&‘£..o‘0 --'.e 0 .0--4 ob. ‘a ‘F.’. . ‘ . '7“ “ ~‘.‘ ~' ‘.w ‘.0 ‘.o‘_kammmn.qo - o 7 $3.00. ‘ ‘04“? 0““ a.“‘. h- r. . __‘_ij .13%o oho.é '2 OFTHE " ., U111) , "l‘lllllllfll'llll'lllmummy! . ' t l. {"lllllllfllllfllllll \fiéiflifi ~ ‘- FLOSSIE AND FREDDIE WATCH THE MEN AT THE SAWMILL. The Bobbsey Twins at Cedar Ca Fronlzspz'ece— (Page 92) m). BOOKS BY LAURA LEE HOPE 12mo. Cloth. Illustrated. THE BOBBSEY TWINS SERIES THE BOBBSEY TWINS THE BOBBSEY TWINS IN THE COUNTRY THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT THE SEASHORE THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT SCHOOL THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT SNOW LODGE THE BOBBSEY TWINS ON A HOUSEBOAT THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT MEADOW BROOK THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT HOME THE BOBBSEY TWINS IN A GREAT CITY THE BOBBSEY TWINS ON BLUEBERRY ISLAND THE BOBBSEY TWINS ON THE DEEP BLUE SEA THE BOBBSEY TWINS IN WASHINGTON THE BOBBSEY TWINS IN THE GREAT WEST THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP THE BUNNY BROWN SERIES BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE ON GRANDPA'S FARM BUNNY AND HIS SISTER SUE PLAYING BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE AT AUNT LU'S CITY HOME BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE AT CAMP REST'A'WHILE BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE IN THE BIG WOODS BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE ON AN AUTO TOUR BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE AND THEIR SHETLAND PONY BUNIAYSSS%WN AND HIS SISTER SUE GIVING BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE AT CHRISTMAS TREE COVE BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE IN THE SUNNY SOUTH THE SIX LITTLE BUNKERS SERIES SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT GRANDMA BELL'S SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT AUNT JO'S SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT COUSIN TOM'S SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT GRANDPA FORD'S SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT UNCLE FRED'S SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT CAPTAIN BEN'S SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT COWBOY JACK'S THE OUTDOOR GIRLS SERIES (Ten titles) Gnossz'r & Dumv, Punusnms, Nxw You: Carmen-r, 1921, BY Gaossm- & Dunm The Bobbscy Twins at Cedar Camp I. III. IV VII. VIII. IX XI. XII. XIII. XIV. XV. XVI. XVII. XVIII. XIX. XX. XXI. XXII. CONTENTS FmDm's Smumsz ...... LocxzD UP .............. THANKSGIVING . . . . . . . . . . ........... . . Bm IN DANGzx ................ CnnIs'mAs Tamas .................. .. OFF ‘r0 CEDAR CAMP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. IN THE NORTH WooDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. A NUTTING PARTY ........... SAWMILL FUN ..................... .. A SUDDEN STORM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. OLD Mas. Bmmr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mn. Bonnsay Is Woman . . . . . OLD JIM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... SNOWED IN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. A BARE CUPBOARD ............. BERT STARTS OUT ......... .... TRYING AGAIN ................... A LITTLE SEARCHING PARTY ...... Tm: WILDCAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SNowBAu. BULLETS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ON THE Rocx . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O O O O O 0 O OOOUOOOOOOOOOOO. 5i I v 72 87 100 109 12C 128 137 145 156 165 175 183 198 213 231 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP CHAPTER I FREDDIE'S SURPRISE VERY still and quiet it was in the home of the Bobbsey twins. There was hardly a. sound -—that is, of course, except that made by four figures tiptoeing around through the halls and different rooms. “Hush!" suddenly exclaimed Bert Bobbsey, “Hush !" echoed his sister Nan. They were two of the twins. Again came the shuffling noise made by tip- toeing feet on the front stairs- “Quiet now, Flossie and Freddie!" whis- pered Bert. “G0 easy. and don't make a racket!" x FREDDIE'S SURPRISE 3 try to be quiet, dear, else our fun will be spoiled. Better take sister's hand." “Holdin' your hand won't do any good," an- swered Flossie, and though she tried to talk in a whisper it was rather aloud one. “Your hand can't stop makin' me sneeze," Flossie went on. “Can it?" “Oh, did you sneeze, dear?" asked Nan, who, since she and Bert were “growing up," felt that she must take a little more motherly care of Flossie. “Yes, I did sneeze," Flossie answered. “An' maybe I'll sneeze more again. I feel so, any— how." “Don't you dare!" exclaimed Bert. “She didn't sneeze! Not a reg'lar sneeze!" declared Freddie, who was carrying a cigar box. Did I mention that Freddie and Flossie were the other pair of Bobbsey twins? I meant to, anyhow. “If she didn't sneeze, what did she do?" asked Nan. “I did sneeze !" insisted Flossie. “You did not!" asserted Freddie. “You ,7 — 4 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP “Hush! Hush!" cautioned Bert. “You'll spoil everything!" But Freddie was not to be shut 05 in that way. He came to a stop in the hall, along which the two pairs of twins were tiptoeing their way through the house, and in the half darkness, for the light was turned low, he pointed his fat, chubby forefinger at Flossie, holding, the while, his cigar box under his other arm. “She did not sneeze-—not a reg'lar, full, fair sneeze!" he declared. “She put her hand over her mouth an' she choked, an' she made more noise 'n if she had sneezed. Guess I know what she done !" “Did, dear! Did!" corrected Nan. “You must use right words now that you are in regular classes at school and are out of the kindergarten. "Did—not done." “Well, Flossie did snort and she did not done sneeze," went on the fat little “fireman," as his father sometimes called him. “I—I could 'a' sneezed if I'd wanted to," said Flossie. “Only I've an awful loud sneeze, I have. It's louder’n yours, Freddie Bobbsey." FREDDIE'S SURPRISE 5 “'Tis not l" declared Freddie. “You wait till I tickle my nose, an' I'll sneeze an' I'll show you! I'll show you who can sneeze loudest!" “No, you will not!" said big brother Bert kindly, but firmly. “You two youngsters must keep quieter, or we can't do what we're going to do. Nan and I will take you back upstairs and mother will make you go to bed! There!" This was such a dreadful threat, especially as Flossie and Freddie had been allowed to stay up past their regular bedtime hour on their promise to be good, that they at once quieted down. With Bert and Nan in the lead, the smaller Bobbsey twins followed their older brother and sister. Bert reached a door opening into a large closet near the kitchen. It was in this closet that the children were to hide the things they were carrying, and why they were going to do this you will soon learn. But just as Bert was about to open the closet door, Flossie gave a little wriggle, and, pulling her hand away from Nan—the hand that did not hold a package-the little Bobbsey girl whispered: FREDDIE'S SURPRISE 7 But I got him a box, an' it was dusty an' it makes me sneeze an' " "That's enough of this sneezing!" declared Bert. “Let's hide what we have and get out. Dinah's in the kitchen now, and if she hears us scufiling around she'll open the door and see us and she'll think something is going to hap- pen‘), “Well, something is going to happen," whis~ pered Nan, with a smile. But you could not see the smile because it was rather dark in the hall. “To-morrow is Dinah's birthday, and, oh! won't she be surprised ?" -“She'll be more surprised," said Freddie, though neither Bert nor Nan knew just what he meant just then. Later they did. True enough, it was the birthday of Dinah Johnson, the fat, jolly, good-natured colored cook of the Bobbsey family, which included the four twins. Dinah's birthday was always celebrated, especially by the twins, who always brought out their presents as a sort of sur- prise. This time they were bringing them down 'from their rooms the night before the birthday, 8 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP to hide the things in a big closet near the kitchen. Thus the gifts would be ready the first thing in the morning, to give to Dinah at the break- fast table, when daddy would call her in from the kitchen to be surprised. It was Bert's plan thus to hide the things ahead of time, and Flossie and Freddie, of course, had begged to be allowed to take part. “I guess she didn't hear anything," said Bert, after listening a moment, for Dinah was still in the kitchen, finishing her day's work. “The door's shut," Bert added. “Now then," he went on, after a pause, “let's hide our things and go back upstairs. Pass yours to me, Nan." The older Bobbsey girl did so, and just as Bert had put away his present and hers, there was a loud sound behind him. “What's that ?" sharply whispered Bert. “It was Freddie," answered Flossie. “An' he didn't sneeze—not at all." “I stumbled," answered Freddie. “I'm sorry!" “Well, it's too late for that. But I guess Dinah didn't hear," Bert said, listening a mo- FREDDIE'S SURPRISE 9 ment. “Pass me your present, Freddie, and I'll hide it with mine." “I'll hide it myself," said the little fellow, and he made his way to the closet, squirming between Nan and Flossie. “Oh, well, do as you please," Bert agreed. And thus it was that none of the others saw Freddie put two packages in the closet instead of one. One package was his regular present for Dinah. The other was But just a moment, if you please. I want to tell this story as it should be told. Anyhow, Freddie slipped two packages into the closet without letting Bert see him. One package was a cigar box, tied with a string, and a queer scratching noise seemed to come from within it. “There! Now everything is hid," said Bert, when Flossie's package had been put on the shelf. “Now I'll lock the door, for mother gave me the key, and Dinah can't open it. In the morning we'll give out the birthday pres- ents." The Bobbsey twins thought that morning would never come, but it did at last, and Dinah 10 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP knew nothing of their secrets, they felt sure. With eagerness the four children assembled at the breakfast table. “Call Dinah in, Daddy, and let us give her the things," begged Nan. "I want to give mine first !" insisted Freddie. “And me next," said Flossie. Fat Dinah came waddling in, her face all ‘smiles. “I 'clar to goodness! Whut's gwine on now?" she asked. “Did I forgots to make de coffee, or am de toast burned?" Dinah pretended to be very much alarmed, but I think she knew why she had been called in. At least she knew something of what was going to happen, but not all. She must have known it was her birthday, and the children always gave her something on such occasions. “Dinah, please sit down a moment," said Mr. Bobbsey, trying not to smile. “I think Freddie has something to say to you." “I—I got something to give you, Dinah cried the little fellow, hurrying out to the closet, which Bert had unlocked. “Bress yo' heart, honey lamb! Has yo' got '7, FREDDIE'S SURPRISE 1 1 sufiin' fo' ole Dinah?" she asked with a kind smile. “You—you'll be s'prised," said Freddie, as he handed the fat black cook a cigar box, tied with string. “Why, Freddie!" exclaimed Nan. “That isn't your present! Yours is wrapped in blue paper. Don't you remember? I wrapped it up for you." “I'll give Dinah that present in a minute !" said Freddie, his eyes shining. “I have two for her!" “Bress his heart!" murmured the cook, as she fumbled with the string. A moment later it came off, and as the cover of the box flew open out jumped a fat little gray mouse! “Oh, my! Oh, mah good lan'!" screamed Dinah. “Oh, a mouse! A mouse!" and she jumped up in such a hurry that she knocked over the chair on which she had been sitting. CHAPTER II LOCKED or "GET him! Get him !" cried Bert Bobbsey, making a dive for the little mouse. “Oh, don't let him come near me!" screamed Nan, as she left her seat and hurried over toward her mother. “Nonsense !" exclaimed Mrs. Bobbsey. “To be frightened at a poor little mouse!" The mouse ran under one chair after an- other, and circled around beneath the dining room table. “Where's Snoop?" cried Bert, stooping down to watch which way the mouse ran. “Get Snoop in to catch the mouse!" “Don't let him get me!" begged Flossie, and she ran over to Nan. “Children, be quiet l" commanded Mr. Bobb- I2 LOCKED UP 13 sey. “All this excitement over a little mouse! Freddie, you did very wrong to put a mouse in a box and give it to Dinah for a birthday present!" and he spoke rather sternly to the little fellow. “Am dat mouse mah birfday present?" asked the fat cook, who was huddled against the wall. “If it is I don't want it nohow!" Isn't it queer how frightened some women and girls are of a mouse? I wonder why that it is? Anyhow, Nan, Flossie and Dinah seemed much frightened, while Bert was more inter- ested in seeing which way the little gray creature ran. “Get Snoop! Where is Snoop ?" asked Bert, ‘calling for the family cat. “Snoop will love to chase this mouse!" “I help you catch my mouse for Snoop !" offered Freddie. He had stood, eagerly waiting, to see what would happen when Dinah opened his extra present box. And enough had happened to satisfy even fun-loving Freddie. “Here, I'll fix that mouse!" cried Mr. Bobb- sey. “Let it alone, Bert. I'll drive it out!" 14 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP Mr. Bobbsey picked up a small open glass salt dish from the table, and was about to throw it at the mouse under the table. “Don't do that," said his wife. “Why not?" asked Mr. Bobbsey, holding the‘ salt dish in readiness. “Because you'll spill the salt and it will have to be cleaned up." “I'll get the mouse!" cried Freddie. “I'll get him !" He ran over to the goldfish tank in one cor- ner of the room. On the table on which the tank rested was a tiny net of cloth on a handle and wire frame. Bert used the net to lift out the fish when he wanted to clean the tank, which he intended doing that day. “I'll catch the mouse under this !" cried Freddie, grabbing up the little net and trying to dive under the table. But the little fellow slipped, and knocked over a chair. It happened to fall on Flossie's foot. Instantly the small Bobbsey girl set up a cry. “Oh! Oh, Freddie Bobbsey! Now look what you did! My toenails is all broken! Oh! Oh!" LOCKED UP 15 “Hush! Hush!" begged Mother Bobbsey, hugging Flossie. “Oh, mah good lan'!" exclaimed Dinah, “I neber did see such a birfday as dish yeah! Nebber in all mah born days!" Bert caught up his aluminum napkin ring and threw it across the room as the mouse made a dart toward the door leading into the kitchen. “There he goes !" cried Bert. “No use get- ting Snoop now !"- “Well, I'm glad the creature is out of the way!" said Mrs. Bobbsey, with a sigh of re- lief. “Now, Freddie, what possessed you to do a thing like that—to give Dinah a mouse for her birthday?" “And where did you get it?" asked Bert. “I should think you'd be afraid of it, Freddie." “He was in the box, and I shut the cover down quick—like that"—Freddie clapped his hands together—“and I ketched him." “You should say ‘caught'," murmured Nan. “Your teacher wouldn't like to have you say ‘ketched', Freddie." “Well, I—I got him, anyhow," Freddie went 16 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP ‘ 'on. “An' I tied some string around the box and I kept the mouse and I thought maybe Dinah would laugh an'—an' " Freddie looked around the room. All too much had happened from his little surprise. The whole place was in confusion. “If dey is any mo' birfday presents like dat," said Dinah, “I reckon I better go!" “Oh, no !" exclaimed Nan. “Mine is a nice one, Dinah!" “So's mine !" echoed Flossie. “An' I've another !" added Freddie. “I'm sorry I scared you, Dinah." “Well, we'll forgive you this time," said his father. “Bring out the other presents now." And while this is being done I will take just a moment to tell my new readers something about the children who are to be the main char- acters in this story. If you have read the first book of this series, called “The Bobbsey Twins," you have learned that Mr. Bobbsey had a lumber business in the eastern city of Lakeport, on Lake Metoka. Bert and Nan were the two older twins. They bad dark brown hair and brown eyes and were LOCKED UP 17 rather tall and slim. The younger Bobbsey twins were Flossie and Freddie. They were somewhat short and stout, and had light hair and blue eyes. The children had many good times together and with their playmates, Grace Lavine, Charlie Mason, Dannie Rugg, Nellie Parks and Ruth Nelson. They also had fun with Snoop, their pet cat, and with Snap, their dog. There are a number of books coming between the first volume and the one just before this. The Bobbsey twins went to the country to visit Uncle Daniel, and at the seashore they stayed with Uncle William. Besides these trips the four children made a voyage on a houseboat, visited a great city, camped on Blueberry Is- land, went to Washington, and made a trip at sea. They had, a week or so before celebrating Dinah's birthday, returned home after some exciting times out West. You may read about these last adventures in the book just before this present volume. It is called “The Bobbsey Twins in the Great West," and it tells how Bert, Nan, Flossie and 18 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP Freddie helped solve a strange mystery about an old man. It was now fall, and on their return from the West the Bobbsey twins had started to 'school again. Bert and Nan had gone into a higher grade, and Flossie‘ and Freddie, though 'they were still the babies of the family, were now somewhat advanced at school, and were in regular classes, attending morning and after- noon, instead of going just in the morning, as ‘they had done while they were still in the kin- 'dergarten. One of the first affairs the Bobbsey twins had taken part in since their return from the West had been Dinah's birthday celebration. Each of the children had bought the cook, of ' whom they were very fond, a present, but Freddie had provided an extra one, as we have seen. “Don't ever do it again, Freddie!" cautioned his father, when quiet had once more settled over the household. "I won't, Daddy," he promised. “Then you may give Dinah her regular pres’ ent," said Mother Bobbsey. 20 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP the day before, coming softly up to it, he had seen a little mouse nibbling away among the nuts and shells. As quick as a wink Freddie clapped the cover down, and had caught the mouse fast. Then, without saying anything to anyone about it, he had given it to Dinah. “Come on, Bert, or we'll be late for school!" called Nan, as she finished her breakfast. “I'll be right with you," her brother an- swered. “If Charlie Mason calls tell him to wait. He and I are going fishing this after- noon " “Can I come?" asked Freddie. “I'll help dig worms." ' “Not now," Bert answered. “Maybe to- morrow." “You wait for me, Freddie i" called F lossie. “Yes, I'll wait," he promised. Soon the Bobbsey twins were on their way to school. Bert walked with Charlie Mason and Dannie Rugg, while Grace Lavine and Nellie Parks strolled along with Nan. “Did you bring your skipping rope?" asked Grace of Nan. Glace was very fond of this 22 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP kinds of tag. It was cool, so that running about and jumping made one feel fine. Suddenly from the lower end of the play- ground, near the shed where the janitor kept his brooms, a lawnmower, and other things, came a cry of alarm. “That's Flossie !" exclaimed Nan, pausing in the midst of a bean bag game. “Something's the matter !" She caught sight of F lossie and Freddie in some sort of a battle with Nick Malone, one of the “bad" boys of the school. Flossie and Freddie seemed to be having a fight with Nick. However, the battle was soon over. Before Nan reached the scene or could call to Bert to come to her help, Nick disappeared, and Flossie and Freddie, each laughing, ran over to the other side of the yard. “Oh, I guess they are all right," said Nan, as she stopped running and turned back. Then the bell rang to call the children in from their play, and they took their places in long lines. A little later Bert and Nan were in their room, saying their lessons, and Flossie LOCKED UP 23 and Freddie were with their classmates, getting ready to recite in geography. Miss Snell, their teacher, looked over the room. She noticed one vacant seat. “Where is Nick?" asked Miss Snell. “He was here before recess. Did anyone see him go home?" . No one answered for a moment, and then Flossie raised her little, fat, chubby hand. “Yes, F lossie, what is it?" asked Miss Snell, with a smile. "Nick didn't go home," said the little girl. “He—he's out in the yard." “Out in the yard?" exclaimed the teacher. “He should come in !" “If you please, he can't," said Freddie sud~ denly. “He's locked up! I locked him up!" CHAPTER III THANKSGIVING MIss SNELL was not quite sure that she 1m- derstood Freddie Bobbsey. She looked at the little twin, smiled to make him understand that she was not cross, and said: “What did you do to Nick, Freddie ?" “I locked him up," Freddie answered. “In the tool shed. I have the key, too," and, marching up to Miss Snell's desk he laid on it a large key. “You locked Nick in the tool shed!" re- peated the surprised teacher. “Why, Freddie Bobbsey! what a strange thing to do. Why did you do it ?" “He pulled my hair," Flossie explained. “I mean Nick did. He pulled it yesterday, too, and I told Freddie and Freddie said he would make Nick stop." 24 THANKSGIVING 25 “Yes, go on, please," urged Miss Snell, as Flossie grew silent. “Well, when he pulled it again to-day," re- sumed the little girl, “I hollered for Freddie and we hit Nick and he hit us and we pushed him into the shed and—-and " “I locked the door!" finished Freddie. “You can hear him hollerin' to get out," he added. “Listen !" The windows had been opened to freshen the air in the classroom, and as silence fol- lowed Freddie's last remark Miss Snell and the children could plainly hear, coming from the shed, the voice of someone calling: “Let me out! Let me out!" “That's Nick," calmly explained Freddie. “But I'm not going to let him out 'cause he pulled Flossie's hair." “Well, of course, he shouldn't do that," said Miss Snell. “But you should not have locked him in, Freddie. I shall have to tell the prin- cipal and get him to let Nick out." The eyes of Flossie and Freddie grew big as the teacher said this. The eyes of the other 'children opened wide also. To have to tell 26 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP “the principal" anything meant that it was very serious. “But I am sure you did not mean to do wrong," Miss Snell added, as she saw that Freddie and Flossie looked rather frightened. “It will be all right, I'll have the principal let Nick out. You may look over your geography lesson while I am gone. I want you to tell me, when I come back, what is a river, a lake and an island." “We know about a island," said Flossie in a loud whisper. “Once we camped on Blue— berry Island, didn't we, Freddie ?" “Yep!" he answered. “An' I fell in!" “Well, you may tell us about that later," and Miss Snell tried not to laugh. “But don't talk any more in school; and study your lesson while I go to Mr. N ixon's office." While Miss Snell was out of the room I do not believe much studying was done by Flossie, Freddie or any of their classmates. They all listened as, through the open window, came the cries of Nick Malone calling: “Let me out! Let me out!" “I locked him in—'cause he pulled Flossie's THANKSGIVING 27 hair!" declared Freddie, and Freddie was looked upon as quite a hero by the boys and girls in his room. . By standing up, Flossie, Freddie and the others in their class could see the tool shed. And the children stood up and looked out as Miss Snell and the principal went to release the locked-up boy. He came out crying, and seemed frightened. But he soon quieted down, and promised never again to pull Flossie's hair, while Freddie was made to promise never again to lock anyone in the tool shed. “Tell your teacher, or tell me, when anyone plagues your sister, Freddie," the principal said. “Yes'm-—I mean yes, sir, swered. Neither he nor Flossie had any more trouble with the “bad" boy, about whose teasing they had talked on their way to school that morn- ing. I think, after being locked up, that Nick was afraid of Freddie. At any rate, Flossie's hair was not again pulled. “Our smaller twins are growing up," said Mr. Bobbsey to his wife at home that night, 9' Freddie an- 28 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP when the story of what had happened in school had been told at the supper table. “Yes," agreed Mrs. Bobbsey. “Our little ‘fireman' and our ‘fat fairy' will soon be almost as big as Bert and Nan." Fireman and fairy were the pet names for the smaller Bobbsey twins. But they were getting almost too old for pet names now. The weeks passed, and the weather grew colder, though, as yet, no snow had appeared. Freddie and Flossie, who had gotten out their sleds soon after coming home from the West, looked at the sky anxiously each day. “Do you think it will ever snow?" asked Flossie of her mother. “I want to go coasting." “So do I, and skating, too," Freddie added. “Oh, there is still plenty of time for it to snow this winter," said their mother. “Why, it isn't Thanksgiving yet." “Oh, that's so!" exclaimed Freddie. “Thanksgiving is coming, an' we'll have cran- berry sauce an' turkey!" “An' pie an' cake!" cried Flossie. “T hanksgiving is not meant only for feast- ing," said their mother. “It is a time for being 30 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP her rare sugar-bowl and milk-pitcher. It was these pieces that Nan had, by chance, seen in a secondhand store window, and Miss Pompret paid the older Bobbsey twins the reward, which they turned in to charity. “Are you going to the store for your mother ?" asked Miss Pompret of Flossie and Freddie, as they paused at her door. “We're going to the store for ourselves," Freddie answered. “We have two cents apiece," added his sister. “Oh, I see !" laughed the elderly, maiden lady. “Well, on your way would you mind stopping at the grocer's and telling him he hasn't yet sent the barrel of flour, the barrel of potatoes, and the ten hams I ordered. Tell him I expect them to-day." “My! you're gettin' a lot of stuff, Miss Pompret," said Flossie. “Well, you see, I am going to give a large dinner to a number of poor people for Thanks- giving," said Miss Pompret, “and I want some things for them to take home with them. That's whor I'm ordering so much." ‘- “For the poor !" murmured Freddie. THANKSGIVING 3!‘ "Yes, dear," went on the lady.~ “You know Thanksgiving is not meant to see how much we can eat, but to think of our blessings and help other persons to have blessings that they may be thankful for." “That's what mother said," remarked Flossie. "Yes'm, we'll stop at the grocery for you." “Thank you," called Miss Pompret. Then, as she and Freddie walked on, Flossie turned to her brother and said: “Freddie, didn't we ought to do something for the poor?" “Maybe we ought," he agreed. “But who is poor?" “Anybody that has ragged clothes is poor," observed Flossie. “We could give 'em some of our clothes, 'cause I've got so many my closet is full." “I've two pair of pants," observed Freddie. “I don't need but one, I guess. But you can't eat clothes, Flossie." “I know it, but you have to have clothes when it's cold. And it maybe will snow for Thanksgiving. Oh, Freddie! we could give our two cents to somebody poor for T hanks- 52 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP giving!" Flossie's eyes were shining with de- light. “Yes, we could do that,“ said Freddie, slowly. “But you can't get much clothes for two cents and not much to eat, I don't guess." Flossie thought this over for a moment, and then her face lighted up. “I know what we can do!" she said. “We can look for some poor ragged people, and take them to our house for Thanksgiving. Mother or father could give them some clothes and they could have some of our turkey. Daddy and mother have some dressings, too, like Miss Pompret said." “She didn't say ‘dressings,’ " objected Fred- die. "It's ‘blessings,’ like you get in Sunday- school." “Oh," said Flossie. “\Vell, we could get some for the poor. Let's do it, Freddie." “All right," agreed the little fellow. They were just going into the candy store, having stopped at the grocer's with the message from Miss Pompret, when Flossie and Freddie caught sight of a ragged boy and girl, about their own age, standing with their faces close THANKSGIVING 33 against the glass of the show window of the toy and candy shop. “Freddie, look!" whispered Flossie. “They're poor!" whispered Freddie. “Let's take them!" F lossie nodded in agreement, and then they went up to the ragged children who were eagerly gazing in the window, which was partly filled with Christmas toys. “Come on with us," said Freddie, tapping the other boy on the shoulder. Quickly the boy turned, doubled up his fist, and, thrusting the ragged girl behind him, he exclaimed: “Now you let us alone! We wasn't doin' nothin'! We was just lookin' in the winder, an' that's what it's for! You let us alone!" CHAPTER IV BERT IN DANGER FLossm and Freddie were so surprised at the strange action on the part of the ragged boy that they hardly knew what to do. Flossie looked at Freddie and Freddie looked at his sister, and then they looked at the strange boy and girl. “You let her alone, an' you let me alone!" ‘ordered the ragged boy. “I ain't done nothin', an' she ain't done nothin'!" “You shouldn't say ‘ain't,' 'cause it ain't- I mean it isn't a 'good word. Our teacher says so," F lossie quickly admonished the strange boy. “Well, I don't care what I say, you oughtn't to drive us away from lookin' in this winder," objected the boy. “Nice smells comes out; and when you ain't-I mean when you isn't got any money to buy candy, you can smell it!" 34 BERT IN DANGER 35 Flossie and Freddie looked at each other in surprise. To be so poor that one had to “smell" candy instead of eating it, was to be poor in- deed! Flossie opened her fat chubby hand and looked at the two moist pennies clutched there. Freddie did the same. Then the small Bobbsey twins, with one accord, held out the money to the boy and girl. “Here," said Freddie. “Take it!" “Mine too!" added Flossie. “You can buy candy with it!" For a moment the ragged boy and girl did not know what to say. Then a smile came over the boy's face. His fist unclenched, and his sister smiled too. “You mean this—for us?" he asked. “Sure!" answered Freddie. “We don't need candy, and we'll feel good for Thanksgivin'!" “Oh, I'm going to buy two lollypops !" cried the ragged girl. “I want gum!" said the boy, and into the store they disappeared. Freddie drew a long breath. “I—I feel happy, don't you?" he asked Flossie. BERT IN DANGER 37 And so, hardly knowing what was going to happen, the ragged boy, who said his name was Dick, and his sister, who was Mary Thompson, went with the little Bobbsey twins. Mrs. Bobbsey was very much surprised when her little son and daughter came up the steps, leading a strange ragged boy and girl. “We brought them home for Thanksgiving, like Miss Pompret's going to do," said Freddie. “So's to make us be more happier," added Flossie. “And we gave them our two cents, so please can we have more? And they're hun- gry, Mother!" Mrs. Bobbsey understood that it was the kind hearts of Flossie and Freddie that had brought all this about. So she welcomed the two strange children, and took them out to Dinah, who, you may be sure, fed them enough, and almost too much. After that meal, which Dick said was the “best feed" he ever had eaten, and after Flossie and Freddie had finished watching their strange, ragged guests eat, Mrs. Bobbsey asked Dick and his sister some questions. She found out that they lived on the other 38 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP side of town, that their father was dead, and that their mother did what she could for her children. “Do you go to our school?" asked Freddie, during a pause in his mother's questions. “VVe've a nice school, and our teacher's name is Miss Snell, and " “And Freddie locked a boy up in the tool shed 'cause he pulled my hair—I mean the bad boy pulled my hair," broke in Flossie. “We don't go to school—our clothes is too ragged," said Mary, in a low voice. “Never mind, my dear. Perhaps I can find some clothes for you that aren't quite so full of holes," offered Mrs. Bobbsey kindly. “Clothes with holes in are fine for summer," she said, with a laugh, “but not so good for winter. I'll see what I can find." She found some good, half-worn garments belonging to the twins, and Dick and Mary took the clothes home. The result was that they appeared at school the following Monday. But neither Flossie nor Freddie spoke of their mother having given the two fatherless chil- dren clothes to wear. BERT IN DANGER 39 "Now we'll be happy for Thanksgiving; won't we, Freddie ?" asked Flossie, when it was settled that Dick and Mary were to be taken care of. “Yes," Freddie agreed. “And I hope we have a big turkey !" “An' cranberry sauce!" added his sister. There was a fine Thanksgiving dinner at the Bobbsey home, but the mother of the four twins did not forget the poor. She helped Miss Pompret with that lady's Thanksgiving feast for those who were not fortunate enough to have one of their own, and Mr. Bobbsey and some other good-hearted men of Lakeport pro- vided money so that the Salvation Army could feed a number of hungry men who were out of work. Still there was one reason why at least Flossie and Freddie, of the Bobbsey family, were not quite happy that Thanksgiving day. And the reason was because there was no snow. ,The children had polished their sleds, had wiped the rust 05 the runners, and were all ready for a coast. But without snow there can be no sleigh riding, and though the weather 40 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP was cold, the sun shone from a cloudless sky, and Flossie and Freddie were much disap- pointed. “Do you think it will ever snow, Mother?" asked F lossie for about the twentieth time. “And will there be ice so I can skate?" Freddie wanted to know. “Well, my dears, there will be snow and ice, surely, in a little while," answered Mrs. Bobly sey. “But when I can not say. You must be patient. Think of your blessings, as Uncle William would say." “I want to have some fun," complained Freddie. “Oh, look!" he suddenly cried, com- ing back to the window away from which he had started to go. _ “What is it?" asked Flossie. “It's our cat—Snoop! A big dog just came along and Snoop ran up the tree. Now he can't get down!" “Oh, of course Snoop can get down out of a tree," said Nan. “He's often climbed up and down before." But this time Snoop did not come down. Whether he had been too much frightened by BERT IN DANGER 41 the vdog, or whether he was afraid of falling if he started to come down backward out of the tree, I don't know. But Snoop stayed up on a limb, where he cried pitifully. “I'll get him down," offered Bert. “I can climb out on that limb from our front porch roof. I've done it before." Bert went upstairs, climbed out on the porch ‘roof, and a little later was over in the tree (where Snoop was perched. “Mew! Mew!" dismally cried the cat. “I'm coming to get you," said Bert, kindly. "Wait a minute, Snoop!" From the ground Flossie, Freddie and Nan watched Bert make his way out on a limb to- ward Snoop. And then, all of a sudden, there .was a cracking, breaking sound and Bert cried: “Oh, I'm falling! I'm going to fall !" CHAPTER V CHRISTMAS TREEs SEVERAL things happened all in a moment. The cracking limb, Bert's cries, and the sway- ing of the bough as it bent toward the ground with the weight of the Bobbsey boy frightened Snoop, the cat. All this did just what was needed, for it so frightened Snoop that down he scrambled out of the tree, not caring whether or not he fell. Bert, as soon as he felt the tree branch giv- ing way with him, reached out his arms and grasped whatever came first to his hands. This happened to be another branch over his head, so that there he was, his feet on one limb that was slowly bending beneath his weight, and his hands grasping a branch above him. And, to add to the excitement, Flossie and Freddie, who saw what danger Bert was in, set up a dismal crying. 42 44 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP “Sam! Sam! Bring the ladder out in front_ quick!" cried Mrs. Bobbsey. “Ladder! De ladder ?" repeated the colored husband of fat Dinah. “Am dey a fire some place ?" “No fire !" answered Mrs. Bobbsey. “But Bert is up a. tree and he is falling! Mr. Bobb‘ sey wants the ladder to get him down! Hurry!" “Oh !" answered Sam. Then he hurried to the chicken house, got the ladder, and hurried around to the front of the house with it. “Can you hold on a little longer, Bert ?" asked his father anxiously, as Sam began to raise the ladder up into the tree. “I—I guess so," was the answer. “Is Snoop all right ?" “Yes, Snoop's all right. He jumped. But don't you jump!" called Nan. “I—I won't," Bert answered. Then his father and Sam raised the ladder up into the tree, and a few minutes later they had rescued Bert, helping him so that he could put his feet on the ladder and climli down. CHRISTMAS TREES 45 "What made you go up ?" asked his mother, when the excitement was all over. "I went up after Snoop," said Bert. “A strange dog chased him up the tree." “Well, of course, you meant to be kind," said his father. “But you must be careful when in a tree. Very often a branch may look sound and strong, as though it would hold you up. But when you step on it or pull on it, it breaks. It is always a good plan, if you climb a tree in the woods—or anywhere else—to pull on a limb to test it before you bear your full weight on it. If you hear a cracking sound it means that the branch will break." “I heard a cracking sound," Bert said. “But that was after I got out on the limb with my feet." “Then it was almost too late," his _father said. “But remember always to test a branch before you trust yourself to it." The Bobbsey twins and the others went back into the house, and the rest of the Thanks- giving day passed pleasantly. Snoop and Snap had been given especially good dinners in honor of the occasion. 46 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP In the morning, when Flossie and Freddie awakened, which generally happened at the same time, the little fellow ran to the window and looked out. “Oh, look, Flossie! Look!" he cried. “Come and see!" “Is Snoop up the tree again?" asked the little girl. “No, but it's snowing! Snowing hard! Now we can have some fun with our sleds! Come on, we'll go coasting!" Later the two smaller Bobbsey twins, having had their breakfasts, ran out to play in the snow. Quite a little had fallen during the night, and more was coming down. It was just about right for starting to make a coast- ing hill. Not far from the Bobbsey home, on a side street, was a hill where the smaller children had their fun. Bert and Nan, with some of the older boys and girls, generally went to a longer and steeper hill some distance away. But this time Bert and Nan had not gotten out their sleds. CHRISTMAS TREES 47 “I'm going to wait for Charlie Mason," said Bert. “He said he'd come over as soon as it snowed. We're going to make a bob." “May I have a ride on it ?" asked Nan. “I'll help you get some pieces of carpet to tack on if you'll let me ride." “Sure we'll let you," agreed Bert. And then he went to telephone over to ask if Charlie were coming. Meanwhile Flossie and Freddie and some of their friends were having fun on the small hill. Each of the smaller Bobbsey twins had a sled, and the children had races to see who would get first to the bottom of the slope. With merry shouts and laughter they played amid the swirling flakes of white snow. The fun was at its liveliest, and Flossie and Freddie were among the merriest, when along came Nick Malone, the boy whom Freddie had locked in the tool shed at school. “Oh, Freddie! Look!" whispered Flossie, dropping the rope of her sled and moving closer to her brother. “What is it?" asked Freddie, for he was ‘48 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP watching Sammie Henderson go down hill backward on a “dare." “It's that—that bad boy !" whispered Flossie. “He might pull my hair!" “If he does, I'll—I'll " began Freddie, and then up swaggered Nick. “Hu! you can't do nothin' to me now," he sneered. “There ain't no teacher or principal here! There!" and he reached over as if to pull Flossie's hair. “You let my sister alone!" cried Freddie. “Yah! Yah! Why don't you wear girls' dresses!" taunted Nick. “You're a girl-boy! Girl-boy!" “I am not!" declared Freddie, while the other coasters gathered around. “You go on away!" “I'm going to have a coast! Here, I guess I'll take this sled!" cried Nick, and before Freddie could stop him the bad boy caught Flossie's sled from the ground and ran with it toward the top of the hill. “Here! You come back! You let my sis- ter's sled alone!" shouted Freddie, racing after Nick. CHRISTMAS TREES '49 Now Freddie was a good runner, but Nick had the start of him, and reached the top of the hill first. However, Freddie was not far behind, and no sooner did Nick throw himself Hat on the little Bobbsey girl's sled, face down, than Freddie made a jump, and right on top of Nick's back he landed! “Hi! Get off !" cried Nick, his breath rather knocked out of him, for Freddie was a fat, chubby little fellow. “You get off my sister's sled !" demanded Flossie's brother. But it was too late for this. It was impos- sible for Nick to stop now, and down the hill he coasted on F lossie's sled, with Freddie on his back, both boys coasting together! It was a trick the children often did on the hill, and there was nothing hard about it. Only this time it happened to be an accident, and the two boys were enemies and not friends. Freddie was so surprised at the sudden and unexpected coast that he just had to hold fast to Nick and he could say nothing more. But when the bottom of the hill was reached, F red~ 50 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP die, being on top, began to pound Nick's back with his two sturdy fists. “Hey! Quit! Let me up!" begged the bad boy. “Not till you give me my sister's sled!" in- sisted Freddie. “Well, how can I give it to her when you're sittin' on me ?" yelled Nick. With that Freddie got off the other lad's back, allowing him to get up. The other boys gathered around, thinking there might be a fight. But Nick had had enough. He found Freddie braver than he had thought, and turned away, muttering: “Aw, I only wanted a ride an' I got it!" “Yes, and Freddie had one too!" laughed Sam Miller. Nick walked away, and then the younger Bobbsey twins again started coasting, Freddie taking Flossie's sled back to her. It was still snowing when noon came, and Flossie and Freddie had to go home to lunch. They found Bert and Charlie busy making a bobsled in the back yard. The older boys were fastening together their sleds by a long plank, CHRISTMAS TREES 51 and Nan was helping by tacking some strips of carpet on the plank. “Oh, can we ride on that?" asked Freddie. “Maybe," said his brother. “How's the little hill?" “Nice," Freddie answered. “An' you ought to've seen Nick Malone take my sled and Freddie jump on his back !" cried F lossie. “Is that fellow bothering you two again?" demanded Bert, looking up with a hammer in his hand. “I'll get after him, that's what I will!" “Freddie got after him,' explained Flossie. “Oh, I'm so glad it snows! We're going coast- ing some more after dinner." “Sure!" added Freddie. At the dinner table Bert and Nan noticed that their father seemed worried over some- thing. He went to the window several times to look out at the storm. “If this keeps up the shipment will never arrive," he said to his wife. “You mean the Christmas trees ?" she asked. “Yes," answered Mr. Bobbsey. “They are 52 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP late now, and something seems to be wrong up there in the woods." “Shan't we have any Christmas tree?" asked Freddie, who did not know just what was being talked about. “Oh, I guess so," his father said, and again he went to look at the snow. “Are you going to sell Christmas trees?" Bert asked. He had caught the word “ship- ment," and knew it had to do with some part of his father's lumber business. “Yes, I am going into the Christmas tree business this year," said Mr. Bobbsey. “That is, I have bought a large shipment of them to be sent here to me from the North Woods. If they get here in time I can sell them and make some money. But if this snow keeps up, the carloads of trees, or the shipment, will be de- layed, and if they don't get here at least a week before Christmas they will be of little use to me. But perhaps the snow will not be as heavy as I fear." “I didn't know you sold Christmas trees," remarked Nan. “I never did before," her father said. “It's THE CHILDREN HAD GREAT FUN COASTING. TI” Rn/r/mer 'l‘wim' a! Cedar Cami. Page 47 CHRISTMAS TREES 53 a new business for me, and I may make a failure of it." Then. the older Bobbsey twins began to un- derstand how it is that snow can bring pleasure to boys and girls, but may often mean trouble for older people in business. “Well, we'll hope for the best," said Mr. Bobbsey, as he started back to the ofiice after dinner, when the white flakes were still falling steadily. “I may have to go up to the North Woods to see about that shipment of trees if they don't get here soon." “Could we go?" asked Bert, having a joyful vision of a mid-winter trip to one of his father's lumber camps. “Well, I'll see," answered Mr. Bobbsey, and Nan and Bert looked at each other in delight. Some strange adventures were ahead of them, though they did not know it. CHAPTER VI on‘ To CEDAR CAMP BERT and Charlie, with Nan's help, finished the bobsled in time to use on the coasting hill that afternoon and early in the evening. And it is a good thing they had hurried with it, for the next day there came a thaw and the snow began to melt. It melted so fast that by noon there was scarcely enough for Flossie and Freddie to have any fun on even the small hill, and what snow there was had mostly turned. to slush. “Oh, dear," sighed Nan, when she found that she and her brothers and sister had to give up their pleasure, “this isn't any fun!" “That's right," agreed Bert. “But the win~ ter isn't over. We always have a lot of snow after Christmas." “And I suppose we ought to be glad there isn't a big storm," went on Nan, when it had 54 OFF TO CEDAR CAMP 55 been decided to give up coasting and the older Bobbsey twins were dragging home the new bobsled. “Why ought we be glad ?" Bert wanted to know. “Because if it doesn't storm so much daddy can get his shipment of Christmas trees here and make some money." “Oh, that's so—I forgot!" exclaimed Bert. “But if the trees do come we can't make that trip with him to the North Woods to see what the matter is. And I wanted to go on a trip like that, for we don't have much school now, on account of the holidays." “It would be nice to go off somewhere in the winter," agreed Nan. “Remember what fun we had at Snow Lodge ?" “I should say so !" cried Bert. “But there isn't much use talking about snow when it thaws like this," and he stepped into a puddle of slush. “Oh, be careful!" cried Nan. “You'll get you feet wet!" “I have rubbers on," said Bert. There was nothing to do but to leave the 56 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP bobsled and the other sleds in the shed at- tached to the garage. There they would stay until more snow came. When Bert went into the house, after putting away the bobsled and helping Flossie and Freddie store away their smaller sleds, he found his mother waiting for him. “Bert," said Mrs. Bobbsey, “here is a spe- cial delivery letter that just came for your father. It should have been delivered at the office, but they sent it here by mistake, and Dinah took it in before I could call to the boy to take it back with him. I called your father up about it on the telephone and he said, it you came in, to have you bring it down." “I'll go," replied Bert cheerfully. “Oh, may we go along?" begged Flossie. ‘We'll be good!" promised Freddie. “Shall I take them?" asked Bert of his mother. “If you want to," she answered. “Does Nan want to go?" But Nan, as it happened, had some sewing she wanted to do on a Christmas gift for one of her girl friends, so she said she would stay OFF TO CEDAR CAMP 57 in the house and busy herself with needle and thread. Thus it came about that Bert took the smaller Bobbsey twins down to his father's ofiice. They went in a trolley car, and, as they always did, Freddie and Flossie became very much interested in everything that happened, from the fat lady who could hardly get on to the scenes in the streets. There were many trucks and wagons in one street, as the car came nearer that part of Lakeport in which Mr. Bobbsey's lumberyard and office were situated. Finally the street be- came so crowded with wagons and automobiles that the car had to proceed slowly. “Oh, Freddie, look !" suddenly called Flossie, pointing out of the window. A big auto-truck, piled high with crates, in which were chickens and ducks, had come to a stop alongside of the trolley car, and so close that, had the win- dow been open, the Bobbsey twins could have reached out their hands and touched some of the fowls. “I guess they're getting in big shipments of ducks, turkeys and chickens ready for Christ- 58 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP mas," said Bert. “Look out there, Freddie!" he suddenly called, and, leaping from his place beside Flossie, Bert made a grab and pulled Freddie off the seat. Only just in time, too, for at that moment the auto-truck, which had started off after be- ing stalled, lurched to one side, and a corner of one of the chicken crates crashed through a car window, breaking the glass. Bert had seen the crate of chickens shifting around as the truck started, and had guessed that it was going to slide over and crash against the trolley car, just as it did. So he pulled Freddie away in time. Some of the passengers in the car screamed, and there was a shout by the conductor and 'motorman as the glass crashed in the electric vehicle. And then a funny thing happened. One of the slats of the chicken crate on the auto-truck came loose, and in through the broken window fluttered a hen and a rooster. Right into the trolley they flew, the hen cackling and the rooster crowing! “Oh, look! Look !" cried Flossie. OFF TO CEDAR CAMP 59 "Catch 'em!" shouted Freddie, pulling away 'from Bert and grabbing for the rooster. But the rooster did not intend to be caught. Half running and half flying, he “scooted," as Freddie called it, down to the end of the car, and, as the conductor had just opened the door to look out and see what was causing the blockade, the rooster made his escape. The hen, however, did not seem to know how to get out. She fluttered around, cackling and making a great fuss. The men in the car laughed, and the women held their hands over their hats so the chicken would not light on them. “Maybe she came in here to lay an egg!" suggested Flossie, laughing. “I'm goin' to catch her!" shouted Freddie. “Get her and have a chicken dinner," said the motorman. By this time the car was in an uproar, most of the passengers enjoying the queer excite- ment. As for the hen, I do not think she liked it at all, though she had more room than in the crate. The driver of the auto-truck was talking to 60 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP a policeman about whose fault it was that the trolley window had become broken, and the motorman and conductor now joined in. “I've got to get that chicken and rooster back," said the truck driver. “I'll be blamed for letting them get away." “And we'll be blamed for having a window in our car broken," said the conductor. “It was your fault." “It was not!" insisted the driver. Cackling and fluttering, the hen raced about inside the trolley car, and Freddie tried to catch her, but could not. Several of the men made grabs for the lively fowl, but finally she saw the same open door by which the rooster had gotten out, and away she flew. “She didn't like it in here," observed Flossie. “I don't blame her," said a woman pas- senger, laughing. “Poor thing! Her nerves must be all on an edge." “Let's go and see if they catch 'em," sug- gested Freddie. But Bert said they had no time for that. The slipping crate, which had broken the window, was finally pulled back on the truck. OFF TO CEDAR CAMP 61 The slat was nailed fast so no other fowls could get out, and then the trolley car moved along. The conductor picked up the larger pieces of broken glass and pulled the curtain down over the window to keep out the cold air. “My, you must have had some excitement,” said Mr. Bobbsey, when the children finally reached his office and told him of the accident. “I'm glad Freddie wasn't cut by the broken glass." “I'm glad, too," said the little Bobbsey boy. Mr. Bobbsey read the letter Bert had brought him, and then the same worried look Bert had seen before came over his father's face. “Do you want me to tell mother anything ?" asked Bert. “No, except to thank her for sending me down this letter. Still, you might say to her that I think I shall have to go to Cedar Camp in a day or two." “Where's Cedar Camp ?" asked Bert. “Where the Christmas trees grow," his father answered, with a smile. “It's where the Christmas trees grow that I hope to have 62 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP 'to sell. I haven't got them yet, and I'm going there to see what the trouble is. This letter is about the trees." “Oh, can't we go and see where the Christ- mas trees grow?" begged Flossie. “We like it in the woods," said Freddie. “I suppose you do," his father answered, smiling. “But the woods in winter are very different from in summer. However, we shall not have any bad storms or severe weather for another month, I think. Perhaps I might be able to take my Bobbsey twins to Cedar Camp," and he playfully pinched F lossie's fat cheek. “It would be nifty to go!" said Bert. “Do you really think you'll take us?" “We'll talk it over to-night at home," said his father. “Here, take Flossie and Freddie to the store and get them some hot chocolate," he added, giving Bert some money. The little Bobbsey twins liked the chocolate very much, but they were so excited, thinking about a possible trip to the North Woods, that they talked of nothing else. “Do you really think you will have to go i'" CHAPTER VII IN THE NORTH WOODS “I'r's just lovely to take a trip like this," said Nan, as she leaned back in the automobile. “Swell, I call it," declared Bert. Flossie and Freddie said nothing just then. They were too busy looking from the windows. Mr. Bobbsey owned a large, closed automo- bile, which even had an arrangement for heat- ing, and it was just the proper vehicle for a trip like this. It easily held all the Bobbseys and their baggage, which had been piled in to go with them. It had not taken long to make preparations for the trip. Dinah and Sam would be left in charge of the Lakeport house, and would care for Snoop and Snap. “I wish we could take our cat along," sighed Flossie. 65 66 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP “And Snap would be just right for the woods," said Freddie. “Everybody has a dog in the woods." “We haven't time to bother with Snoop and Snap now," said Mrs. Bobbsey, so the dog and cat had been left at home, as much to their sorrow as to that of the Bobbsey twins. Cedar Camp was in what was called the “North Woods," about forty or fifty miles from Lakeport. It was a wild, desolate region, especially in the winter. In summer many camping parties made the place more lively. Mr. Bobbsey owned some timberland there, ‘from which was cut some of the lumber he used in his business. And it was only this year that he had decided to go into the Christmas tree trade. He had ordered many hundreds of the small cedars, spruce, and hemlocks cut and shipped to him, some to Lakeport and others to a more distant and larger city. But something had gone wrong with the car- loads of trees. They had started from Cedar Camp all right, but that was the last heard of 'them. “I can trace them from the North Woods IN THE NORTH WOODS 67 end better than from down here," Mr. Bobbsey had said, as a reason for making the trip. The men who went into the woods to cut timber and Christmas trees had to stay in winter camps. They lived in log or slab cab- ins, and there were many of them scattered through the North Woods. It was in one of these cabins, which had formerly been used by a foreman and his family, that Mr. Bobbsey planned to have his wife and children stay for about a week. It would take him that long, he thought, to locate the missing Christmas trees. And so now the Bobbsey twins were on the first part of their journey in the large, closed automobile. It was almost as comfortable as traveling in a Pullman railroad car, and it was much more fun, the children thought. They had brought with them plenty of lunch, some extra wraps, and some blankets and bed- clothes. “VVhat shall we eat when we get to the North Woods ?" asked Freddie, as he munched some cookies his mother passed to him and Flossie. “Shall we have any—chicken ?" 68 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP “If we could 'a' brought the one in the trol- ley car we could," suggested Flossie. “Wasn't she funny, an' the rooster, too?" “I wish we could 'a' caught them," Freddie murmured. “Oh, I think we'll have enough to eat with- out those fowls," said their mother. “They will if they like baked beans," said Mr. Bobbsey. “The lumberrnen have plenty of those. They bake big pans of them." “I'll help mother cook," offered Nan. “There will be a woman at the camp to cook," Mr. Bobbsey explained. “I wrote up and engaged the wife of one of the lumber- men," he said. “I thought you'd like a little rest from looking after housework even in camp," he said to his wife. “Thank you, I will," she said. “It will be quite nice to be in the woods in winter; espe— cially the Christmas tree woods, where there is so much greenery." On went the automobile, driven by Mr. Bob!)- sey. Lakeport was left behind and they were on a country road. The weather was fine, with hardly a cloud in the sky, and Mr. Bobbsey IN THE NORTH WOODS 69 was glad that he had taken his family on this little trip. It looked as though they were going to have good luck all the way. Noon came and saw them more than half over their journey, and as yet no mishaps had befallen them. There was no tire trouble and the engine of the big automobile seemed glad to work as hard as it could going up hill and on the level with the Bobbsey twins. Mr. Bobbsey planned to get to Cedar Camp before dark, and he would have done so but for a little accident. They had left the town of Bunkport, which was the last village before the North Woods was reached, when the mo- tor began to chug in a queer manner. “VVhat's that?" asked Mrs. Bobbsey. “One of the cylinders seems to be missing." The Bobbsey twins knew what this meant. That one of the parts of the automobile en- gine was not working properly. “Oh, Daddy!" exclaimed Freddie. “I guess the spark plug needs cleaning," said Mr. Bobbsey. “But we won't stop for that now. I think we can reach Cedar Camp, and 70 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP then I'll have plenty of time to take it out and look at it." But the automobile continued to go more and more slowly, and once, on a hill, it almost stopped. “If we can get over the top we can coast down and soon be in Cedar Camp," said Mr. Bobbsey, in answer to an anxious look from his wife. The car did manage to climb the hill, and then it was easy to go down the other side. But there was still a farther distance to go than Mr. Bobbsey had thought. The night settled down, it became dark, and then, sud- denly, when the car was on a rough road in a sort of lane cut through the evergreen trees, the engine, with a sort of cough and chug, stopped altogether. “Oh, dear!" exclaimed Mrs. Bobbsey. “We're stalled!" “Looks like it," said Mr. Bobbsey, prepar- ing to get out and see what the trouble was. “Where are we ?" asked Bert, getting ready to follow his father and help if he could. “We're in the North Woods," answered Mr. IN THE NORTH wooos 71 Bobbsey. “Several miles from Cedar Camp, I'm afraid." “It—it's awful dark!" whispered Flossie. “Aren't they going to turn on the lights?" “There aren't ever any lights in the woods 'ceptin' fireflies, are there, Daddy?" asked Freddie. “Only our auto lights," answered his father. “Well, we may be able to travel soon." As he was getting out of the car into the dark road, a mournful, shrill cry that echoed all about sounded through the forest. “What's that?" gasped Nan, shrinking close to her mother. “Oh, what is it?" A NUTTING PARTY 73 Flossie and Freddie laughed. And this laughter seemed to make them less afraid of the queer call of the woods. “Hurt yourself, Bert ?" asked his father, looking up from his task of throwing the gleams of a flashlight in among the parts of the automobile motor. “No, sir," Bert answered. “I just sat down sudden, that's all. But what was that noise, Daddy? Is it " As if finding fault because the Bobbsey twins had come to Cedar Camp, once more the warn- ing call came. “There it goes again!" exclaimed Nan. Flossie and Freddie shrank closer to their mother, and even Nan seemed a little afraid, but Mr. Bobbsey only laughed. “That's a hoot owl—or a screech owl, I don't know which," he said. “Anyhow, it's only a bird with feathers and big, staring eyes. And, very likely, it's looking down at us now and wondering what we're doing in his woods." “Is the owl looking at us now?" asked Freddie, climbing away from his mother and yenturing to the door of the car. 74 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP "Very likely," his father said. “But the chances are you can't see it. Owls keep pretty well hidden when there's any daylight left." “Well, the light is fast fading," said Mrs. Bobbsey. “It's getting dark very fast, Dick. And unless we get to camp soon—well, you know what may happen," she said to her hus- band. “Do you think you can get the motor to going?" “I think so," he answered. “Bert, please come here and hold the light for me." Glad to be of help to his father, Bert arose from the ground, to which he had slipped when the sudden noise of the owl startled him, and went to hold the flash lamp. As he sent the beam moving about, in order to direct it just where his father wished it, there was a whirr and a flutter in the almost leafless branches of the trees overhead, and Flossie cried: “There it is!" “Yes, that's Mr. Owl," laughed her father. “He came up to look at us, but he doesn't like our bright light, because it hurts his eyes. So he flew away. Now come on, Bert, and we'll get the motor to running again. ,They'll be A NUTTING PARTY 75 anxious at Cedar Camp if we don't get there soon." “Do they expect us ?" asked Nan. “Oh, surely," said her father. “Hold the light steady, Bert." The Bobbsey twin lad did as requested, and after a little examination, his father exclaimed: “I see what the trouble is—a loose wire on a spark plug! That's easily fixed. We'll be traveling on again in a few minutes." And so they were. Once the wire was fas-. tened in place, the automobile could go again. Bert and his father got back in, there was a chugging and throb of the motor, and off they went through the woods, the two head- lights gleaming along the dark road in the midst of the trees. “I wish we could have arrived by daylight," said Mr. Bobbsey, as he carefully steered the car. “Cedar Camp looks ever so much better then." “I'm glad to get here at all—so we don't have to stay out in the woods all night," said Mrs. Bobbsey. “It would be fun to be out in the woods all. 76 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP night—if owls didn't bite you—wouldn't it, Flossie ?" asked Freddie. “Yes, I guess maybe," answered the little girl. “But I'd rather be in our camp an' have something to eat." “I guess I would, too," agreed Freddie. “Well, here we are, then. Cedar Camp!" suddenly cried Mr. Bobbsey, and, almost before the twins knew it, the car had turned from the dense woods and was in a clearing, or place where many trees were chopped down. Around the clearing were many log cabins, and inside some of them, and outside others, lanterns were glowing, so the place was quite light, compared to the darkness of the forest. “Cedar Camp !" cried Bert. “Is this it?" “Yes," his father answered. “Here we are —a little late, but better late than never! Now to find our cabin." He guided the car into the midst of the clearing, and the children could see the various cabin doors opening and men and women look- ing out. “That you, Mr. Bobbsey?" a voice called. A NUTTING PARTY 77 “Yes, Jim Denton," was the answer. ‘We're here!" “Thought maybe you'd given up and wouldn't get here until to-morrow," the voice went on. As the car stopped the Bobbsey twins saw a tall, lanky man, wearing rough clothes, but whose face had a kind smile and whose blue eyes looked laughingly at them. ‘He stood at the side of the car, peering in. “We did have a little trouble," said Mr. Bobbsey. “And one of your owls seemed to think we hadn't any right in the woods. But here we are!" “One of the owls, eh?" laughed Jim Den- ton, the foreman of the Christmas tree and lumber camp. “Well, they sure are queer birds! Make an outlandish racket, sometimes. But come on in. Your place is all ready for you, and Mrs. Baxter has had supper ready for some time." “That's good!" exclaimed Mrs. Bobbsey. "The children are half starved, I fancy." “Run your car over to the shed," said the 78 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP foreman to Mr. Bobbsey. “It'll be safe there if it snows." “Had any snow up here yet?" asked the father of the twins. “Not yet, but it may come any day. I heard you had a little down your way." “But it didn't last very long," Freddie chimed in. “We didn't have much coasting at all!" “You didn't, eh ?" laughed Jim, as he lifted out Flossie and Freddie, Bert and Nan being too big for this attention. “Well, when we do get snow up here we generally get a lot, and it may come any time. But the longer it holds off the better we can get out lumber and Christ- mas trees." “What about my Christmas trees?" asked Mr. Bobbsey. “That's what I came up about." “It is queer about those trees," said the fore- man, as he helped Mrs. Bobbsey out. “We sent a. lot off from here, but they must be stuck Somewhere on the railroad down below. How- ever, if they're lost we can cut more. There's plenty in the woods." Mrs. Bobbsey and the children waited until Mr. Bobbsey had put the car under a shed, and A NUTTING PARTY 79 'then, when he joined them, the family, led by ‘the foreman, walked toward the largest cabin in the clearing. This was to be the home of the Bobbseys while they were at Cedar Camp. “Well, I am glad to see you folks!" ex- claimed Mrs. Baxter, who was to do the cook- ing and help Mrs. Bobbsey during the stay in camp. -“I began to be afraid that something had happened." “A wire came loose," said Freddie. “But daddy soon fixed it. And we heard an owl hoot. Do you like owls ?" “Well, not specially," answered Mrs. Baxter, with a laugh. “I don't, either," said F lossie. The Bobbsey twins looked about the cabin that was to be their home for a time. It was a large one, and had been used by a former foreman with a large family. There were several bedrooms and it had many of the com- forts of life, even though it stood in the North Woods. Mrs. Baxter was the wife of one of the men employed in cutting down trees, and she had agreed to cook for the Bobbseys during their 80 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP stay. She and her husband lived in one of the smaller cabins, and her grown daughter would cook for Mr. Baxter while his wife was with the Bobbseys. “Now get your things oh‘ and sit right up to the table," cried Mrs. Baxter. “The sun- per's sort of spoiled, keeping so long." “I fancy the twins are hungry enough to eat almost anything," said their mother. “I know I am!" In spite of what Mrs. Baxter said, the sup- per proved to be very good indeed, and Flossie and Freddie passed their plates back so often to be filled again that their father said: “My goodness! there won't be anything left for breakfast." “Won't there, Mother?" asked Freddie anx- iously, pausing with his fork half way to his mouth. “Oh, yes! Of course! Your father's only joking!" she said, with a laugh. “But don't eat too much." “I want just a little more," begged Flossie. "Can we go out and look at the camp after supper?" Bert wanted to know. 82 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP up," her mother told the little girl. “Keep quiet and don't awaken Freddie." Flossie turned over and closed her eyes, thinking it strange that men should have to get up and go to work in the night. It was dark, and the stars were shining, as she could see by a glimpse through her window. “I guess maybe they're like Santa Claus," thought Flossie. “They have to go out to cut Christmas trees in the dark, same as St. Nicholas comes to our house in the dark on Christmas Eve." Content with this thought, the little girl ‘fell asleep, not to awaken again until it was broad daylight. She found that all were up save Freddie and herself, but the youngest Bobbsey twins soon joined the others at the breakfast table. “Oh, goodie!" cried Freddie, when he un- derstood that Mrs. Baxter was baking buck- wheat cakes and had maple syrup to pour over them. “That's what I like!" “He can't like 'em all, can he, Mother?" cried Flossie. “I can have some pancakes, can't I?' A N UTTIN G PARTY 83 “Hush! There'll be plenty for all of you!" said Mrs. Bobbsey. “What will Mrs. Baxter think?" ' “I'll think they're good and hungry; and that is what I like to see when I'm baking cakes," laughed the good-natured cook. She was al- most as nice as Dinah, Freddie whispered to Flossie. “An' if she has a birthday we-—-we'll give her something," whispered Flossie. “Yes," agreed Freddie, holding out his plate for another cake. After breakfast Mrs. Bobbsey took the chil- dren for a walk in the woods around the camp, while Mr. Bobbsey went to talk with some of his lumbermen about the missing Christmas trees. “Don't go too far away," he called to his wife. “Why not?" she asked. “Because the woods here are rather wild, and you and the children might get lost. There aren't many trails, paths, or roads. Keep close to camp." “I will," she promised. 84 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP It was wonderful and beautiful in the North Woods, even though winter was at hand. Most of the birds had gone, and about the only trees that had any leaves on were the oaks. An oak tree holds many of its leaves all win- ter, the old ones being pushed off in the spring as the new ones come on. But there were so many spruce, pine, hemlock, and cedar trees growing all about—trees which remain green from one year to the other—that the woods were not as bare and dreary as are most for- ests. Cedar Camp was indeed a green Christ- mas camp, and a most lovely place. “We'll have lots of fun here!" cried Freddie, running to the edge of a little hill. “Lots of fun l" agreed Flossie. “We'll " and then she stopped suddenly, for Freddie did a queer thing—or at least a queer thing hap- pened to the little fellow. His feet seemed to slide out from under him, and down the hill he went, almost as though sliding on the ice! “Oh, look! Look!" cried Flossie. “What made him do that?" “I slid! I slid! Oh, I had a slide! I'm going to slide it again!” cried -F reddie, jump- A NUTTING PARTY 85 ing up and scrambling to the top of the hill again. “Come on, Flossie!" “What makes him slide, Mother ?" asked Flossie, as she saw her little brother go down the hill standing up, just as he and his small sister had often done on a snowy, icy slope. “It's the pine needles," said Mrs. Bobbsey. “The ground is covered with the long, brown, smooth pine needles, and they make a slippery carpet. You may slide on them. If you fall you won't be hurt." Soon the two smaller Bobbsey twins were having great fun sliding down the slippery pine- needle-covered hill, and Bert and Nan also took their turns. But after two or three slides Bert found something on the ground that made him ex- claim in delight and run to his mother to show her. “Look !" he cried. “A chestnut! Are there chestnuts in these woods ?" “Yes, I did hear your father say something about them," Mrs. Bobbsey replied. “Oh, let's hunt for some!" cried Nan. “We'll help!" added F lossie and F reddie, de- 86 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP serting the pine-needle slide for the joys of nutting. But though the twins looked in all directions they found only a few scattered chestnuts. “The squirrels have picked up most of them," said Jim Denton, coming along a little later. “But there's a chestnut grove not far away, up Pine Brook, and there ought to be plenty left if you don't wait too long." “Oh, Mother! may Nan and I go chest- nutting.?" asked Bert. “I want to get a lot!" “Will it be safe for them?" asked Mrs. Bobbsey of the foreman. “Oh, yes," answered Jim. “It isn't more than a mile and the trail is plain. “I'll tell 'em how to go and show 'em the way." And so, the next morning, Bert and Nan started off on a chestnut party, little dreaming of the strange things that were to happen to them and the other Bobbsey twins. CHAPTER IX SAWMILL FUN FLOSSIE and Freddie had teased to be al- lowed to go nutting with Bert and Nan, espe-. cially when the smaller Bobbsey twins learned that their brother and sister were to take a lunch and perhaps stay all the rest of the day in the woods. “Oh, I want to go nutting!" cried Flossie. “So I do!" wailed Freddie. “An' I want to eat my dinner under the Christmas trees!" “We can't have any fun if they come with us," objected Bert, in a whisper to his mother. “We'll take them some other time," added Nan. “They'd get tired and want to come back before we found any nuts, Mother." “Yes," said Mrs. Bobbsey, “perhaps they would. You can take them some other time, I suppose." Then, as she knew Flossie and 87 88 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP Freddie would be disappointed, Mrs. Bobbsey. called to them: “Come, little twins, we'll go down to the sawmill and see the big logs sawed up into boards. Maybe you can ride on the log car- riers." Flossie and Freddie knew what this was, and to them there was no better fun. Also they liked to see the big, jagged-tooth saw whizzing about and cutting its way through the logs with such a queer, ripping, buzzing sound. “Oh, if we can go to the sawmill that will be 'most as much fun as nutting," agreed Freddie. “Will you bring us some nuts?" asked; Flossie. “Yes," promised Nan. “And next time we go we'll take you." So the nutting party was arranged. Taking lunch was a sort of afterthought on the part of Bert. “What'll we do if we get hungry?" he had asked his mother. . “We'll take something to eat in our podmss." Nan had said. SAWMILL FUN @ “I'm going to eat mine outside-sitting on a log!" laughed Bert. “Smarty !" laughed Nan. “I'll catch you next time !" Mrs. Baxter put up for the children a good lunch, more than enough for two meals, Mrs. Bobbsey said. “But we'll get awful hungry in the woods," Bert remarked. “And we don't want to have to eat the nuts we get." True to his promise, Jim Denton, the fore- man, showed the older Bobbsey twins where to take the path that led up along Pine Brook and deeper into the forest about Cedar Camp, where the chestnut trees were growing. “Good-bye!" called Flossie and Freddie, as they stood on the porch of the log cabin, wav- ing to Bert and Nan, who started off with their lunch to be gone the rest of the day on the nutting party. “Good-bye," echoed the older Bobbsey twins, and then they were soon lost to sight in the turn of the path along Pine Brook, which led deeper into the North Woods. “Now for some sawmill fun!" called Mrs. 90 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP Bobbsey. “We'll go down and see the little saw chew up the big logs." In addition to sending to market logs for telegraph poles and the masts of ships, Mr, Bobbsey' s men in the North Woods also sawed up trees into planks and boards which were sold in the neighborhood. Besides this there was the Chirstmas tree trade, but that only took place at this time of year, around the holidays. Flossie and Freddie were too small to think much about the missing Christmas trees, which their father had come to camp to see about. All they were anxious for was to have some fun, and going to the sawmill was part of this, The sawmill was farther down on Pine Brook, where that stream widened out and was dammed up to make a waterfall. Part of the waterfall went through a fiume, or sort of wooden canal, and the water, falling down a shaft, or wooden tunnel standing on end, turned a turbine wheel. A turbine wheel is quite different from the ordinary mill wheel you may have seen. In fact you can not see the turbine wheel at all, SAWMILL FUN 91 for it is closed in at the bottom of the water shaft. It is small, but very powerful, and it was this kind of wheel which turned the saw machinery in Mr. Bobbsey‘s Cedar Camp mill. Before the smaller Bobbsey twins reached the mill they could hear the ripping, tearing sound of the saw as it cut its way through the logs, slicing them into boards as your mother slices the loaf of bread with the carving knife. “Good morning, Mrs. Bobbsey-—also little twins!" called Foreman Tom Case, who had charge of the sawmill. “Did you come to buy some lumber this morning?" Flossie and Freddie knew Tom Case, for he had, at one time, worked in the lumberyard of their father in Lakeport, so it was meeting an old friend to see him here. “Do you want one or two million feet this morning, Flossie?" asked the jolly sawman. “And will you take it with you or have it sent ?" “I guess we'll just take some sawdust for Flossie's doll," laughed Freddie. This was a standing joke between the sawmill man and the little twins. Tom Case was always trying to sell a big lot of lumber to Flossie and Freddie, 93 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP and they always said all they wanted was a little sawdust. “Oh, shucks! you aren't any kind of custo~ mers to have around a lumber camp," laughed Mr. Case. “Where's the rest of the family?" he asked Mrs. Bobbsey. “Bert and Nan have gone nutting," their mother answered. “So we came down here to see what was going on." “Well, we're sawing up a lot of logs to-day," said the head man of the mill. “Here, you twins sit right down on this soft place, and you can watch everything." Mr. Case spread a horse blanket on top of a pile of soft, frag- rant sawdust, and on this Mrs. Bobbsey and the smaller twins sat down. They saw the lumber men float logs down into the pond at one side of the dam and near the fiume through which the water dropped to turn the turbine wheel. Into these logs a big iron hook was driven. The hook was fast to a chain, and the chain was wound around a drum, or big roller. When a man threw over a lever that started the machinery, the drum turned, the chain was 94 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP “So would I!" added Freddie. “Let 'em ride on the log carriage. That's~ safe if they don't get too near the saw, and you can ride with them and watch," said Tom Case. “All right," agreed Mrs. Bobbsey. The log carriage was a movable platform of framework, on which the logs rested as they were sawed into boards. The logs were rolled up on the carriage by men, when the machinery had been stopped and the big buzz saw was no longer whirring around. Once a log was fas- tened in place, Tom Case pulled a lever, and the turbine wheel began to turn the saw, and also move forward the carriage. The carriage, or framework carrying the log, moved slowly ‘forward by means of cogwheels underneath, so that it fed the log into the teeth of the saw which ripped off wide planks and boards. Mrs. Bobbsey and the little twins sat on the far end of the carriage, and began to ride for- ward with it. Of course if they had stayed on too long they would have been carried up against the dangerous saw just as the log was. But before this would happen they could step SAWMILL FUN 97 as Bert and Nan had gone nutting, Flossie and Freddie looked about to find some amusement of their own. “Let's play sawmill!" proposed Freddie, as he and Flossie wandered down near Pine Brook, where it ran over the dam, making a waterfall. “All right," agreed the little girl. “But what'll we have for a saw P" Freddie looked around and noticed a wheel- barrow not far off. “That'll do," he said. “We'll turn it down- side up, and I'll turn the wheel for a saw and you can hold sticks against it and make be- lieve they're being sawed up." “All right," agreed Flossie. “That'll make a fine saw." They went over to the wheelbarrow, and then a new idea came to Freddie. “Oh, F lossie !" he cried, “you sit in it and I'll wheel you down to the edge of the brook. We'll have our sawmill there, and make believe to snake logs out of the water like Mr. Case did." This suited F lossie exactly, and soon she had 98 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP taken her place in the wheelbarrow. Freddie grasped the handles, but his sister was almost more of a load than he had bargained for. Still he was a sturdy little chap, and he man- aged to stagger on, wheeling Flossie toward the brook. There was a smooth place on a little knoll near the brook where Freddie intended to set up his wheelbarrow sawmill. Toward this place he wheeled Flossie, and all might have gone well had it not been for the fact that the ground was covered with those slippery pine needles. Freddie managed to wheel his sister up the slope, and he was just going to set the barrow down and tell Flossie to get out so he could turn it over and make a saw of it, when his feet slipped. He lurched forward, gave the wheelbarrow a push, and, an instant later, it turned over, and Flossie, sliding on the slip- pery, brown pine needles, began to go down the slope and straight toward the brook, just back of the dam. Freddie, too, sat down hard and suddenly, but though the breath was knocked out of him SAWMILL FUN 99 'for a moment, he managed to pick himself up and to cry: “Mother! Mother! Come quick! Flossie's fallen into the brook and she'll be carried over the dam !" And, as he called, into the water at the foot of the pine needle hill splashed poor Flossie Bobbsey! CHAPTER X A SUDDEN STORM WHILE Flossie and Freddie were having such fun at the real sawmill, and before Freddie had, by accident, upset F lossie down the pine needle bank into the brook above the mill dam, Bert and Nan were trudging along through the woods on their way to the chestnut grove, about which Jim Denton had told them. “Aren't you glad we came to Cedar Camp, Bert?" asked Nan. “I sure am!" answered her brother. “It's like having two vacations in the same year. We had fun out West, and we'll have fun here." “We can have a party when we get back, and roast the chestnuts," suggested Nan. “I hope we get a lot," went on Bert, kicking aside the pine cones and dried leaves. “We'll Want some for Flossie and Freddie." I00 A SUDDEN STORM 101 “Y es, and for daddy and mother," added Nan. “They like chestnuts, too." The day had started as a bright and sunny one, though it was colder up here in the North Woods than down in Lakeport. But Bert and Nan were warmly dressed, and they were so accustomed to being out of doors that a little cold did not bother them. But though the sun had shone brightly when they had started on their nutting trip, they had not gone far before the sky began to be over- cast with clouds. Not that Bert and Nan minded this. They were too busy looking for chestnut trees and thinking what a good time they were having to mind the weather. For it was fun just to walk through the woods and breathe the sweet, spicy odors of the pine and cedar trees. The ground under- foot was thickly carpeted with dried leaves and pine needles, so that the footfalls of the older Bobbsey twins made scarcely any sound as they walked along. It was so quiet that the children heard many sounds in the forest which was all about them. They were following a path that led along Pine 102 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP Brook, and Jim Denton had said that if they kept to this path they would come after about a mile's walk to a grove of chestnut trees. “And if you don't find any nuts there, keep on a little farther," the lumberman had said. “The squirrels and chipmunks can't have taken all of them." So interested were Bert and Nan that they paid little attention to the weather. In fact, they could scarcely see the sky at times. This was because the cedar and other trees were so thick overhead. As they were going along the path where the pine needles made a thicker carpet than usual, Bert, who was in the lead, came to a sudden stop. “What's the matter?" asked Nan, shifting from one hand to the other the bundle of lunch she carried. “I thought I heard something," said Bert in a low voice. A moment later there was no doubt of this, for both he and his sister heard a grunting noise in the bushes, and then they heard the A SUDDEN STORM 103 rustle of dried leaves and the snapping of twigs. “Oh, Bert! Maybe it's a bear!" cried Nan, clinging to her brother. “A—a bear!" gasped Bert. He hardly knew what else to say. “Oh, look!" gasped Nan. She pointed to- ward a bush, and, coming out from under it, was a little animal, somewhat larger than a rabbit, but with different kind of fur, small ears, and with a tail that seemed to have rings of fur around it. “It's a little bear !" gasped Nan. “Oh, Bert! we'd better run back to camp before the big bear comes." Bert looked at the furry animal, whose bright eyes peered at the Bobbsey twins, and then Nan's brother laughed. “I know what it is!" he said. “It's a rac- coon. I can tell by the rings on its tail." “A raccoon!" gasped Nan. “Will it-—will it hurt us ?" “No," answered Bert, and this was borne out a moment later, for with a snorting grunt 104 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP the raccoon turned and scurried away into the bushes. “There !" said Bert. “He's gone!" “I'm glad of it," returned Nan, with a sigh of relief. “I don't like raccoons when I'm chest— nutting." "They're nice!" declared Bert. “I wish I could see him again." But the raccoon did not show itself, prob- ably being just as much frightened at having seen the Bobbsey twins as Nan was at getting a glimpse of the ring-tailed creature. Over this little fright, the Bobbsey twins walked on again, and soon they had reached the grove that the foreman had told them about. “This must be the place-there are chestnut trees here," said Bert. His father had taught him how to tell the more common sorts of trees by means of their leaves and bark. “Well, let's look for chestnuts," proposed Nan. With sticks the children began poking among the leaves, turning them over, for the little brown nuts, when the frost has popped A SUDDEN STORM 10S them out of their prickly shells, have a great trick of hiding under the leaves. “Oh, I've found one!" cried Nan. “Two- three! Oh, Bert, I've found three!" She held out her hand with three shining brown nuts in it. “Ought to be a lot more than that here,” said Bert, still poking away among the leaves. “There's lots of trees and fresh burrs here. I guess the squirrels and chipmunks have been here too." “Oh, I've found two more! I'm beating you!" laughed Nan, as she picked up more nuts. “I've found one, anyhow, and it's a big one," cried Bert, as he picked up his first. “But there aren't as many as I thought there would be." The children continued to pick up a few nuts at a time, but there were not so many scat- tered over the ground as the lumberman had led them to expect. “There's the chap who's been taking the nuts!" suddenly cried Bert. “Who ?" asked Nan, looking up after stoop- 106 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP ing to pick two of the brown prizes from a bursted burr. “That squirrel!" cried Bert, pointing to one of the big-tailed gray fellows, sitting on a tree and looking down at the Bobbsey twins. “He and the chipmunks can soon clean up a chestnut grove." Just then a red squirrel, one of the most noisy chatterers of the woods, caught sight of the children and began to “scold" them. Oh, what a racket he made, his thin tail jerking from side to side as he gave his shrill cries! Bert and Nan laughed at him. “He's had his share of nuts," said Bert, “and he's mad 'cause we're taking some, I guess. But we aren't getting as many as we'd like." “No," agreed Nan. “Maybe if we go on a little farther we'll find more." “We'll try," agreed Bert and, ‘almost before they knew it, the two children had wandered some distance from the place where Mr. Denton had told them to stop. “Oh, look! There's a pile of nuts here!” cried Nan, reaching another grove of chestnut 108 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP this, there was a quick darkening of the air, the wind began to blow, and, so suddenly as to startle the children, they found themselves enveloped in such a blinding, driving squall of snow that they could not see ten feet on either side! “Oh, Bert!" cried Nan. “It's a blizzard! Oh, shall we ever get back to Cedar Camp and to mother?" CHAPTER XI OLD MRS. BIMBY “P0011!" exclaimed Bert Bobbsey, as he ran through the half-blinding snowstorm toward Nan. “This isn't anything! It's only what they call a squall. I s'pose they call it that because the wind howls, or squalls, like a baby. Anyhow, I'm not afraid! It's fun, I think !" By this time he had reached Nan's side, the two having been separated when the sudden storm burst. And now that Nan saw Bert near her and noticed that he had his bag of lunch, as she had hers, she took heart and said: “Well, maybe it won't be so bad if we can find a place to stay, and can eat our dinner." “Of course we can !" cried Bert. “There's lots of places to stay in these woods. We can find a hollow tree! I'll look for one!" “Oh, don't!" cried Nan, as Bert moved away 109 110 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP from her. “I don't want to go into a hollow tree. There might be owls in 'em !" “Well, that's so," admitted Bert. “I'm not afraid of owls," he said quickly, “but of course their claws could get tangled in your hair. I'll look for another place—or I can make a lean- to. That's what the lumbermen and hunters do." “I think it would be just as easy to get under . one of the big, green Christmas trees," sug- gested Nan. “Look, hardly any snow falls under them." She pointed to a large cedar tree near them, and, as you may have noticed if you were ever in the woods where these trees grow, scarcely any snow drifts under their low-hanging branches. “That would be a regular tent for us," said Nan. “Yes," agreed Bert, peering through the storm at the tree toward which his sister pointed. “We could get under one of those. But I think maybe we'd better not stand still. Let's walk on." “But toward home !" suggested Nan. “We 112 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP the little girl had rolled‘ down the slippery pine-needle hill into the stream just above the dam. “Come quick! Come quick!" Freddie had cried. “Flossie'll go over the waterfall! Oh, hurry, somebody!" He knew enough about waterfalls to under- stand that they were dangerous; that once a boat or a person got into the current above the falls they would be pulled along, and cast over, to drop on the rocks below. Poor Flossie was too frightened to cry. Be- sides, as she fell in her head went under the water, and you can't call out when that hap- pens. Flossie could only gurgle. Luckily, however, there were several lum- bermen on the bank of the stream, floating the logs down to be snaked out by the hook and chain, and sawed into boards. One of these men, Jake Peterson, was nearest to Flossie when the little girl tumbled into the stream. “I'll get you out!" cried Mr. Peterson. He dropped the big iron-pointed pole witl‘li which he was pushing logs and ran toward the little girl, while Freddie, trying to do all he OLD MRS. BIMBY 113 could, slid down the slippery hill, as it was a quicker way down than by running. Into the water with his big rubber boots waded Mr. Peterson, and it was not a quarter of a minute after Flossie had fallen in before she was lifted out. “Oh! Oh!" she managed to gasp and gurgle, as she caught her breath, after swallowing some of the ice-cold water. “Oh, am I dr-dr- drowned?" “I should say not!" answered Mr. Peterson. “You'll be all right. I'll take you to mother." By this time Mrs. Bobbsey and Mrs. Baxter had rushed out of the log cabin, and Tom Case came from his sawmill. Several other lumbermen, hearing Freddie's excited cries, came running up, but there was nothing for them to do, as Flossie was already rescued. “What has happened?" cried Mrs. Bobbsey, as she saw her little girl, dripping wet, in the arms of Mr. Peterson. “She fell in," explained the lumberman. “She wasn't in more than a few seconds, though. All she needs is dry clothes!" “I—I dumped her in!" sobbed F reddie. 114 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP “But I didn't mean to. We were playin' saw- mill with the wheelbarrow, and I gave Flossie a ride, an' I slipped on the pine needles, and she rolled down the hill." “Never mind, dear! You didn't mean to," answered his mother, soothingly. “We must get Flossie to bed and keep her warm so she won't take cold." With Mrs. Baxter's help, this was soon done, and in a short time after the accident Flossie was sitting up in a warm bed, sipping hot lem- onade and eating crackers, while Freddie sat near her, doing the same. Unless Flossie caught cold there would be no serious results from the accident. But Mrs. Bobbsey used it as a lesson for Freddie, telling him always to be careful when on a pine~ needle-covered hill, near the water especially. Flossie was enjoying her importance now, and she was begging her mother to tell her a story, in which request Freddie joined, when Mrs. Bobbsey, looking out of the window, was surprised to see how dark the clouds had be- come all of a sudden. “I believe we are going to have a snow- OLD MRS. BIMBY “5 storm," she said. And a few minutes later the snow came down so thick and fast that the lumbermen had to stop work, because they could not see where to drive the horses, nor to guide the logs down the stream to the mill. “My, what a storm!" exclaimed Mrs. Bobb- sey, as she went to the window to look out. “A regular blizzard!" “We can have fun coasting down hill!" laughed Freddie. “And Flossie can be out to-morrow, can't she, Mother?" “Yes, I think so," answered Mrs. Bobbsey, hardly thinking of what she was saying. “I hope Bert and Nan started back from the chest- nut grove before this storm broke," she said. “If they are out in this it will be dreadful! I must see if daddy has come back," she added, for her husband had gone to see about the missing Christmas trees. “If Bert and Nan are out in this storm they will lose their way, I'm sure." And this is just what Bert and Nan did. Clutching their bundles of lunch, and with their bags of chestnuts in their hands, the two older Bobbsey twins were struggling onward 116 THE BOBBSEY TlrVINS AT CEDAR CAMP through the storm. They were warmly dressed, and it was not as cold as weather they had often been out in before. But they had seldom been out in a worse storm. “Hadn't we-—maybe we'd better stop and rest and eat something, Bert," suggested Nan, after a while. “Maybe we had," he agreed, half out of breath because it was hard work walking uphill and against the wind. And almost be- fore they knew it the children were going up a hill, though they did not remember having come down one on their trip to the chestnut grove. They found a sheltered place under a big cedar tree, and, crawling beneath its protecting branches, they sat on the bare ground, where there was, as yet, no snow. The white flakes swirled and drifted all about them, but the thick branches of the tree, growing low down, made a place like a green tent. “It's nice in here," said Bert, as he opened his bundle of lunch. “Yes, but we ought to be at home," said Nan. OLD MRS. BIMBY n7‘. “We'll go home as soon as we eat a little," said her brother. But after they had each eaten a sandwich and some cookies, and Bert had cracked a few chestnuts between his teeth and had found them rather too cold and raw to be good, the twins decided to go on. Out into the storm they went, away from the shelter of the friendly tree. The storm was worse, if anything, and, without knowing it, Bert and Nan had become completely turned around. Every step they took carried them farther and farther away from their home camp. And they had journeyed quite a dis- tance from the cabin before finding any chest- nuts. “Oh, Bert!" Nan exclaimed after a while, half sobbing, “I can't go a step farther. The snow is so thick, and it's so hard to walk in. And the wind blows it in my face, and I'm cold! I can't go another step !" “That's too bad !" Bert exclaimed. “Maybe we're almost back to camp, Nan." “It doesn't look so," his sister answered, try- ing to peer about through the swirling flakes. 118 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP “Wait a minute !" suddenly cried Bert, as there came a lull in the blast of wind. “I think I see something—a cabin or a house." “Maybe it's our cabin," suggested Nan, “though I don't remember any of the trees around here. There aren't any cut down here as there are in camp." “Well, I see something, anyhow," and Bert pointed to the left, of? through the driving flakes. “Let's go there, Nan." Through the storm the children struggled, hand in hand. They reached a log cabin—a lonely log cabin it was, standing all by itself in the midst of a little clearing in the woods. “This isn't our camp, Bert!" said Nan. “No," the boy admitted. “But somebody lives here. I see smoke coming from the chim- ney. I'm going to knock." With chilled fingers Bert pounded on the cabin door. “Who's there?" asked a woman's voice above the racket of the storm. “Two of the Bobbsey twins!" answered Nan, not stopping to think that everyone might not know her and her brother by this name. OLD MRS. BIMBY 119 “Please let us in !" begged Bert. “We're "rom Cedar Camp! Who are you?" “I'm Mrs. Bimby," was the answer, but neither Bert nor Nan recognized the name. A moment later the cabin door was opened, and an old woman confronted them. She looked at the two children for a moment; then, “Did you bring any news of Jim?" she asked. ' CHAPTER XII MR. BOBBSEY IS \VORRIED BERT and Nan Bobbsey stood on the step of the log cabin, while Mrs. Bimby, the old‘ woman, held open the door. The snow blew swirling in around her, and a wave of grateful warmth seemed to rush out as if to wrap itself around the cold twins. For a moment they stood there, and Bert was just beginning to wonder if the old woman was going to shut the door in the faces of his sister and himself. “Did you bring any news of Jim?" asked old Mrs. Bimby. “Jim?" repeated Bert. “Do you mean Jim Denton, the foreman at Cedar Camp?" asked Nan. “No, child! I mean my Jim—Jim Bimby. He went off to town just before this awful storm. But land sakes! here I am talking and keeping you out in the cold. Come in!" 120 122 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP walked over to a stove, in which a fire of wood was burning, sending out a grateful heat. “Of course he lives here," said Mrs. Bimby. “He's my husband. He's a logger—a lumber- man." “Oh, maybe he works for my father!" ex‘ claimed Nan. “Mr. Bobbsey, you know. He owns part of Cedar Camp." “No, I don't know him," said Mrs. Bimby, “though I've heard of Cedar Camp. They got a lot of Christmas trees out of there." “That's what we came up about," explained Bert. “Some Christmas trees my father bought to sell didn't come to Lakeport, and he came up here to see about them. We came with him—and my mother and the other twins." “Good land! are there more of you?" asked Mrs. Bimby in surprise. “You two are twins, for a fact. But " “There's Flossie and Freddie," interrupted Nan. “We left them back in camp while we went after chestnuts." “We got some, too," added Bert. “But we sort of got lost in the storm. Do you s'pose your husband could take us back to Cedar MR. BOBBSEY IS WORRIED 1'23 Camp?" he asked Mrs. Bimby. “My father will pay him," he said, quickly, as he saw Mrs. Bimby shaking her head. “Maybe Mr. Bimby works at the sawmill," suggested Nan. “N 0," said the old woman, “Jim is a logger and wood cutter, but he doesn't work at Cedar Camp. That's too far off for him to go to and get back from." “Too far off!" echoed Nan, and she began to have a funny feeling, as she told Bert after- ward. “Yes," resumed Mrs. Bimby. “Cedar Camp is away over on the other side of the hills. You're a long way from home. You must have taken the wrong road in the storm." “I—I guess we did," admitted Bert. “But couldn't your husband take us back?" Again Mrs. Bimby shook her head. “Jim, my husband, isn't home," she said. “He went over to town just before the storm to get us something to eat. But now I don't see how he's going to get back," and she went to a window to look out at the storm. It was getting much worse, as Bert and 124 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP Nan could see. The wind howled around the corners of the log cabin of Jim Bimby, the logger, and the blast whistled down the chim- ney, even blowing sparks out around the door of the wood-burning stove. “Yes, it's a bad storm," went on the old woman. “I wish Jim was back, and with some victuals to eat. When you twins knocked I thought it was Jim. I wish he'd come back, but he's an old man, and he may fall down in the snow and not be able to get up. He isn't as strong as he used to be. I'm certainly wor- ried about Jim!" “Oh, maybe he'll come along all right," said Nan, trying to be helpful and comforting. “If he doesn't pretty soon it'll be night, and in all this storm he never can find his way after dark. But you children take your things 0E and sit up and have a cup of tea with me. I've got some tea and condensed milk left, anyhow.” “We can't take tea unless it's very weak," said Nan, remembering her mother's rule in this respect. “All right, dearie, I'll make it weak for you‘ twins, though I like it strong myself," said- MR. BOBBSEY IS VVORRIED 125 Mrs. Bimby. “My, what a storm! What a storm!" and she drew her shawl more closely around her shoulders as the wind howled down the chimney. l Bert and Nan took off their warm things, laying their packages of lunch and the bags of chestnuts on the table. Nan saw the old woman go to a closet, and the glimpse the Bobbsey girl had of the shelves showed her that they contained only a little food. “Bert and I have some of our lunch left," said Nan. “And you can have some, if you want to,” went on Bert. “We put up a pretty good lunch, and there's more'n half of it left." “Bless your hearts, my dears," said Mrs. Bimby. “I wouldn't take your lunch. You'll need it yourselves. I've a little victuals left in the house, though if my Jim doesn't get back soon there won't be much for to-morrow. My, what a storm! What a storm!" The small log cabin seemed to shake and tremble in the wind, as though it would blow away. And the snow was now coming down so thickly that Bert and Nan could see only 126 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP a short distance out of the window. There was little to see, anyhow, save trees and bushes, and these were fast becoming covered with snow. Mrs. Bimby busied herself about the stove, putting the kettle on so she could make tea, and Bert and Nan watched her. The Bobbsey twins were wondering what would happen, how they could get home, and whether or not their father and mother would worry. Nan looked about the cabin. She did not see any beds, but a steep flight of stairs, leading up to what seemed to be a second story, might provide bedrooms, Nan thought. The cabin was clean and neat, and she was glad of that. “I do hope Jim comes," murmured Mrs. Bimby, as she poured the boiling water on the dry tea leaves in the pot. “I do hope he isn't storm-bound !" Bert and Nan hoped the same thing, for, somehow, Bert thought if Mr. Bimby came along he would take the twins back to Cedar Camp. “Now sit up, dearies, and have some weak CHAPTER XIII OLD J'IM “DON'T you think Bert and Nan will be along in a little while?" asked Mrs. Bobbsey of her husband, as she crossed the big front room in the log cabin to meet him. “Be in soon!" he exclaimed. “ y, they've been gone too long now, and " Mrs. Bobbsey, not letting Flossie and Fred- die see her, made a motion with her hands toward her husband. Then he understood that his wife did ‘not want him to frighten the smaller twins by letting it become known how worried he was about Bert and Nan. “Oh—yes," said Mr. Bobbsey, as he under- stood his wife's idea. “Oh, yes, Bert and Nan will be along soon now." “I'll be glad!" exclaimed Freddie. “So will I," added Flossie, from her place 128 130 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP to know. Oh, to think of their being out in this storm!" “It is pretty bad," her husband admitted. “I was caught in it, and hurried back. I didn't think the children would go far away." “Nor I," said Mrs. Bobbsey. “I suppose they didn't find chestnuts where they expected to, and wandered on. Are there any wild ani- mals in the woods?" “Well, no, none to speak of," her husband said slowly. “You don't need to worry about that. But I'll get Jim Denton, and some of the men, and we'll start right out after Bert and Nan." “I wish I could come with you!" exclaimed his wife, as anxious and worried as was Mr. Bobbsey. “You'll have to stay here with F lossie and Freddie," he said. “I'll soon find Bert and Nan and bring them back.” “I hope so," murmured his wife, but as she glanced out of the window and saw how dark it was getting and how fast the snow still came down and heard how the wind howled, it is no wonder the mother of the older Bobbsey OLD JIM 131 twins was worried. So was Mr. Bobbsey. “I'll go right away and get Jim and some of the men, and we'll start out on the search," said Mr. Bobbsey, having warmed himself at the stove. “We must not wait!" “No," agreed Mrs. Bobbsey. “I'll stay and amuse Flossie and Freddie." The smaller Bobbsey twins, of course, did not worry because Bert and Nan had not yet come home. Flossie and Freddie were having too much fun playing a little game on the foot of F lossie's bed. Mrs. Baxter, the housekeeper, had started the game for the children by bring- ing in some funny wooden blocks her husband had cut out on one of the long winter evenings that were sometimes so dreary in Cedar Camp. The blocks could be fitted together to make a house, a bridge, a boat and many other play objects, and Flossie and Freddie enjoyed play- ing with them, for which their mother was glad. She really was so worried that she could not very well talk to them or tell them stories. Telling his wife to keep up her courage and not to worry too much, Mr. Bobbsey went out into the storm again. OLD JIM - 133 Thus the two smaller Bobbsey twins amused themselves, with little thought of Bert and Nan except, perhaps, to wonder when they would come home with the chestnuts. Meanwhile Mr. Bobbsey hurried through the fast-gathering darkness and the storm to the cabin of Jim Denton. Like the other men in the Christmas tree and lumber camp, the foreman had stopped work when the storm came with such blinding snow and a wind that turned bitter cold toward night. “What's that?" cried Jim Denton, when Mr. Bobbsey called at his cabin. “Bert and Nan not back from chestnutting yet? Why, I s'posed they were back hours ago!" “So did I, and I wish they were," said Mr. Bobbsey. “Oh, shucks now! don't worry," said the ‘jolly foreman. “VVe'll find 'em all right. We'll start right out." He put on his big boots and warm coat and went with Mr. Bobbsey to the cabins of some of the lumbermen. Soon a searching party was organized, and away they started through the storm along the path that earlier in the 134 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP day Bert and Nan had taken to go to the chest- nut grove. “They took their lunch with them," said Mr. Bobbsey, “so they wouldn't be hungry until now. But they may be lost or have fallen into some hole and be half snowed over." “Or they may have found some logger's or hunter's cabin, and have gone in," said Jim Denton. “There are plenty of cabins scat- tered through these woods." “I hope they have found shelter," said Mr Bobbsey anxiously. On through the storm went the father of the Bobbsey twins and his lumbermen search- ers. They stopped now and then and shouted, but no answers came back. They had been out about an hour, and had gone more than a mile along the path that it was supposed Bert and Nan had taken, when one of the men called: “Wait a minute! I think I heard someone call." They all stopped and listened. Above the blowing of the wind and the swishing of the OLD JIM 335 fast-falling snowflakes, a faint and far-off voice could be heard. “Help! Help !" it called. “There they are!" shouted one of the lum- bermen. “That doesn't sound like either Bert or Nan," 'said Mr. Bobbsey. “But it may be someone who started to bring them back to camp and he, too, became lost." They all listened again, and once more came the call, but still faint and far away. “Help! Help!" “It's over here!" cried Jim Denton. “Over to the right!" Through the storm and darkness the rescue party hurried, sending out calls to tell that they were on the way. Now and again they heard the cry in answer, and it sounded nearer now At last Mr. Bobbsey saw a dark figure hud- dled in a heap near a pile of snow, which had drifted around a large rock. “Here's someone !" cried Mr. Bobbsey. A moment later he and the lumbermen were CHAPTER XIV SNOWED IN HAVING been out in the cold and storm so long, Jim Bimby seemed to have become half frozen. He did not appear to understand what Mr. Bobbsey asked him. The old logger stag- gered to his feet, helped by some of the men from Cedar Camp, and looked about him. “What's the matter?" asked Old Jim in a 'faint voice. “Did something happen? I re- member startin' off to get—to get something to eat for my wife and me. Then I fell down, tired out, I guess." “I guess you did!" exclaimed Tom Case. “And if we hadn't found you, you'd have been 'done for. We must get you to shelter." "Take him around behind this big pine tree a minute," suggested Jim Denton. “He'll be out of the wind there, and we can give him a drink of the hot tea we brought along." 137 138 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP Some hot tea, mixed with milk, had been put in a thermos bottle and taken with the party to have ready for Nan and Bert, should the Bobbsey twins be found. Now this hot drink would do for poor old Jim Bimby. Some of the men managed to light lanterns they carried, though it was hard work on ac- count of the wind and snow, and the whole party, including the rescued man, went to the side of the big pine tree, which kept off some of the storm. “There! I feel better," said Old Jim, as he swallowed the warm drink. “And now can you tell us whether or not you saw my two children, Nan and Bert-the Bobbsey twins?" again asked their father anxs iously. Old Jim shook his head. “No," he answered. “I didn't see any chil- dren. I came straight from my cabin, over the hill trail, to go to the village to get some . food. The cupboard is almost bare at my house. I didn't think it was goin' to storm, and I was all taken aback when it did. I kept on, but I must have lost my way." SNOWED IN 139 “Guess you did," said Mr. Peterson. “And you're not likely to get back on it in this storm, either." “What!" cried Old Jim. “You mean to say I can't keep on to the store and take some food back to my wife?" “Not in this storm !" said Tom Case. “You're miles from the store now, and more miles from your cabin. You'd best come to Cedar Camp with us, and in the morning, when the storm is over, you can go on again. Your wife has enough food to last until morning, hasn't she?" “Yes, I guess so," answered Mr. Bimby. “But what has become of Bert and Nan?" asked Mr. Bobbsey. “Now look here, Mr. Bobbsey," said Tom Case, “don't go to worrying about those chil- dren. They're all right. Bert and Nan are smart, and when they saw this storm coming on they went to some shelter, you can depend on that. They'd know better than to try to make their way back to camp." “Well, perhaps they would," admitted the 'father of the missing twins. “And perhaps, 140 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP when we get back to camp, we'll find them there. Some logger or hunter may have found them and taken them to our cabin." “Of course," agreed Mr. Peterson. By this time “Old Jim," as he was called, to distinguish him from Jim Denton, the lumber foreman, was feeling much better. He was still weak, and he leaned on the arm of one of the lumbermen as they turned back. The storm was still fierce, and it was now night, but lanterns gave light enough to see the way through the forest. Had it not been that the lumber and Christ- mas tree men knew their way through the woods, the party might never have reached Cedar Camp. As it was they lost the trail once, and had hard work to find it again. But finally they plunged through several drifts of snow that had formed, and broke out into the clearing around the sawmill. “Did you find them?" cried Mrs. Bobbsey, when her husband came to the cabin, knocking the snow off his feet. “No," he answered, and he tried to make his voice as cheerful as possible. “We didn't SNOWED m 14! End them, but they're all right. They were probably taken in by some hunter or logger." Even as he said this Mr. Bobbsey was dis- appointed that Bert and Nan had not been brought back to camp during his absence, for he had half hoped that he would find them there on his own return. “Oh, I do hope they're all right!" said Mrs. Bobbsey. “Of course they are!" her husband told her. “They'll be here in the morning." “With chestnuts?" asked Flossie, who, with Freddie, had been awakened from an early evening sleep by the return of their father. “Yes, they'll bring chestnuts," replied Mr. Bobbsey, trying to smile, though it was hard work, for he was really very much worried, as was his wife. However, they did not let Flossie and Fred~ die know this. And as Mr. Bobbsey ate the warm supper which Mrs. Baxter set out for him, he told about the finding of Mr. Bimby, who had been taken to the cabin of Tom Case, there to spend the night. “Can we see him?" cried Flossie, who did 142 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP not seem any the worse for having fallen into the water. “Maybe he can tell us a story about a real bear," added Freddie, for he had been rather disappointed, since coming to Cedar Camp, be- cause no one could tell him where to find a. bear. “Maybe he can," said his father. “You shall see Old Jim, as the boys call him, in the mom- ing." Mr. and Mrs. Bobbsey did not pass a very happy night. They were much worried about the missing Nan and Bert, and though he tried to sleep, after Flossie and Freddie had gone to Slumberland, Mr. Bobbsey found it hard work. So did his wife. More than once during the night, as they awakened after fitful naps and heard the wind howling around the cabin and the snow rattling against the windows, one or the other would say: “Oh, I hope Bert and Nan are all right!" And the other would say: "I hope so!" _ Morning came at last. but it was not such a SNOWED IN 143 morning as all in Cedar Camp had hoped for. They had expected the storm to be over, so that a searching party could again set out to find Bert and Nan. But instead of the storm being over, it was even worse than the night before. A regular blizzard had set in, the snow coming out of the north on the wings of a cold wind. Great drifts were piled high here and there through the camp clearing, and when Freddie and Flos- sie looked from the window they could hardly see the sawmill. “Oh, oh!" squealed Freddie. “Look, Flos- sie! Just look!" “We're snowed in!" cried Flossie. “Oh, what fun we'll have!" “It's just like Snow Lodge!" added Freddie, remembering a time spent there, when several adventurous happenings had taken place. “Yes, I'm afraid we are snowed in," said Mr. Bobbsey, with an anxious look out of the window. “But I hope it will not last long. Well, here come Tom Case and Old Jim. I must see what they want," and he went to the door to let them in. 144 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP Meanwhile the snow came down steadily, and as Flossie had said, that part of the Bobbsey family at Cedar Camp was fairly snowed in. As for the other members of the family, Bert and Nan, we must now try to find out what had happened to them. CHAPTER XV A BARE CUPBOARD HAVING finished drinking the weak tea which Mrs. Bimby brewed for them, eating with it some of the lunch they had brought along, Bert and Nan sat in the lonely cabin in the woods wondering what would happen next. There was no other cabin or house near them, and as they heard the wind howl down the chimney and moan around the corners, and heard the rattle of hard snow against the win- dow, the older Bobbsey twins were glad they had found this shelter. “Do you think we'll be able to start back soon, Mrs. Bimby?" asked Nan, as she helped the old woman clear the tea things off the table. “Back where, dearie ?" “Back to our camp." “Oh, not to-night, surely," said Mrs. Bimby. 145 146 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP “You won't dare venture out in this storm. It's getting worse, and black night is coming on. You just stay here with me. I can make up beds for you, and I'll be glad to have you, since my Jim isn't coming back, I reckon." “What do you think has become of him?" asked Bert, who was interested in looking at a gun that hung over the mantel. “Well, I reckon he got to the village, but found the storm so bad he didn't dare to start back," answered Mrs. Bimby. Of course she did not know what had hap- pened to Old Jim any more than Jim knew that the older Bobbsey twins were in his own cabin. “But Jim'll be here in the morning," said his wife. “And I do hope he'll bring in some- thing to eat. If he doesn't " She did not finish what she started to say, and Nan asked: “Will you starve, Mrs. Bimby ?" “Well, not exactly starve, for I s'pose a body could keep alive on tea and condensed milk 'for a while. But we'll be pretty hungry. There'll be three to feed instead of just one," the old woman went on. 148 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP brought to light a box of battered dominoes. But as several were missing it was hard to play a good game with them. As for the checkers, the board was there but the pieces, or men, were not to be found. “But you can take kernels of corn," said Mrs. Bimby. “I've often seen my Jim do that." “Checker men have to be of different color," said Nan, “and corn is all one color, isn't it?" “There are red ears," suggested Bert. “Don't you remember we saw some when we were in the country?" “Oh, yes!" exclaimed Nan. “That's what I was going to say," remarked Mrs. Bimby. “I can give you some yellow kernels and some red ones, and you can play checkers if you like." This suited Nan and Bert, and though it was hard to make “kings" by placing one grain of corn on top of another, they managed to go on with the game, using pins to fasten two red or two yellow kernels one on top of the other when the king row was reached. Grains of corn or some other cereal, or per- 150 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP other room was larger, and had a bed in it. Mrs. Bimby slept there, and she gave Bert and Nan each one of the smaller rooms. There was a window in each of the bedrooms, and being above the warm downstairs room, where a hot fire had been blazing all evening, the sleeping chambers were more comfortable than one would have supposed. Bert and Nan were so sleepy that they did not lie awake long after getting to bed. As there were no pajamas for Bert and no night- gown for Nan, the children slept in their un- derclothes, taking off only their shoes and outer garments. In spite of the fact that he fell asleep soon after going to bed, because he was tired from the day's tramp after chestnuts, Bert was awakened in the middle of the night by hearing Nan call: “Mother, please give me a drink!" It was a request Bert had often heard his sister make before, and now he realized that she was either half awake, and did not remem- her where she was, or else she was talking in A BARE CUPBOARD 151' her sleep. He raised up on his elbow and lis- tened. Again Nan said: “I want a drink!" Bert knew how hard it was to try to go to sleep when thirsty, so he got up and, having noticed on coming to bed the evening before a pail of water on a chair in the upper hall, he brought Nan a dipper full. Mrs. Bimby had left a lantern burning, so it was not dark in the cabin. “Oh, Bert! I dreamed I was back home," said Nan, as she took the drink her brother handed her. “Thank you !" “Welcome," he said, struggling to keep his sleepy eyes open. “Is it still snowing?" asked Nan. “Hard," answered Bert, looking out of the window, though, truth to tell, he could see nothing, it was so pitch dark outside. But he could hear the rattle of snow against the glass. “I hope it stops by morning," sighed Nan. “So do I—long enough for us to get back to camp, anyhow," added Bert. He got himself a drink and went back to bed, there to sleep soundly until morning, when 152 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP Mrs. Bimby called him and Nan to get up. “Come, dearies," said the kind old woman. “We'll have breakfast, such as it is." For a few moments after awakening Bert and Nan could not quite remember where they were. Bert afterward said that he hoped there would be hot buckwheat cakes for breakfast, with maple syrup, such as they had had in the cabin where Mrs. Baxter acted as cook. But there was no such appetizing smell as that of pancakes coming up from Mrs. Bimby's kitchen. “I'm sorry I haven't any more to offer you," she said to the children, as she set before them some more weak tea and a few pieces of bread and butter. “If my Jim had come back we'd have had enough to eat. But as it is, I'm afraid you'll go hungry soon." “We'll eat what's left of our lunch," said Bert. “And cook some chestnuts," added Nan. ' “We'll pretend we've been shipwrecked. Were you ever shipwrecked, Mrs. Bimby ?" Nan asked, as cheerfully as she could. “No, dearie, but I've had the rheumatiz, and A BARE CUPBOARD 153 I reckon that's 'most as bad. But let's eat what we've got and we'll hope for more before the day is over." “It's still snowing, isn't it ?" remarked Nan, as she hungrily ate some of the dry food and swallowed some of the weak, but warm, tea. “Yes, and it's likely to keep. up all day," said Mrs. Bimby. “It'll be hip-deep by night, and we'll be completely snowed in. I declare, I don't know what we'll do!" “Maybe it'll stop," suggested Bert, trying to look on the bright side. “Or maybe it won't be so bad but what we can go out," added Nan. “And if we get back to camp we can send you something to eat by one of the men in a sleigh, Mrs. Bimby." “I wouldn't let you go out in this storm- not for anything!" declared the kind old wom- an. “The only safe place is this cabin when it snows this way. You can't starve to death as quickly as you can freeze to death, that's a comfort. And we've got enough for one more meal, anyhow." But when noon came, after a long morning, during which the Bobbsey twins played more 154 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP checker games with grains of corn, and when almost all there was in the cupboard had been eaten, Mrs. Bimby opened the doors, looked at the bare shelves and said: “I declare, I don't know what we're going to '(lo! Almost everything is gone!" The cupboard, indeed, was nearly bare. For some reason or other, Bert's eyes rested on the gun on the wall over the mantel. “Is that gun loaded, Mrs. Bimby ?" he asked. “Yes, I reckon 'tis," she answered. “Jim always keeps it loaded, for he goes hunting sometimes." “What after?" asked Bert. “Oh, squirrels and rabbits." “That's what I'm going to do, then!" cried Bert. “If I could shoot some squirrels or rab' bits we'd have a potpie and we wouldn't be hungry. Will you please get that gun down for me, Mrs. Bimby?" 'She looked at Bert and smiled. “You're pretty small to handle a gun," she said. “But maybe you could fire it if I showed you how. I've shot it more 'n once, and I brought down a cawing crow last winter. A BARE CUPBOARD :55 Sometimes the rabbits come close up to our cabin here. Wait till I take a look." She went to the window to peer out into the storm, and Nan did likewise, while Bert con- tinued to gaze at the gun on the wall. It was‘ a shotgun, not very heavy, and he felt certain he could aim it at a rabbit and pull the trigger. Mrs. Bimby shook her head as she turned away from her window. “There's no game here," she said. “Guess we'll have to go without a potpie." But Nan suddenly uttered an exclamation. “Oh, I see one!" she cried. “I see a big rabbit! Two of 'em! Oh, Bert, it's a shame to shoot the bunnies, but we can't starve! Get the gun!" CHAPTER XVI BERT STARTS OUT JUs'r about the time that Bert was getting ready to try for a rabbit potpie by firing the gun from the door of Mrs. Bimby's cabin, in the other and larger cabin at Cedar Camp the smaller Bobbsey twins were having a good time. There was no danger there of starving, for the cupboard was far from being bare. But of course Mr. and Mrs. Bobbsey were worried because, after their long night of worry, neither Bert nor Nan had come back, and there was no news of them. “But we'll surely hear from them to-day," said Tom Case, as he came over through the storm after breakfast to learn if Mr. Bobbsey had any special plans. “How's Old Jim ?" asked Mr. Bobbsey, as the head of the sawmill workers came in out of the storm, for it was still snowing. I56 BERT STARTS OUT I 57 “Oh, Jim's all right," was the answer. “But he's worrying about his wife not having any food. I came over to say that if the storm lets up a little maybe we'd better try to take some- thing to eat to the old lady. She's all alone in her cabin." Of course neither he nor Old Jim knew that the two older Bobbsey twins were at that very moment with Mrs. Bimby. “All right, it would be a good idea," said Mr. Bobbsey. “And we must make another search for Bert and Nan." “I have a sort of feeling that they're safe," said Mr. Case. “And, really, it wouldn't be wise for you to start out in this storm to look for them. I think it may moderate a little by to-morrow." “Let us hope so!" sighed Mrs. Bobbsey. “Can't Old Jim come over and play with us?" asked Flossie. “We want to have some fun," added Freddie. The two smaller twins had been as good as possible, but they were not used to being cooped up in the house, and there really was not much 160 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP and cold, so that the little Bobbsey twins could no go out. And it was about the time that Flossie‘ and Freddie were having such fun with Old Jim that, back in this same logger's lonely cabin, Bert and Nan were wondering whether. they would have anything to eat for supper. As Nan had said, she did see two large rab‘ bits when she looked from the window. And she called to her brother to get the gun from its place over the mantel. “Land sakes!" exclaimed Mrs. Bimby, “there are two right in plain sight. Now Bert, if you're any kind of a shot, maybe we'll have rabbit stew for supper. Here, take the gun, but be careful!" Bert knew a little about firearms, and he was not at all afraid as Mrs. Bimby put the shotgun into his hands. Then she opened the door for him, very carefully, so as not to frighten the rabbits. “They're still there, right on top of the snow !" called Nan, as she peered from the window on her side of the cabin. “I'm not going to watch you shoot them, Bert, though BERT STARTS OUT I61 I am terribly hungry. And I'm going to hold my hands over my ears so I won't hear the gun." Bert was quite excited, and did not pay much attention to what his sister was saying, but he was not so excited that he could not hold the gun fairly steady. “Hold it close against your shoulder, then it won't kick so hard," Mrs. Bimby whispered in his car, as she helped him get the shotgun in place, and pointed it for him out of the open door. The rabbits were in plain sight now, two wild, gray bunnies, fat and plump. Bert took sight over the little point on the end of the gun. He held this sight as steadily as he could in line with one of the rabbits. “Better shoot quick !" whispered Mrs. Bimby. “I think they see us and they'll scoot away in a minute!" Bert gave a steady pull on the trigger, not a sudden pull, which is not the right way to shoot. A sudden pull spoils your aim. “Bang!" went the shotgun. “Oh!" screamed Nan. who, in spite of hav- 162 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP ing held her hands over her ears, heard the re- port. “I got one! I got one!" excitedly cried Bert, as he saw one of the bunnies lying on the snow. The other had scampered off. “Yes, you did get one, child!" said Mrs. Bimby, as she ran out into the storm and came back with the game. “Now we shan't starve. I'll make a potpie." This she did, stewing the rabbit with some dumplings she made from a little flour she had left in the bottom of the barrel. Bert and Nan thought nothing had ever tasted so good as that rabbit potpie. “You'll be quite a hunter when you grow up," said Mrs. Bimby, when the meal was over. “You shot straight and true, Bert!" “But you helped me," said the Bobbsey boy. “I couldn't have aimed the gun straight if you hadn't helped me." “But I saw the rabbits, didn't I?" asked Nan. “Yes, dearie, you surely did," said the kind old woman. “Now we shan't starve for a couple of days, anyhow." BERT STARTS OUT 163 “And then I can shoot more rabbits, or may- be some squirrels," Bert declared. “I hope by that time the storm'll be over," remarked Mrs. Bimby, “and that my Jim will come back." “Will he take us home, or bring our father here?" Nan questioned. “I guess so," Mrs. Bimby answered. But as the snow kept up all the remainder of that day, and as it was still storming hard when night came, there did not seem much chance of the two older Bobbsey twins being rescued. Again Bert and Nan spent the night in the little rooms of the cabin, but they slept better this time, Nan not even awakening for a drink of water. And in the morning Bert looked from a window and cried: “Hurray! The snow's stopping! I‘m going to start out and go back to camp!" “You are?" asked Nan. “Are you going to take me?" “No," said Bert. “You'd better stay here. I'll go to camp and send daddy back in a sled 'for you. He can hitch a horse to one of the OLD JIM DELIGHTED THE TWINS. The Bobbsey Twin: at C(dar Camp. Pagr I59 166 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP and the only comfort the father and mother had in those worrisome days was the thought that their older twins must have found shelter somewhere in the woods. Old Jim declared that this was so, as, like~ wise, did Torn Case and Jim Denton. But it was still storming too much for another searching party to set out and look for Nan and Bert. Those who searched might them- selves become lost in the blizzard. For that is what the storm now was-—-a regular blizzard. Mr. Bobbsey could do nothing toward searching for the lost shipment of Christmas trees. The lumbermen could not work at cut- ting down trees, floating or sledding them to the mill or carting them to the railroad. Even the sawmill was shut down, and all there was to do was to wait. Flossie and Freddie were not used to staying in the house so long at a time. They wanted to go out and play even if there was snow, but their mother would not let them in such an unusual storm. “It's like when we were at Snow Lodge," sighed Flossie, as she stood with her little nose TRYING AGAIN I 67 pressed flat against the window, thereby mak- ing her face cold. “We could go out a little there," sighed Freddie. “I think you children are very lucky," said their mother. “You have a warm place to stay. Think of poor Nan and Bert. They may " She stopped suddenly. She dared not think of what her older son and daughter might be suffering. She glanced quickly at Flossie and Freddie. She was afraid lest she should make them worry, too. _ But, fortunately, Flossie and Freddie were not that sort. They did not believe in worry- ing, unless it was over not having fun enough. However, the log cabin was of good size, and with Old Jim to come over now and then to amuse them with cutting out wooden toys, the two Bobbsey twins did not have such a sad time as might be imagined. To-day, however, when the storm had kept up so long, and when they had not had a chance to go out, they felt rather lonesome and as if they wanted to “do something." So, pres- TRYING AGAIN 169 “There's a bear in here!" “A bear! Where ?" and Freddie moved over closer to Flossie and looked where she pointed. “There," said the little girl, and, glancing along the line of her outstretched finger, Fred- die saw a big, furry heap in a dark corner. “I touched it first with my foot," said Flossie, “and it was soft, just like the bear I touched that the Italian had once, leading around by a string in his nose. And then I put out my hand and I felt his fur l" “Oh!" exclaimed Freddie. “Did he—did he bite you ?" He had been looking for some- thing to play with on the other side of the attic, and, therefore, had not seen all that Flos- Sie had. “Course he didn't bite me!" the little girl answered. “You didn't hear me holler, did you?" “No," said Freddie, “I didn't. I'm going to touch him!" “Come over here," advised Flossie, moving to one side so Freddie could thrust his hand ‘forward and touch that mysterious heap of 170 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP fur. “I—I guess maybe he's asleep, that's why he didn't growl or nothin'!" “I guess maybe," agreed Freddie. Neither of the Bobbsey twins felt surprised because they had an idea a bear might be in the attic with them. Nor were they afraid. A sleeping bear is not dangerous, of course. Any little boy or girl knows that! Freddie crawled a little way farther under the sloping roof and, by stretching out his hand, managed to touch the fur. It felt warm and soft to his fingers. “Oh, it is a bear!" he whispered, and he was delighted. “Let's go and tell mother, and we can bring it downstairs and play with it. I guess it's a little bear I" “Yes, we'd better tell mother," agreed Flossie. Somehow, the more she thought of a bear being up in the attic the more she thought it better to have some of the older folks know about it. Down the stairs went the two Bobbsey twins, walking softly so as not to awaken the bear. They didn't want him suddenly aroused from his sleep and made cross. Who would? TRYING AGAIN 171 “Where have you children been?" cried Mrs. Bobbsey, as she saw the two twins. They were covered with dust and cobwebs from hav- ing crawled so far under the sloping roof in the attic. The floor was dirty, too, not having been swept in many months, and they had sat right down in the worst of the dust. “Oh, Mother !" gasped Flossie, “we've been up in the attic, and what do you think's up there? It's a " “Bear!" burst out Freddie, not wanting his sister to tell all the wonderful news. “He's asleep, an' I touched him!" “Nonsense !" exclaimed Mrs. Bobbsey. “A bear? It can't be!" And yet she knew there were bears in the North Woods, and it might be possible that one had crawled into the cabin before they had came, and had gone to the attic to have his long winter sleep. “Yes, it is a bear!" insisted Flossie, and both children were so certain about the heap of fur that Mrs. Bobbsey called her husband, who was out in the woodshed with Tom Case and Jim Bimby. 172 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP “A bear!" cried the mill foreman. “Well, there are some around these woods, but I never knew of one coming into a cabin. I'll take a 100 ." “Hadn't you better take a gun ?" asked Mr. Bobbsey, as he and Old Jim followed the fore- man upstairs. “There's one here." “Well, you might hand it to me," said Mr. Case. “But I reckon if it is a bear that': crawled in to go to sleep, he'll be so lazy I can take him by the back of the neck and throw him out." Freddie and Flossie waited with their mother while their father and the two men went to the attic. They could hear the three moving around up overhead, and soon there was a shout of laughter. “Maybe it's a circus bear, and he's doing tricks !" exclaimed Flossie. “Oh, I hope it is!" added Freddie, feeling quite excited. Their father and the two men came down- stairs. Tom Case carried something—some- thing brown and shaggy, just like the fur of some animal. 174 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP “I think I'll start out again." “Where ?" asked his wife. “To find Bert and Nan," he answered. “I think the blizzard is about over, and they will probably be starting for home. I'll go to meet them." “Oh, take us!" cried Flossie and Freddie. "We want to see Bert and Nan." “Oh, no, I couldn't take you," said their father. “The snow is piled deep in drifts, and you'd sink away down in—over your heads. I'll take some of the men and start," he said to his wife. And so, a little later, another searching party started away from Cedar Camp to .ind the missing Bobbsey twins. “I'll go along," said Old Jim, who was now able to travel. “I must take some food to my wife. She'll be 'most starved." “Yes, come with us," said Mr. Bobbsey. “We'll take some food to Mrs. Bimby." CHAPTER XVIII A LITTLE SEARCHING PARTY FLOSSIE and Freddie Bobbsey were two of the kindest children in the world. They were fond of fun and of having a good time, but whenever their mother did work for the church at home, helping poor families, taking food to people who had but little, Freddie and Flossie always wanted to do their share. So did Bert and Nan; but as the older twins had to spend more time in school than did Flossie and Fred- die, the two latter had more chances to help their mother. More than once they had gone with her when she carried a basket of food or a bundle of clothing to some poor family in Lakeport. And now, in Cedar Camp, having heard their father say he was going to take food to Mrs. Bimby, Flossie and Freddie at once had an idea. I7S 176 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP While Mr. and Mrs. Bobbsey were out of the room, talking over the coming trip through the woods to look for Bert and Nan, as well as to take food to Mrs. Bimby, Freddie said to Flossie: “Let's go, too!" “Daddy won't let us," Flossie answered. “VVe—we'll tag after him," said Freddie in a whisper. “We can put on our rubber boots and our coats and mittens, and we can go be- hind him. He can't hear us, 'cause there's so much snow our boots won't make any noise." “That's so," agreed Flossie. “And, oh, Freddie! I know what we can do." I‘What ?l' “We can take Mrs. Bimby that bear robe. It'll keep her warm, 'cause it's so nice and soft!" “So 'tis!" agreed Freddie. “We'll take it, and something to eat, too." “We'll not have to do that. Daddy and the other men are going to take her something to eat." “I meant something to eat for us," Freddie said. “We ought to take a lunch with us, A LITTLE SEARCHING PARTY 177 ’cause maybe we'll get hungry in the woods." The younger Bobbsey twins had a feeling that if they were seen packing up a lunch for themselves, putting on their boots and out- door garments, and taking the bear skin, they would be stopped. They felt sure they would not be allowed to go in search of Nan and Bert. And they were probably right. So, as they had done more than once be- fore, they said nothing of their plans, but went about them secretly and quietly. While their mother and Mrs. Baxter were packing two large baskets with food for Old Jim's wife, and while Daddy Bobbsey was talking to the men about the coming trip through the snow- filled woods, Flossie and Freddie took their boots, coats, caps and mittens to the back door of the log cabin. “We can slip out and put 'em on there when nobody is looking," said Freddie. “We've got to take the bear skin out, too," Flossie remarked. But when they tried to bundle the skin of the bear up so they could carry it, they found 178 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP it so heavy and slippery to lift that they had to give it up. “What'll we do?" asked Flossie, as, after several trials she had to admit that the skin could not be carried. “Mrs. Bimby'll be so disappointed !" “We can tell her it's here, and Mr. Jim can come and get it," suggested Freddie. “Oh, that'll be nice!" his sister agreed. "We'll leave the skin." How to pack up a lunch for themselves was also a hard matter. But, as it happened, Mrs. Bobbsey was so busy getting things ready for her husband and the other men that she did not pay much attention to what Flossie and Freddie did. She saw them moving about, now in the pantry and now in the kitchen and again step- ping to the back door, but she did not dream they were getting ready to set off on a search by themselves. However, this is just what Flossie and Freddie were going to do, and, after a while, they managed to pack into a pasteboard box what they thought would be lunch enough for them until they came back with Bert and Nan. A LITTLE SEARCHING PARTY :79 “Put in lots of cake," whispered Freddie to Flossie, on one of the little girl's trips to the pantry. “Cake tastes awful good in the woods." “I will," Flossie whispered back. “And I got some pie, too !" “Oh, that's fine !" Freddie exclaimed. “Now we must slip out when they don't see us." This the small Bobbsey twins managed to do. While Mr. Bobbsey, with Old Jim and Tom Case, was making ready to start on his searching expedition, to find and bring back Bert and Nan, as well as to take food to lonely Mrs. Bimby, Flossie and Freddie slipped quietly to the back door with their queer pack- age of lunch. They soon donned their boots, coats and caps, and with their little hands covered with warm, red mittens, they started off, keeping behind the cabin so they would not be seen by those in front who were getting ready to start on the main searching trip. It was snowing a little, but not nearly so hard as at first, and the wind was not so strong or cold. “It'll be fun !" said Flossie to Freddie. A LITTLE SEARCHING PARTY 18! along the trail that led through the woods to- ward the chestnut grove that Bert and Nan had set out to visit two days before, the small Bobbsey twins set forth. They went around behind a clump of trees so they would not be seen from the cabin. Flossie and Freddie expected soon to catch up to their father, but the snow was so deep and the men traveled so fast that, after trudg— ing along for half an hour, Freddie and his sister had not yet come within sight of the others. “Do you s'pose they ran away from us ?" asked Flossie, as she stopped a moment to rest. “Course not," answered Freddie. “They don't even know we're comin' after 'em." “That's so," Flossie said. “Well, anyhow, I hope we don't get lost." “I do, too," agreed Freddie. “But we have something to eat, anyhow," and he patted the box of lunch he carried. The children looked around them. They were in a lonely part of the woods, a place they had never been before, but they felt sure they would soon catch up to their father. They 184 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP could be made out once he came to it. It lay some distance from the cabin, he thought. The Bobbsey twin boy turned, after trudg- ing a little way from the cabin, and waved his hand at Mrs. Bimby and Nan, who stood near a window watching him. “Your brother is a brave little chap," said Mrs. Bimby. “I do hope he finds help and brings it back to us." “I hope so, too; 'specially something for you to eat," said Nan. “Oh, well, we've a little of the rabbit left yet," said the old woman. “But my tea is 'most gone, and I need it strong on account of my nerves. If it wasn't for my rheumatiz I'd put on my things and go with Bert. I'd take you along, though I fear it's going to snow more." “I hope it doesn't before Bert gets back to camp," Nan said. “I shouldn't want him lost all alone." “Nor I, dearie," crooned Mrs. Bimby. “But he's a brave lad, and I trust he gets along all right. Though it has been a bad storm-a bad storm!" she muttered. She put more wood on the fire, for, though / “186 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP before he and Nan reached the first chestnut grove, where they found the squirrels and chipmunks had taken most of the supply, mak- ing the children go farther on. And then the Bobbsey twins had rather lost sight of the stream of water. Bert knew it might be almost hidden from sight under overhanging banks of snow, but he knew if he could come upon the water course it would be the surest thing to follow to get back to camp. So as he trudged along, into and out of drifts, he looked eagerly about for a sign of the brook, which, as it went on, widened and ran into the mill pond near Cedar Camp. Bert was all by himself in the snowy woods. The cabin, where his sister and Mrs. Bimby waited for him to bring help, was lost to sight amid the trees. For the first time since leaving Cedar Camp Bert began to feel lonesome and afraid. It was so still and quiet in the woods! Not a sound! No birds fluttered through the trees or called aloud. The birds that had not flown south were, doubtless, keeping under shelter 190 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP ‘ Now a rabbit is a very fast-moving animal. Out West there is a kind called jackrabbits, and they can go faster than the average dog. Only a greyhound or other long-legged dog can beat a jackrabbit running. But though this bunny was not a jackrabbit, being the com- mon wild rabbit of the woods and fields, still it could go faster than could Bert—and in the snow at that. Every now and again Bert would get so near the bunny that he felt sure that the next mo- ment he would be able to get hold of the long ears. But every time the rabbit would give a. desperate jump and get beyond the boy's reach. “Whew!" exclaimed Bert, as he was forced to stop, because his legs were so tired and because his breath was so short. “I don't won- der hunters have to use guns! They never could get much game just by chasing after it. It wouldn't be any use to set a trap, for I haven't time and I haven't anything to bait it with. Besides, I guess you're so smart you'd never be caught in it." As Bert came to a stop on top of another little hill where the snow was partly blown 192 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP on food. Maybe I can find something else." Bert fioundered about in the snow, follow- ing his tracks back before they should be filled and so hidden from sight. He was about half way to the place where he had surprised the rabbit when he heard a chattering in a tree over his head. “A squirrel!" exclaimed the boy. “And a grey one, too, or I miss my guess." He kept very still, listening. Again, above the noise of the storm was heard the sharp, squealing chatter of a squirrel, and, looking up over his head, Bert saw the animal. It was a large, grey squirrel, with a tail almost as big as its whole body. The squirrel sat up on a limb and looked down at the boy. It may have been angry or frightened, and it seemed to be scolding Bert as it chattered at him. Grey squirrels are not such excited scolders as the little red chaps are, but this one did very Well. “If you know what's good for you, you'll go back into your nest and stay there," Bert said. “I can't get you, and you ought to know it, for I haven't a gun and I never could throw THE WILDCAT 193 up a stick and knock you down. You'd be good eating if I could," Bert went on, for he had often heard his father tell of broiled squirrels. Bert could see a hole in the tree half way up the trunk, and he guessed that here the squirrel had his winter nest. It would be well lined with dried leaves, soft grass, and perhaps some cotton from the milkweed pods. Thus the squirrels keep warm, wrapping their big bushy tails about them. “Well, I guess I'll say good-bye to you," went on Bert, as he turned aside from the squir- rel in the tree and resumed his trudging through the snow. The weather was cold, and Bert was cold likewise. Also he was tired. His legs ached and his shoulders pained him, for walking through the snow is not easy work, as you who have tried it know. _ However, he knew that he must keep bravely on, and so, after turning once or twice, making sure he could not see the cabin, he went along faster. It was because of his speed that an accident happened to Bert which might have been a very THE WILDCAT 195 "What if my leg is broken?" said Bert, half aloud. “I can't walk, I can't go for help, and I'll have to stay here. Daddy or nobody will know where to find me—not even Nan or Mrs. Bimby! Oh, this is terrible!" But he knew he must be brave, for he had to help not only himself but his sister and the old woman in the cabin. Clenching his teeth to keep back the cry of pain which he felt would come when he moved his leg again, Bert shifted it a little to one side. The spasm of pain came, but not so bad as at first. “Maybe it's only broken a little," thought the boy. “And I can crawl, if I can't walk." He had read of hunters and trappers who, with a broken or badly cut leg, had crawled miles over the snow to get help. Bert wanted to be as brave as these heroes. But when he moved his leg for the third time and found the pain not quite so bad, he began to take heart. He brushed away the snow from both legs and looked at them. They appeared to be all right, but the left one felt a little queer. And it was not until he had managed to pull himself up, by means of a CHAPTER XX SNOWBALL BULLETS ABOUT the time that Bert Bobbsey was run‘ ning through the snow, to get away from the wildcat, Flossie and Freddie were having a scare of their own, some miles distant from him, though in the same woods around Cedar Camp. The two smaller Bobbsey twins had gone off without letting their father or mother know, taking with them a lunch. They tramped through the forest until they came to a lonely place and had not yet caught sight of their father, who had started off ahead with Old Jim Bimby and Tom Case. Right here the small twins heard a growl and saw a movement in the bushes. “What's that?" asked Flossie, shrinking closer to Freddie. 198 SNOWBALL BULLETS 199 “I—1 don't know," Freddie answered, trying to think of something to make him brave. “Maybe it's a bear !" “A bear?" questioned his sister. “Yep!" Freddie went on, his eyes never mov- ing from the bush that seemed to hide some animal. “Maybe it's a bear like the one we found the skin of in the attic." “It-—it can't be the same one coming back for his skin, can it ?" asked Flossie. “Course not !" declared Freddie. “How could a bear go 'round without his skin on?" “Well, a bear's skin is just the same to him as our clothes are to us," Flossie went on. “An' sometimes, when we go swimming, we don't have very many clothes on." “Well, a bear is different," said Freddie. “Oh, look !" suddenly cried the little girl, and, pointing to the bush with one hand, she clung to Freddie's arm with the other. “He's coming out! He's coming out !" she exclaimed. A shaggy head could be seen thrusting itself from the bushes, and the children were won- dering what sort of animal it could be, for it did not look like a bear, when, with a joyful 200 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP bark, there burst out in front of them—the shaggy dog belonging to Tom Case! Rover—Rover was the name of the dog— rushed toward Flossie and Freddie, leaping joyfully and wagging his tail. He had made friends with the children as soon as they came to Cedar Camp, and they loved Rover. “Oh, hello!" cried Flossie, as if greeting an old friend. “He's glad to see us and we're glad to see him," said Freddie. This seemed to be true, though I think F lossie and Freddie were more pleased to see Rover than he was to see them, for the dog knew how to find his way home, and even trace and find his master if need be, while, to tell you the truth, Flossie and Freddie were lost‘ though they did not yet know it. But they were soon to find this out. “Did you come looking for us P" asked Flos- sie, as she patted the shaggy animal. “I guess he did," Freddie said. “I guess he'd rather come with us than with daddy and the others. Though we'll take Rover to 'em, won't we ?” 206 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP Always ready for a lark of this sort, Rover leaped to his feet and stood at “attention." Freddie bent aside some of the branches and tossed a pine cone out of the opening. It fell in a bank of snow some distance away, for Freddie was a good thrower for a little boy. And the pine cone, being light, did not sink down in the snow as a stone would have done. “Bow-wow!" barked Rover, as he dashed out after the pine cone. That was his way of saying he would bring it back as quickly as he could. And as Rover rushed from under the little green tent of the pine tree Flossie gave a cry of surprise. “What's the matter?" asked Freddie, turn- ing around to look at his sister. “Rover knocked me down!" she answered with a laugh, and, surely enough, there she was sprawling on the brown pine needles which covered the ground under the tree. “He just bunked into me and knocked me over!" Rover was not used to playing with children, you see, and he was a bit rough. But he didn't mean to be. SN OWBALL BULLETS 207 Flossie sat up, still laughing, for she was not in the least hurt, and by this time Rover had brought back the pine cone that Freddie had tossed out. “Good dog, Rover!" cried Freddie, patting the animal as he laid down the cone and wagged his tail. “Now it's your turn to throw one, Flossie," Freddie said. “All right," Flossie answered. “But look out he doesn't knock you down, Freddie." “I'm looking out!" Freddie said, and he quickly moved over to one side of the space under the tree, while Flossie threw out her cone. Flossie was not quite so good a thrower of sticks, stones, or pine cones as was her brother. But she did pretty well. Though her cone did not go as far as Freddie's had, it sank farther down into the snow. Maybe the cone was a heavier one, or it may have fallen in a softer place in the snow. Anyhow it went quite deep into a drift and Rover had to dig with his fore- paws to get it so he could take it in his mouth. “Oh, look at him!" cried Flossie, as the dog, digging away, made the snow fly in a 208 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP shower back of him. “He's like a snowplow on the railroad!" Once, in a big storm, Flossie and Freddie had seen the railroad snowplow, pushed by two locomotives, cut through a high drift. And the way Rover scattered the snow made the little girl think of the plow. “Bring it here, Rover!" cried Freddie, for it would be his turn next to throw a cone. “Bow wow!" barked the dog, and then, with a final dive into the drift, he got the brown cone in his mouth and came racing back with it. Covered with snow as he was, he crawled under the shelter to be petted and talked kindly to by Freddie and Flossie. Then, just as he probably did when he came out of the water in the summer time, Rover gave himself a shake, to get rid of the snow- flakes. “Oh! Oh!" laughed Flossie, holding her hands over her face. “Stop it, Rover! You're getting me all snow!" But Rover kept it up until he had got off all the snow, and then he raced out again after more cones as the children threw them. SN OWBALL BULLETS 209 If Bert Bobbsey could have known where his little sister and brother were, with brave old Rover beside them, I am sure he would have wished to join them. For Bert, about this time, was running away from the wildcat that had suddenly burst through the bushes. “You're not going to get me !" said Bert to himself, as he clutched his package of lunch and raced on as well as he could. The pain in his leg bothered him, but he was not going to stop for a thing like that and let a wildcat maul him. On he ran through the snow, taking the easiest path he could find. He looked back over his shoulder once or twice, to find the wildcat bounding lightly along after him. And after he had looked back and had seen the size of the animal and noticed that there was only one, somehow or other Bert became braver, and he had an idea that perhaps he might drive this beast away. Wildcats, or bobcats as they are sometimes called, being also known as the bay lynx, are not as large as a good-sized dog. They weigh about thirty pounds, and though they have CHAPTER XXI ON THE ROCK BERT BOBBSEY felt very proud of himself after he had driven away the wildcat with snowballs. And I think he had a right to be proud. Not many boys of his age would have dared to stand and await the oncoming of a beast that is quite dangerous once it starts to claw and bite. But Bert had spent so much time in the woods and out in the open that he was very self-reliant. And so, after looking back once or twice as he left the clearing, and finding that the bobcat did not follow, Bert began to feel much better. “I'll soon be at Cedar Camp," he said to himself, “and then I'll be all right. I'll send 'em back to get Nan and take something to eat to Mrs. Bimby. I'll be glad to see Flossie and Freddie again." Had Bert only known it, F lossie and Freddie 213 214 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP were nearer to him than if they had been in Cedar Camp, though the small Bobbsey twins were still some distance from their brother. And while Mr. Bobbsey was forging ahead through the snow with Old Jim Bimby and Tom Case, knowing nothing, of course, about his little boy and girl having followed him, Mrs. Bobbsey was having worries of her own about the absence of the small children from the cabin. She and Mrs. Baxter had missed Flossie and Freddie soon after the men had started on the searching trip, but, for a time, the mother of the two small twins was not at all worried. She thought Flossie and Freddie had merely run out to play a little, as it was the first chance they had had since the big storm began. But when, after a while, they had not come back to the cabin, and she could see nothing of them, Mrs. Bobbsey said: “Mrs. Baxter, have you seen Flossie and Freddie?" “No, Mrs. Bobbsey, I haven't," answered the cook. “But it looks as if they had been in the pantry, for things there are all upset." 216 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP not think she could shoot another rabbit, as Bert had done. “I do hope that boy will find my Jim or someone and bring help," thought Mrs. Bimby. And of course Mr. Bobbsey with Old Jim and Tom Case were on their way to the cabin, but they had to go slowly on account of so much snow. The snow was worse for Flossie and Freddie than for any of the others in the woods, be- cause the legs of the small twins were so short. It was hard work for them to wade through the drifts. But they felt a little better after their rest under the “Christmas tree," as Flossie called it, and after they had eaten some of their lunch. So on they trudged again. “Maybe we can find daddy's lost Christmas trees," suggested Freddie, after a while. “Wouldn't he be glad if we did?" cried F lossie. “Here, Rover! Come back!" she called, for the dog was running too far ahead to please her and Freddie. The dog came racing back, scattering the snow about as he plunged through it, and Flossie patted his shaggy head. ON THE ROCK 219 cry about it. Boys must be brave and not cry, he thought. But as the little Bobbsey twins stood there, not knowing what to do, it suddenly became colder, the wind sprang up, and down came a blinding storm of snow, so thick that they could not see Rover, who, a moment before, had been tumbling about in the drifts near them. “Oh! Oh!" cried Flossie. “Let's go home, Freddie!" But where was “home" or camp? How were they to get there? And so, soon after Bert had driven 05 the wildcat and had run on, this Bobbsey lad, too, was caught in the same snow storm that had frightened F lossie and Freddie. But of course Bert did not know that. “Say, we've had enough snow for a winter and a half already," thought Bert, as he saw more white flakes coming down. “And it isn't Christmas yet! I hope I'm not going to be snowed in out here all alone! I'd better hurry!" As Bert trudged along through the storm he found himself becoming thirsty. If you 220 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP have ever walked a long distance, even in a snowstorm, you may have felt the same way yourself. And perhaps you have tried to quench your thirst and cool your mouth by eating snow. If you have, you doubtless re- member that instead of getting less thirsty you were only made more so. This is what al- ways happens when a person eats snow. Ice is different, if you hold pieces of it in your mouth until it melts. “My! I wish I had a drink," exclaimed Bert, speaking aloud, as he had done a number of times since setting out alone to bring help to Nan and Mrs. Bimby. “I wish I had a drink of water!" Now Bert Bobbsey knew better than to eat: dry snow. Once when he was a small boy, smaller even than Freddie, he had been playing out in the snow and had eaten it whenever he felt thirsty. As a result he had been made ill. “Never eat snow again, Bert," his father had told him at the time. And to make Bert remember Mr. Bobbsey had read the boy a story of travelers in the Arctic regions search- ing for the North Pole. The story told how, ON THE ROCK ' 22! no matter how tired or cold these travelers were, they always stopped to melt the snow and make water or tea of it when they were thirsty. They never ate dry snow. “I've either got to find a spring to get a drink, or melt some of this snow," said Bert to himself, as he walked on, limping a little, though his leg was feeling better than at first. “But I guess if I did find a spring it would be frozen over. Now how can I melt some snow ?" Bert had been on camping trips with his father, and he had often seen Mr. Bobbsey make use of things he found beside the road or in the woods to help out in a time of some little trouble. With this in mind, the boy be- gan to look around for something that would help him get a drink of water, or to melt some snow into water which he could drink after it had cooled. But to melt snow needed a fire, he knew, and also something that would hold the snow before and after it was melted. “I need a pan or a can and a fire," decided Bert. “I wonder if I have any matches ?" ON THE ROCK 223‘ football players do sometimes when their legs get twisted. As it happened, Bert kicked his foot into a little pile of snow, and next he was surprised to find that he had kicked something out. At first it seemed to be a lump of ice, but as it rolled a few feet and the snow fell away, the boy found that he had kicked into view an empty tin tomato can! “Here's luck!" cried Bert, as he sprang after the can before it could be covered from sight in the snow again. “This sure is luck! I can melt some snow in this now !" Taking the can in his hand he knocked it against his shoe, thus getting rid of the snow that filled it. The can was opened half way, and the tin top was bent back, making a sort of handle to it, which Bert was glad to see. It would enable him without burning his fin- gers to lift the can off the fire he intended to build. “All I need now is some dry wood, and I can make a fire and melt snow to make water," he said aloud. “If I had some tea I could make a regular hot drink, like they have up 224 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP at the North Pole. But I guess water will be all right. Now for some wood!" He made his way over to a clump of trees and, by kicking away the snow, he managed to find some dead sticks. As the snow was dry they were not very wet, but Bert feared they were not dry enough to kindle quickly. And he had only a few matches. “I've got some paper, though," he told him- self, as he felt in his pockets. “A little soft, dry wood, and that, will start a fire and the other wood will burn, even if it is a little damp." One of the lessons Bert's father had taught him was to make a campfire, and Bert put some of this instruction to use now. He hunted about until he found a fallen log, and by clearing away the snow at one end he re-. vealed a rotten end' This soft wood made very good tinder, to start a fire. The outer end of the rotten log was rather damp. But by kicking away this latter, Bert got at some wood that was quite dry—just what he wanted. He swung his foot that was not lame from 226 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP while," he told himself. “My fire is going now." And, indeed, the tiny flame had caught the soft wood and was beginning to ignite the twigs. From them the larger and heavier pieces of wood would catch, and then he could set the can of snow on to melt into water. Still hardly daring to breathe, Bert fed his fire in the shelter of the half snow-covered log. It was beginning to melt the snow all around it now, but of course this melted snow ran away and was lost. Bert could not drink that. When the fire was going well, Bert kicked around on the ground under the log until he found some stones. With these he made a little fireplace, enclosing the blaze, and when he had some embers there, with more wood at hand to pile on, he brought the can to the fire and scooped the tin full of snow. “This is going to be my teakettle," said Bert, with a little smile. “Mother and Nan would laugh if they could see me now." If you have ever melted a pan of snow on even so good a fire as is in your mother's 228 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP He walked along as fast as he could, with the pain in his leg, but the snow came down harder and faster and the wind blew colder. Bert looked about for some place of shelter and saw where one tree had blown over against another, making a sort of little den, or cave, near the side of a high rock, which was so steep that the snow had not clung to it, leaving the big stone bare. “I'll go in there and stay awhile," thought Bert, as he caught sight of this shelter. “May- be the storm won't last long." But as he started to enter the place he heard a growl! There was a scurrying in the dried leaves that formed a carpet for the den, and then, in the half-darkness, Bert saw two green eyes staring at him! He smelled a wild odor, too, that told him some beast of the forest dwelt in this den. “Oh! A wildcat!" cried Bert, as, a moment later, there sprang out at him the same animal, or one very like it, that he had snowballed a little while before. Probably it was another lynx, but Bert did not stop to think of this. Forgetting his plan of using snowball bul- . V ‘i, ‘ :1‘ J _ . ‘ OH, BERT!" CRIED FREDDIE, "WE'RE LOST!" The Boéhey Twins at Cedar Cam). P0‘? 234 K . 232 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP “Help! Help! Help!" he shouted. Bert did not know just whom he expected to help him. He did not know how far he was from Mrs. Bimby's cabin, nor how far he was away from Cedar Camp. All he knew was that he was in trouble and needed help. The only way was to shout as loudly as he could. At his first call the wildcat at the foot of the rock snarled, growled, and tried to leap up. But the sides were too steep and smooth. Bert could catch glimpses of the animal when the snow came down a little less heavily now and again, making a sort of opening in the white curtain. “Help! Help! Help !" cried Bert again and again. Curiously enough it was Flossie and Fred- die, who in the blizzard had wandered near to the rock, who heard Bert's cry. Through the storm the voice came to them, though of course they did not know it was their brother calling. “Hark!" exclaimed Freddie, who, with his sister, had been floundering about in the drifts, the small Bobbsey twins trying to find their FOUND AT LAST 233 former tracks in the snow so they could work their way back. But the flakes had fallen into their footprints, and had been blown over them so deeply that the prints were blotted out. “Do you hear that?" asked Freddie of Flossie. “Yes," she answered, as the voice came to her ears. “It's somebody saying he'll help us." That is what she thought it was—someone wanting to help her and Freddie, not someone in need of help. Again came the call, and it sounded so close that the two small Bobbsey twins knew which way to go to reach it. “We're coming! We're coming!" shouted Freddie. “Come on, Rover! I guess that's daddy coming to help us! 'We're coming!" With a bark the dog bounded through the storm after the two children, and you can im- agine how surprised Bert Bobbsey on the rock was when he heard shouts in answer to his own. He did not know, of course, that Freddie and Flossie were anywhere near him. He thought it was his father and some of the men from Cedar Camp. 234 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP A little later the small Bobbsey twins came within sight of the big rock. They could not see Bert on it on account of the blinding snow. But Rover caught the smell of the wildcat, and with a savage bark he sprang to drive the creature away. “Good old Rover! Good dog!" cried Bert, as the snow stopped for a moment and he caught sight of the dog that he knew. “Sic him, Rover!" And Rover rushed at the wildcat with such fierceness that the beast scuttled back to its den under the half-fallen tree. And then Bert looked and saw Flossie and Freddie. At the same time the small Bobbsey twins looked up and caught a glimpse of their brother on the rock. “Oh, Bert!" cried Freddie, “did you come out to look for us? We're lost!" “So am I, I guess," Bert answered, as he jumped down, landing in a bank of soft snow and beginning to pet Rover. “Where in the world did you children come from ?" “We came out after daddy and Mr. .Tim and 236 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP “We're not alone now," Flossie said. ‘We got you with us!" “Well, I'm glad you met me," Bert said. “And I'm glad Rover drove that wildcat away. I scared one with snowballs, but I couldn't hit this one very well. Now we'd better try to get back to camp. I guess there's going to be another storm." “Will it snow a whole lot and cover us all up?" asked Flossie, anxiously. The poor little girl had had quite enough of snow, cold wind, blizzards, and bad weather of all sorts. “Oh, I guess maybe it won't snow so very hard," answered Bert. He did not want to confess to Flossie and Freddie that he was a bit frightened. “Maybe Rover could show us which way to go to find Cedar Camp," suggested Freddie. “Dogs are smart, and Rover is a good dog." “He was nice to us when we sat under the pine tree," went on Flossie. “And he ran out and brought in pine cones and he shook him- self and made snow fly all over me." FOUND AT LAST 237 “You didn't try to eat pine cones, did you?" asked Bert. “Oh, no," Flossie answered. “We just threw them for Rover to play with. But I'm too tired to play now. I want to go to bed." “Oh, Flossie, you don't want to go to bed now, do you ?" asked Bert. “Why, if you were to lie down in the snow you'd freeze." “I don't want to go to sleep in the snow," Flossie said, and she was beginning to whine a little. No wonder, for it had been a hard day for her and Freddie. “No, I don't want to sleep in the snow," the little girl said. “I want my own little bunk at the camp." “Well, we'll be there pretty soon," Bert said, as kindly as he could. “Carry me!" begged Flossie, when she had ' stumbled on a little farther, walking between her two brothers. “All right. I guess I can carry you," said Bert, but he was worrying about his leg a little. It was not so bad when he bore his own weight on it. But could he carry Flossie? However, he was not going to give up with- 238 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP out trying, and so, when they came to a little sheltered place, where the snow was not quite so deep, Bert stooped down. “I'll take you pickaback, Flossie," he said. “Oh, I like that!" laughed his sister, as she climbed up on her brother's back. Bert was not sure whether or not he was going to like it, but he said nothing. He had to shut his teeth tight to keep from crying out with pain as he straightened up with Flossie on his back, for her weight, small as she was, put too much weight on his injured leg. Flos- sie was quite “chunky" for her size, as Dinah was wont to say. “Hold steady now, Flossie," directed Bert, as he straightened up. “Put your arms around my neck." “I guess I know how to ride piggy-back!" laughed Flossie. She was not so tired now, when something like this happened to change her thoughts. Bert staggered along through the snow with his sister on his back. Though he did not want to say so, his leg hurt him very much. But he FOUND AT LAST 239 tried not to limp, tlfough Freddie at last no- tioed it, and asked: “Have you got a stone in your shoe, Bert?" “Oh, no, I—I just sprained it a little," Bert answered in a low voice, so Flossie would not hear. For of course if she had known it hurt her brother to carry her she would not ask him to. But just then Flossie was reaching up to take hold of a branch of a tree as Bert passed beneath it. And, catching hold of it, Flossie, with a merry laugh, showered herself and Bert with snow that clung to the branch. “Don't, Flossie, dear!" Bert had 'to say. "There's snow enough without pulling down any more. And we'll get plenty if the clouds spill more flakes." “Do you think it will storm some more?" Freddie wanted to know. Bert did not answer right away. He was thinking what he could do about Flossie. If she could not walk then she must be carried, but he felt that he could not hold her on his back much longer, his leg was paining too much. Just then the sight of Rover, the big, strong FOUND AT LAST 243 and the two men with him had gotten off the road that led to Old Jim's cabin, and it was because of that fact that they had found the lost children. “What had we better do ?" asked Mr. Bobb- sey, when it was learned that Bert, Freddie and Flossie had really suffered no harm from being lost. “Should we go back to Cedar Camp or to your cabin, Mr. Bimby?" “The cabin is nearer," said Tom Case. “If you folks go there, with Jim to guide you, I'll back track to Cedar Camp and fetch a sled. You can ride the Bobbsey twins home in that." “Yes, we'd better go to my cabin," said Old Jim. “We can make room for you, and we'll take the food with us." So this plan was decided on, Tom Case and Rover going to Cedar Camp for the sled, while Mr. Bobbsey, Mr. Bimby and the three chil- dren trudged back to Mrs. Bimby's cabin. You can imagine how glad Nan and the old woman were to see not only Bert but the others. “Oh, I was afraid when it began to storm again," said Nan, as she hugged Flossie and 244 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP Freddie. “But I never dreamed you two would be out in it." “Nor I," said their father. “You ought to see the bear skin we found!" exclaimed Freddie, to change the subject. “It's going to be for Mrs. Bimby, to keep her warm." “Bless their hearts!" murmured Old Jim's wife. “I can keep warm all right, but it's hard to get food in a storm." However, there was plenty of that now, and they all soon gathered about the table and had a hot meal. The second storm was not as bad as the first had been, and later that evening up came a big sled, filled with straw and drawn by powerful horses, and in it was Mrs. Bobbsey and some of the men from Cedar Camp. After a joyful reunion, in piled the Bobbsey twins with their father and mother, and good- byes were called to the Bimby family, who now had food enough to last through many storms. There was not much trouble getting to Cedar Camp, though the road was so blocked with snow that once the sled almost upset. But before midnight the Bobbsey twins were back in the cabin, all safe together once again. 246 THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP on their father and mother to remain a few days longer. And then the Bobbsey twins had many good times, playing in the woods and about the sawmill. For there came a thaw after the big storms, and most of the snow melted. Bert and Nan got more chestnuts. too. “But I hope we'll have some snow for Christ~ mas," said Nan. “So we can make a snow fort!" added Freddie. “And a snowman and knock his hat off!" laughed Flossie. “I should think you'd had enough snow,” remarked their mother. But the Bobbsey twins seldom had enough of anything when there was fun and excite~ ment going, and you may be sure this was not the last of their adventures. But now let us say good-bye. THE END This Isn't All!’ Would you like to know what became of the good friends you have made in this book? Would you like to read other stories continuing their adventures and experiences, or other books quite as entertaining by the same author? On the reverse side of the wrap- per which comes with this book, you will find a wonderful list of stories which you can buy at the same store where you got this book. Don't throw away the Wrapper Use it as a handy catalog of the books you want some day to have. But in case you do mislay it, write to the Publishers for a complete catalog. m CAROLYN WELLS BOOKS Attraetively Bound. Illustrated. Colored Wrlppon. THE MARJORIE BOOKS Marjorie is a happy little girl of twelve, up to mischief, but full of goodness and sincerity. In her and her Friends every girl reader will see much of her own love of fun, play and adventure. MARJORIE'S VACATION MARJORIE'S BUSY DAYS MARJORIE'S NEW FRIEND MARJORIE IN COMMAND MARJORIE'S MAYTIME MARJORIE AT SEACOTE THE TWO LITTLE WOMEN SERIES Introducing Dorinda. Fayre—a pretty blonde. sweet, serious, timid and a little slow, and Dorothy Rose—a sparkling brunette, quick, elf/like, high tempered, full of mischief and always getting into scrapes. TWO LITTLE WOMEN TWO LITTLE WOMEN AND TREASURE HOUSE TWO LITTLE WOMEN ON A HOLIDAY THE DICK AND DOLLY BOOKS Dick and Dolly are brother and sister, and their games, their pranks, their joys and sorrows, are told in a manner which makes the stories "really true" _ to young readers. DICK AND DOLLY DICK AND DOLLY'S ADVENTURES GROSSET 8: DUNLAP, PUBLISHERS, New YORK -'"-—'fi