CHAPTER XVII--TRYING AGAIN
Though Flossie and Freddie had what they called "good times" in the logcabin at Cedar Camp, and though Old Jim played with them, making boatsand dolls of wood, still the small Bobbsey twins wished for the time tocome when they might go out of doors. They also began to wish for thereturn of Bert and Nan.
"When _will_ they come, Mother?" Flossie asked over and over again.
"And bring us chestnuts!" teased Freddie.
"Oh, they'll come soon now," Mrs. Bobbsey said, as she looked out of thewindow at the flakes of snow, still falling, and listened to the whistleof the cold wind around the cabin.
And in her heart how very much Mrs. Bobbsey wished that Bert and Nanwould come back soon! Mr. Bobbsey wished the same thing, and the onlycomfort the father and mother had in those worrisome days was thethought that their older twins _must_ have found shelter somewhere inthe woods.
Old Jim declared that this was so, as, likewise, did Tom Case and JimDenton. But it was still storming too much for another searching partyto set out and look for Nan and Bert. Those who searched mightthemselves become lost in the blizzard. For that is what the storm nowwas--a regular blizzard.
Mr. Bobbsey could do nothing toward searching for the lost shipment ofChristmas trees. The lumbermen could not work at cutting 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 atime. They wanted to go out and play even if there was snow, but theirmother would not let them in such an unusual storm.
"It's like when we were at Snow Lodge," sighed Flossie, as she stoodwith her little nose pressed flat against the window, thereby making herface cold.
"We could go out a little there," sighed Freddie.
"I think you children are very lucky," said their mother. "You have awarm place to stay. Think of poor Nan and Bert. They may----"
She stopped suddenly. She dared not think of what her older son anddaughter 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 notbelieve in worrying, unless it was over not having fun enough. However,the log cabin was of good size, and with Old Jim to come over now andthen to amuse them with cutting out wooden toys, the two Bobbsey twinsdid not have such a sad time as might be imagined.
To-day, however, when the storm had kept up so long, and when they hadnot had a chance to go out, they felt rather lonesome and as if theywanted to "do something." So, presently, when Flossie had grown tired ofpressing her nose against the glass, making it cold, and then holding iton Freddie's cheek to hear him exclaim in surprise, the little girlwandered about looking for something to do. Freddie joined her, andwhile their mother was in another room, talking to Mr. Bobbsey, andsaying he ought, soon, to make another trip and search for Bert and Nan,Flossie and Freddie went up in the top story of the log cabin.
The log cabin was the largest in that part of the woods, and was higherthan most, so that in addition to the bedrooms on the second floor,there was, above them, an open attic, reached by a short flight ofsteps, and in it were stored all sorts of odds and ends.
"Maybe we can find something here to play with," suggested Flossie.
"Maybe," agreed Freddie.
They rummaged around in the half-dark place, back in corners where theroof came down slanting and making little "cubby-holes," and it wasafter a glance into one of these places that Flossie drew back andwhispered to Freddie:
"There's a bear in here!"
"A bear! Where?" and Freddie moved over closer to Flossie and lookedwhere she pointed.
"There," said the little girl, and, glancing along the line of heroutstretched finger, Freddie saw a big, furry heap in a dark corner. "Itouched it first with my foot," said Flossie, "and it was soft, justlike the bear I touched that the Italian had once, leading around by astring in his nose. And then I put out my hand and I felt his fur!"
"Oh!" exclaimed Freddie. "Did he--did he bite you?" He had been lookingfor something to play with on the other side of the attic, and,therefore, had not seen all that Flossie had.
"Course he didn't bite me!" the little girl answered. "You didn't hearme 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 couldthrust his hand forward and touch that mysterious heap of fur. "I--Iguess maybe he's asleep, that's why he didn't growl or nothin'!"
"I guess maybe," agreed Freddie. Neither of the Bobbsey twins feltsurprised because they had an idea a bear might be in the attic withthem. 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, bystretching out his hand, managed to touch the fur. It felt warm and softto his fingers.
"Oh, it _is_ a bear!" he whispered, and he was delighted. "Let's go andtell mother, and we can bring it downstairs and play with it. I guessit's a little bear!"
"Yes, we'd better tell mother," agreed Flossie. Somehow, the more shethought of a bear being up in the attic the more she thought it betterto have some of the older folks know about it.
Down the stairs went the two Bobbsey twins, walking softly so as not toawaken the bear. They didn't want him suddenly aroused from his sleepand made cross. Who would?
"Where have you children been?" cried Mrs. Bobbsey, as she saw the twotwins. They were covered with dust and cobwebs from having crawled sofar under the sloping roof in the attic. The floor was dirty, too, nothaving been swept in many months, and they had sat right down in theworst of the dust.
"Oh, Mother!" gasped Flossie, "we've been up in the attic, and what doyou think's up there? It's a----"
"_Bear!_" burst out Freddie, not wanting his sister to tell all thewonderful 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 bepossible that one had crawled into the cabin before they had come, andhad gone to the attic to have his long winter sleep.
"Yes, it is a bear!" insisted Flossie, and both children were so certainabout the heap of fur that Mrs. Bobbsey called her husband, who was outin the woodshed with Tom Case and Jim Bimby.
"A bear!" cried the mill foreman. "Well, there are some around thesewoods, but I never knew of one coming into a cabin. I'll take a look."
"Hadn't you better take a gun?" asked Mr. Bobbsey, as he and Old Jimfollowed the foreman upstairs. "There's one here."
"Well, you might hand it to me," said Mr. Case. "But I reckon if it is abear that's crawled in to go to sleep, he'll be so lazy I can take himby the back of the neck and throw him out."
Freddie and Flossie waited with their mother while their father and thetwo men went to the attic. They could hear the three moving around upoverhead, 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 downstairs. Tom Case carriedsomething--something brown and shaggy, just like the fur of some animal.
"There's your 'bear!'" he said, laughing, as he tossed the furry objectover a chair. "A bear skin! Ha! Ha!"
And that is what it was. The skin of a big bear, made into a lap robefor use in cold weather. The fur was warm, thick and soft, and when theskin was huddled up in a heap in a corner no wonder the Bobbsey twinsmistook it for a real bear, especially in the dark.
"That's a good warm fur robe," said Old Jim. "If it was made into a furcoat it would keep out the cold."
"Maybe that's what the man who used to live here was going to use itfor," said Mr. Bobbsey. "He moved away and forgot it. Well, you childrencan
play with it," he said to Flossie and Freddie. "It was a bear once."
And the Bobbsey twins had fun taking turns wrapping the bear skin aboutthem and pretending to be different kinds of wild animals.
It was when the storm began to grow less severe, the wind not blowing sohard and the snow not coming down so thickly, that Mr. Bobbsey, lookingfrom the window when Flossie and Freddie were playing "bear," said:
"I think I'll start out again."
"Where?" asked his wife.
"To find Bert and Nan," he answered. "I think the blizzard is aboutover, and they will probably be starting for home. I'll go to meetthem."
"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 pileddeep in drifts, and you'd sink away down in--over your heads. I'll takesome of the men and start," he said to his wife.
And so, a little later, another searching party started away from CedarCamp to find the missing Bobbsey twins.
"I'll go along," said Old Jim, who was now able to travel. "I must takesome food to my wife. She'll be 'most starved."
"Yes, come with us," said Mr. Bobbsey. "We'll take some food to Mrs.Bimby."