdolls on the trip, and with the doll, and her big muff, little Flossiehad about all she could manage.

  "Yes, I am too," declared Freddie. "You said I could, Sam; you know youdid!"

  "Well I guess you kin drive, where the roads are easy," promised thecolored man, with a scratch of his black, kinky head.

  Mr. and Mrs. Bobbsey were now on their seat, with Flossie between them.Dinah was on the seat behind, while in back of her were piled thepackages of food.

  Snap, the trick dog, was to be taken along, but it had been decided toleave Downy the duck, and Snoop, the fat, black cat at home. A neighborhad promised to look after them and feed them.

  "Well, I guess we're all ready," said Mr. Bobbsey, as he looked back atthe well-loaded sled. "Now be careful," he called to Nan and Bert, whowith their cousins were to go to Snow Lodge on the icy lake. The girlswould skate part of the way and ride on the ice-boat the remainder ofthe distance.

  "We'll be careful," said Bert.

  The day was cold, and clouds overhead seemed to tell that it was goingto snow. But the young folks hoped the storm would hold off until night,when they would be safe in the big, old-fashioned farmhouse.

  Everyone was well wrapped up, and Flossie and Freddie were almost lostin big rugs that had been tucked around them, for their mother did notwant them to get cold.

  Piles of rugs and blankets had been put on the ice-boat so those aboardwould be comfortable.

  "Well, let's start!" called Mr. Bobbsey finally. "We'll see who will getthere first, Bert, or us."

  "All right--a race then!" cried Nan.

  Down to the glittering, icy lake went the boys and girls, down to wherethe ice-boat awaited them. It had been put in good shape for the trip,but before starting Bert and Harry looked over all the ropes to makesure none were frayed, or had been cut. Nothing had been seen of DannyRugg, and Charley Mason told Bert he thought the bully had gone to thewood camp with his father.

  "Don't you girls want to come on the ice-boat for a ways first?" askedBert of his sister and Dorothy. "Then, when you get tired of riding, youcan skate."

  "Shall we?" inquired Nan.

  "I guess so," answered Dorothy, and so they did. The wind was not asstrong as it had been the day before, but it was enough of a breeze tosend the _Ice Bird_ along at a good speed. Well wrapped in the robes andblankets, the young people enjoyed the trip very much.

  "I'm sure we'll be there before papa and mamma are," said Nan as theyglided along. "See how fast we are going."

  "Yes, but this wind may not keep up all the way," spoke her brother."And it's a good ways to Snow Lodge."

  "Oh, well, we'll have a good time, anyhow," said Dorothy.

  "And we'll stop and build a fire and have lunch when we're hungry,"added Harry, for they had brought some food with them, and could makechocolate over a little fire.

  Meanwhile the sled-load of the Bobbseys with their two colored servants,and Snap was proceeding along the snowy road. The path had been wellbroken, and the going was good, so they made fairly fast time. But everynow and then Snap would insist on jumping out to run along the road, andevery time he did this Flossie and Freddie would set up a howl, fearinghe would get lost.

  "Snap!" exclaimed Mr. Bobbsey, when this had happened four or fivetimes, "if you don't stay here quietly I'll tie you fast. Lie down,sir!"

  Snap barked, wagged his tail, and looked at Mr. Bobbsey with his headtilted to one side as much as to say:

  "Very well sir. I'll be good now. But I did want a little run." ThenSnap curled up at Dinah's feet and gave no more trouble.

  "I 'clar t' goodness!" exclaimed the colored cook, with a laugh thatmade her shake all over, "dat ar' Snap am a good foot-warmer, so he be.I jest hopes he don't jump out no mo', so I does." And, for a time atleast, the trick dog seemed content to lie quietly in the sled.

  It was not a very exciting trip for those in the sled, as they wentalong through the streets of Lakeport and so out into the open country.Then they passed through village after village, with little occurring.The roads were good, and occasionally they met other teams.

  Once they came to a narrow place between two big drifts, and as anothersled was coming toward them it was rather a race to see which one wouldget to the opening first.

  "You can't go through when he does, Sam," said Mr. Bobbsey, noddingtoward the other driver.

  "I knows I can't, sah. But I'll get there first."

  Sam called to his horses and they sprang forward. A little later theyhad reached the opening between the drifts and the other sled had towait until the Bobbseys got out of the narrow place.

  All this time Bert and the others were making their way up the lake onthe ice. After going a mile or two on the ice-boat the wind died down sothat the craft did not go very fast.

  "Come on, Dorothy," called Nan, "let's skate for a ways. And if you gettoo far ahead of us, please wait, Bert," she added, and her brotherpromised that he and Harry would.

  For a time Dorothy and Nan enjoyed the skating very much, and it was awelcome change from sitting still on the ice-boat. Then the wind sprangup again, and Harry and Bert got so far ahead that the two girls thoughtthey should never be able to skate to them.

  "Oh, I wish they'd wait," said Dorothy. "I'm getting tired."

  "I'll wave to them--maybe they'll see my handkerchief," said Nan.

  Bert and Harry did see the girls, and, guessing what the white signalmeant, they lowered the sail of the ice-boat and waited for the two tocome up. And the girls were glad enough now to sit amid the comfortablerobes and blankets.

  "Skating such a long distance is harder than I thought it would be,"confessed Nan, with a sigh.

  "Yes, the ice-boat is good enough for me," agreed Dorothy. "But when weget to Snow Lodge we'll do some skating."

  "That's what we will," said Nan.

  Mile after mile was covered by the _Ice Bird_. They passed small townsand villages on the shore of the frozen lake. Many of the places wereknown to Nan and Bert, who had often visited them in the summer time,rowing to them in their boat, or sailing to them with the older folks.

  "Isn't it almost time to eat?" asked Bert after a bit. "That sun looksas if it were noon, Nan."

  "It's half-past eleven," spoke Harry, glancing at his watch. "There's anice little cove where we can be out of the wind, and where we can builda fire," he went on, pointing ahead.

  "That's what we'll do!" cried Bert, steering toward it. "Now you girlswill have a chance to show what sort of cooks you are."

  "Humph! There's nothing to cook but chocolate!" said Nan. "Any one couldmake that."

  They had brought with them the chocolate all ready to heat in a pot, andsoon it was set over a fire of sticks which the boys had made on shore,scraping away the snow from the ground. Nan and Dorothy got out thepackages of sandwiches and cake, and soon a merry little party wasseated on the ice-boat, eating the good things.

  The meal was soon over and then the young people got ready to resumetheir trip. Nan and Dorothy wanted to skate a bit, but Bert looking upat the sky, said:

  "I don't think it will be safe. It looks as though it were going tostorm soon, and we don't want to be caught
in it. It isn't far to SnowLodge now, and once we are there let it snow as much as it likes. But ifit comes down before we get there we'll have hard work to keep on in theice-boat. Even a little snow on the ice will clog the runners."

  So the skating idea was given up, and soon they were under way in theice-boat again. The clouds grew darker, and there were a few scatteringflakes of snow.

  "I guess we're going to be in for it," said Bert. "If the wind wouldonly blow harder we could go faster."

  As if in answer to his wish the wind started up and the boat fairly flewover the ice. Then the storm suddenly broke and the snow was so thickthat they could not see where they were going.

  "What shall we do?" cried Dorothy, who was not used to being out in sucha blow.

  "Keep on--that's the only thing to do," answered Bert. "We will go asfar as we can in the boat and then we'll walk."

  "Walk to Snow Lodge!" cried Nan. "We could never do it!"

  "Oh, it isn't so far now," said her brother.

  The snow fell so fast that soon the ice-boat went slower and slower.Finally it stopped altogether, the runners clogged with snow. The windblowing on the sail nearly turned the craft over.

  "Cast off those ropes!" cried Bert to Harry. "We'll have to leave herhere and walk on."

  The sail was lowered, the blankets and robes were picked up to becarried, and the four girls and boys set out over the ice.

  "We must keep near the shore," said Bert, "Snow Lodge is right on theshore of the lake, and we can't miss it."

  "Oh, suppose we did, and had to stay out all night?" cried Dorothy.

  "We won't worry until we have to," spoke Nan.

  It snowed harder and harder, and grew quite dark. Even Bert was worried.He and Harry walked on ahead, to keep the wind and snow as much aspossible out of the faces of the girls.

  "Bert, I'm sure we're lost!" cried Nan a little later. "We can't seewhere we're going! Don't go on any farther."

  "We can't stay here on the ice all night," objected Bert.

  "Well, it is pretty dark," said Harry. "Are there any houses aroundhere?"

  They gazed at the fast-gathering blackness all about them. They werebeginning to be very much afraid. The wind howled, and the snow camedown harder than ever.

  "There's a light!" suddenly called Dorothy.

  "Where?" cried all the others eagerly.

  "There," answered Dorothy, pointing toward where they had last seen theland. "Right over in those trees."

  "Then let's go toward it," suggested Bert. "Maybe they can tell us whereSnow Lodge is, and if it's too far we'll stay there all night, ifthey'll let us."

  The welcome light shone out through the storm and darkness. The fouryoung folks made their way toward it as best they could, and, as theycame nearer they could see that it was a big house in the midst oftrees. Bert rubbed his eyes. He looked again, and then he cried:

  "Why, it's Snow Lodge! It's Snow Lodge! We've found it after all! We'reall right now! We're at Snow Lodge!"

  "Hurray!" cried Harry.

  "Oh, how glad I am!" said Nan, with her arms around Dorothy.

  A door opened and the light streamed out over the snow.

  "Who is there?" called Mr. Bobbsey. "Is that you, Bert?"

  "Yes, father. We're here at last."

  "Oh, thank goodness!" said Mrs. Bobbsey. "We were just going out tosearch for you!"