CHAPTER V
GLORIOUS NEWS
"How did it all happen?" asked Uncle Jack, a little later, as he ledFlossie and Freddie along a path through the snow to his cabin in thewoods. "Why are you two out ice-boating alone?"
"The rest of 'em spilled out," answered Freddie; "and I upset Flossie andme when I pulled on the wrong rope. But we're not hurt a bit. It was fun.Wasn't it, Flossie?"
"Ye--yes, I--I guess so."
"Hum! You're part of the Bobbsey twins, aren't you?" asked the oldwoodchopper, who made a living by cutting firewood and kindling wood inthe forest, where he lived by himself in a lonely cabin all the yeararound.
"Yes, we're the littlest ones," answered Flossie. "Bert and Nan arebigger, but they fell off, too."
"So falling from an ice-boat doesn't go by sizes," laughed the old man.
Then, taking turns, Flossie and Freddie told the story of the runawayice-boat, and of having left the rest of their family several miles awayon the ice.
"We tried to stop, but we couldn't," said Flossie. "And, oh, dear! Iwonder where Daddy and Mother are now." Flossie spoke as though it wouldnot take much to make her cry.
"Don't worry," said Uncle Jack, as every one around Lakeport called him."If your father and mother don't come for you I'll take you home."
"It--it's a long way to walk," said Freddie with a sigh. "And I guessFlossie is hungry. Aren't you?" he asked of his little sister.
"Well--a little," admitted the blue-eyed girl twin.
"How about you, little man?" asked Uncle Jack.
"I--I guess I am, too," Freddie admitted. "Have you got anything to eat?"
"Well, maybe we can find something in my cabin," said the old man. He hadleft his axe sticking in a tree near where the ice-boat had run into thesnow bank, and was leading the children along by either hand. Flossie andFreddie looked up into his kindly, wrinkled face, the cheeks glowing redlike two rosy apples, and they knew they would be well taken care of.Uncle Jack was a fine, honest man, and he was always kind to children,who, often in the Summer, would gather flowers near his lonely log cabin.
In a little while Flossie and Freddie were seated in front of a stove, inwhich crackled a hot fire, eating bread and milk, which was the best thewoodchopper could offer them. But they were so hungry that, as Freddiesaid afterward, it tasted better than chicken and ice-cream.
"Haven't you got any little girl?" asked Flossie after a while.
"No, I haven't a chick or a child, I'm sorry to say."
"My father would give you a chicken if you wanted it," said Freddie. "Andsome days _we_ could come and stay with you."
"That last part would be all right," said the old man with a smile; "but Ihaven't any place to keep a chicken. It would get lonesome, I'm afraid,while I'm off in the forest chopping wood. But I thank you just the same."
"Didn't you ever have any children?" asked Flossie, taking a second glassof milk which the kindly old man gave her.
"Never a one. Though when I was a boy I lived in a place where there weretwo children, I think. But it's all kind of hazy."
"Where was that?" asked Freddie, brushing up the last of the bread crumbsfrom his plate.
"I don't remember much about my folks. Most of my life has been spentworking on farmers' land, until I got so old I could not plow or cut hay.Then the man who owns this forest said I might come here and chopfirewood, and I did. I built this cabin myself, and I've lived all alonein it for many years."
This was so, for Jack had been in the woods from the time when Bert andNan were babies, so Flossie and Freddie had often heard their olderbrother and sister say.
"Haven't you any folks?" asked Freddie.
"Well, I seem to remember that once I had a brother and a sister. But Ilost track of them, and they lost me, I guess; so where they are now, ifthey're anywhere, I don't know. I'm all alone, I guess," and thewoodchopper's face was sad.
"Never mind! We'll come to see you," said Flossie, with a smile. "But nowmaybe we'd better start home, Freddie. Papa and Mamma may be worried aboutus."
"I'll take you home, if you've had enough to eat," said Uncle Jack.
"Oh, we've had plenty, thank you," said Freddie. "But it's a long way togo home. If I could sail the ice-boat back----"
"I don't like that boat!" cried Flossie.
"How would you like to ride on a sled?" asked the woodchopper. "In a sleddrawn by a horse with jingling bells?"
"That would be _fine!_" cried Freddie, clapping his hands. "But where ishe--the horse, I mean?"
"Oh, out in my little stable. I built a small stable, as well as thiscabin, for I have to haul my wood into town to sell it. I'll get mybobsled ready and tuck you in among the blankets that spilled from yourice-boat. Then I'll drive you home."
Flossie and Freddie liked this plan, and were soon snugly tucked in amongtheir own robes, for the ice-boat had upset not far from the woodchopper'scabin.
"Your folks will likely be worried about you," said Uncle Jack, "so I'llget you home as fast as I can, though my horse isn't very speedy. He'sgetting old, like myself."
"You don't _look_ old," said Flossie kindly.
"Well, I am. I'm old and full of pains and aches."
"Have you got a stomachache?" asked Flossie. "If you have my mother couldgive you some peppermint."
"My pain is in my bones and back; peppermint isn't much good for that. Iguess I need to go to a hospital. But never mind me, I must look after youchildren now."
Along through the snow jogged the woodcutter's horse, his bells jinglingas he hauled the sled over the road that led along the shore of the lake.
"What'll we do about Bert's ice-boat?" asked Flossie.
"I'll look after it until he comes for it," said Uncle Jack. "It isn'tdamaged any, and it will be all right. Few folks come down to this end ofthe lake in Winter. I have it all to myself."
"You must be lonesome," remarked Freddie.
"I am, sometimes. Often I wish I had folks, like other men. But it isn'tto be, I reckon. G'lang there, Bucksaw."
"Is that the name of your horse?"
"Yes. Bucksaw is his name. Pretty good for a woodchopper's horse, Iguess," and the old man smiled.
While Flossie and Freddie were being driven home by the woodchopper, Mr.and Mrs. Bobbsey, with Bert and Nan, left far behind on the ice when the_Bird_ upset, were much worried and excited.
"What can we do?" cried Bert.
"We must go after those children!" exclaimed Mrs. Bobbsey.
"That's what I'm going to do," Mr. Bobbsey remarked.
"If I could borrow one of those ice-boats over there," put in Bert,pointing toward some on the other side of the lake, "I could sail down andget them."
"No more ice-boats to-day!" said Mrs. Bobbsey. "Oh, I do hope nothinghappens to Flossie and Freddie!"
"I don't believe they'll be hurt," said their father. "Even if they fallout they can't get much of a bump on the ice, and if they run ashore, asthey're likely to do, they'll only fall in the snow. Don't worry."
"But we _must_ go after them!" cried his wife.
"Just what I am going to do. Bert and I will go to shore, hire a team anddrive down the lake after them. The road runs right along the lake shoreand we'll be sure to see them, or hear something of them. They'll be allright."
It did not take Mr. Bobbsey and Bert long to get started on the search forthe missing ones, for Flossie and Freddie in the ice-boat had sailedaround the point of land, as I told you, and were out of sight of theirfolks.
Mrs. Bobbsey and Nan were taken home by some friends who happened to passthe lake in their automobile, and half-way to the woodcutter's cabin,though he had no idea the children had been there, Mr. Bobbsey and Bertmet them being driven to Lakeport by Uncle Jack.
"Oh, there's Daddy!" cried Freddie.
"And Bert!" added Flossie, as she saw her brother. "Your ice-boat's allright," she added. "We just fell out of it."
"Are _you_ all right?" asked Mr. Bobbsey, stopping his horses.
r /> "Fine!" cried Freddie. "And we had bread and milk."
"Well, I'm sure I'm much obliged to you, Uncle Jack," said the children'sfather. "It was very kind of you."
Then Flossie and Freddie told their story, and the woodchopper told ofhaving seen them tossed into the snow and of how he helped them out, andthen Mr. Bobbsey told what had happened to him, the children's mother,Bert and Nan.
"I just pulled on the wrong rope, that's all, and I guess I steered theboat crooked," said Freddie with a laugh.
"You're lucky it was no worse," remarked Bert, laughing also. "But as longas you two are all right, and the _Bird_ isn't damaged, I'm glad."
Mr. Bobbsey was also, and then he took the children into his sleigh,driving home with them while Uncle Jack turned back.
"I like him," said Flossie, speaking of the old woodchopper to her father."He hasn't a chick or a child and he lives all alone in the woods."
"Yes, poor Uncle Jack doesn't have a very happy life," said Mr. Bobbsey."I must see what we can do to help him."
Little was talked of in the Bobbsey home that afternoon and evening butthe adventure with the ice-boat, and what had happened to Flossie andFreddie when it ran away with them.
The next day Bert and Tommy Todd got the _Bird_ back and had fine timessailing in it. Flossie and Freddie, as well as some of their friends, werealso given rides, but Bert cut the sail smaller so his boat would not goso fast, making it safer.
When the Bobbsey twins were not ice-boating they were skating, or buildingsnow forts or snow men. Once Flossie and Freddie built a little snow houseand got inside it with Snoop, the black cat, and Snap, the dog.
Everything was very nice, but the house was so small that, when they wereall in it, there was not room for Snap to wag his tail. And as there neverwas a dog yet, with a tail, who did not want to wag it, you can easilyguess what happened.
Either Snap wagged his tail in the faces of Flossie and Freddie or hewhacked Snoop with it, and as the cat did not like that she ran out of thesnow house.
But Snap kept on wagging his tail, and as Flossie and Freddie made him getto one side when he did it the only other place he had to wag it wasagainst the sides of the snow house.
Now these snow sides were not very thick or strong--they were not made tobe wagged against by a big dog's tail, and, all of a sudden, Snap waggedhis tail right through the snow house.
Then, with a swish and a swush, down the snow house toppled right on theheads of Flossie, Freddie and Snap. Snap gave a howl and dug his way out.But the two small twins were laughing so hard that it took them a littlelonger to dig their way out.
They were not hurt in the least, however, and they thought it great fun tohave the snow house fall on them when Snap's tail wagged too hard.
It was about a week after the funny ice-boat ride that Mr. Bobbsey camehome from his office a little earlier than usual. He was smiling, and whenhis wife saw him she asked:
"Did it come?"
"Did what come?" asked Nan. "Are we going to have a new automobile,Mother?"
"Not yet, Nan."
"Then what came?"
"Glorious news!" cried her father, catching her up and kissing her."Glorious news came in a letter. We are all going to a great city!"
"To live?"
"No, just on a visit," said Mrs. Bobbsey. "Oh, it is good news! I havebeen wanting to go for a long while. Come in, Bert--and you too, Flossieand Freddie--and hear the good news!" she called to the other twins."Daddy has glorious news for us!"