CHAPTER XII--MR. BOBBSEY IS WORRIED
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 inaround her, and a wave of grateful warmth seemed to rush out as if towrap itself around the cold twins. For a moment they stood there, andBert was just beginning to wonder if the old woman was going to shut thedoor 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 beforethis awful storm. But land sakes! here I am talking and keeping you outin the cold. Come in!"
It was cold. Bert and Nan were beginning to feel that now, for the stormwas growing worse, and it was now late afternoon. The sun was beginningto go down, though of course it could not be seen on account of the snowand clouds. The Bobbsey twins had wandered farther and longer than theyhad thought. But at last they had found a place of shelter.
"It's just like me to keep you standing there while I talk," said Mrs.Bimby. "I'm sorry. But I'm so worried about Jim that I reckon I don'tknow what I'm doing. Come in and get warm, and I'll give you somethingto eat."
"We've got something to eat, thank you," said Nan. "But we would like toget warm," and she followed Bert inside the log cabin, as Mrs. Bimbystepped aside to make room for them to enter.
"Got something to eat, have you?" questioned the old woman. "Well,you're lucky, that's all I've got to say. I've only a little, but Iexpect Jim back any minute with more, though a dollar don't buy an awfullot these days."
"Does Jim live here?" asked Bert, as he walked over to a stove, in whicha fire of wood was burning, sending out a grateful heat.
"Of course he lives here," said Mrs. Bimby. "He's my husband. He's alogger--a lumberman."
"Oh, maybe he works for my father!" exclaimed Nan. "Mr. Bobbsey, youknow. He owns part of Cedar Camp."
"No, I don't know him," said Mrs. Bimby, "though I've heard of CedarCamp. They got a lot of Christmas trees out of there."
"That's what we came up about," explained Bert. "Some Christmas trees myfather bought to sell didn't come to Lakeport, and he came up here tosee 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. "Youtwo are twins, for a fact. But----"
"There's Flossie and Freddie," interrupted Nan. "We left them back incamp 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 Camp?" he askedMrs. 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.
"No," said the old woman, "Jim is a logger and wood cutter, but hedoesn't work at Cedar Camp. That's too far off for him to go to and getback from."
"Too far off!" echoed Nan, and she began to have a funny feeling, as shetold Bert afterward.
"Yes," resumed Mrs. Bimby. "Cedar Camp is away over on the other side ofthe hills. You're a long way from home. You must have taken the wrongroad in the storm."
"I--I guess we did," admitted Bert. "But couldn't your husband take usback?"
Again Mrs. Bimby shook her head.
"Jim, my husband, isn't home," she said. "He went over to town justbefore the storm to get us something to eat. But now I don't see howhe's going to get back," and she went to a window to look out at thestorm.
It was getting much worse, as Bert and Nan could see. The wind howledaround the corners of the log cabin of Jim Bimby, the logger, and theblast whistled down the chimney, even blowing sparks out around the doorof 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 wasJim. I wish he'd come back, but he's an old man, and he may fall down inthe snow and not be able to get up. He isn't as strong as he used to be.I'm certainly worried about Jim!"
"Oh, maybe he'll come along all right," said Nan, trying to be helpfuland comforting.
"If he doesn't pretty soon it'll be night, and in all this storm henever can find his way after dark. But you children take your things offand sit up and have a cup of tea with me. I've got some tea andcondensed milk left, anyhow."
"We can't take tea unless it's very weak," said Nan, remembering hermother's rule in this respect.
"All right, dearie, I'll make it weak for you twins, though I like itstrong myself," said Mrs. Bimby. "My, what a storm! _What_ a storm!" andshe drew her shawl more closely around her shoulders as the wind howleddown the chimney.
Bert and Nan took off their warm things, laying their packages of lunchand the bags of chestnuts on the table. Nan saw the old woman go to acloset, and the glimpse the Bobbsey girl had of the shelves showed herthat 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 apretty good lunch, and there's more'n half of it left."
"Bless your hearts, my dears," said Mrs. Bimby. "I wouldn't take yourlunch. You'll need it yourselves. I've a little victuals left in thehouse, though if my Jim doesn't get back soon there won't be much forto-morrow. My, what a storm! What a storm!"
The small log cabin seemed to shake and tremble in the wind, as thoughit would blow away. And the snow was now coming down so thickly thatBert and Nan could see only a short distance out of the window. Therewas little to see, anyhow, save trees and bushes, and these were fastbecoming covered with snow.
Mrs. Bimby busied herself about the stove, putting the kettle on so shecould make tea, and Bert and Nan watched her. The Bobbsey twins werewondering what would happen, how they could get home, and whether or nottheir father and mother would worry. Nan looked about the cabin. She didnot see any beds, but a steep flight of stairs, leading up to whatseemed to be a second story, might provide bedrooms, Nan thought. Thecabin was clean and neat, and she was glad of that.
"I do hope Jim comes," murmured Mrs. Bimby, as she poured the boilingwater on the dry tea leaves in the pot. "I do hope he isn'tstorm-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 tea, and I'll take mine strong.I need it for my nerves," said the old woman.
And while Bert and Nan had thus found shelter from what turned out to beone of the worst storms ever remembered in the country around CedarCamp, the other Bobbsey twins, Flossie and Freddie, were safe at homewith their mother. Flossie was now cozy and warm after her dip into thewater.
"There's your father!" exclaimed Mrs. Bobbsey, as she heard someonestamping off the snow at the front door. "I hope he has Bert and Nanwith him."
But when Mr. Bobbsey came in alone and heard that the older twins hadnot come back from their nutting trip, a worried look came over hisface.
"Not back yet!" he exclaimed. "Why, it's getting dark and the storm isgrowing worse! I must start out after them with some of the lumbermen.They must be lost!"