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Updated: May 26, 2025
I have been wanting to go for a long while. Come in, Bert and you too, Flossie and Freddie and hear the good news!" she called to the other twins. "Daddy has glorious news for us!" "Are we going?" cried Flossie, when she heard that the family was about to make some sort of a journey. "And can we take the ice-boat?" Freddie asked eagerly. "Yes, of course you're going," said Mrs. Bobbsey.
"Where is your ice-boat?" asked Harry of Bert, as they kept on along the path that led to the lake. "Over in the next cove. I had her out the other day, and the wind died out, leaving me there. Since then we've been so busy getting ready to go to Snow Lodge that I haven't had time to bring her back to the dock." "Will she be safe over there?" "I guess so hardly anybody goes there in winter."
In the morning he had a spin in the ice-boat with his hostess and a few of the hardier guests; in the afternoon he "went over the farm" with Reggie, and listened, in the elaborately appointed stables, to long and impressive disquisitions on the horse; after tea he talked in a corner of the firelit hall with a young lady who had professed herself broken-hearted when his engagement was announced, but was now eager to tell him of her own matrimonial hopes; and finally, about midnight, he assisted in putting a gold-fish in one visitor's bed, dressed up a burglar in the bath-room of a nervous aunt, and saw in the small hours by joining in a pillow-fight that ranged from the nurseries to the basement.
'But I don't much admire that greyish look off there, he added, becoming grave, and pointing to a hazy discolouration in the eastern skies. 'I shouldn't be surprised if we had a blow to-night; and our easterly winds in winter always bring snow. Uncle Zack was lost in admiration of the spirit which projected and executed this ice-boat voyage.
The first fall of snow had entirely disappeared, and the lake had become free of ice, to be covered again, however, by a far thicker coat than before, and equally smooth. Harry and Charley were eager to have an ice-boat, and they persuaded Philip, in spite of his many avocations, to assist them in making one. The great point was to have good runners.
"Now for skates and our ice-boat!" cried Bert, and the fun started as soon as the lake was safe. The children had many good times, often going up to the nearest village in the ice-boat. Sometimes Bert had races with other ice-boats, and occasionally he won even against larger craft that were bought, instead of being home- made. But almost as often the Ice Bird came in last.
Then with a whizz and a clink of ice, as the runners of the boat scraped big chips from the frozen lake, the skimming boat shot past Nan and Bert, not doing a bit of harm, but scaring all five children very much. "Sorry! Didn't see you! Next time " This was what the man in the ice-boat shouted as he whizzed by.
He's almost at the end of the lake now." "Yes, an ice-boat goes almost as fast as the wind," said Bert. "Maybe some day " "Oh, come on!" cried Flossie. "I want to go home! I'm cold standing here." "Yes, we had better go on," said Nan. "I'm all right now." As the five children skated off, no longer thinking of the race, Nan asked Bert: "What are you going to do some day?" "Oh, I don't know.
"And the reason I happened to have news for Bert was because Tommy's father wrote to me about some business matters, and Tommy slipped in a little note himself. Here it is, Bert." It was just a little letter telling about the ice-boat, and Tommy expressed the wish that Bert would soon come home to help sail it in other races.
Holt hesitated whether to adopt the safer and more laborious plan of following the windings of the shore, or to strike across boldly, and save a mile of meandering by one rapid push ahead. The latter was Arthur's decided choice. 'Well, here goes! and by the guiding rope in his hand Mr. Holt turned the head of the ice-boat before the wind.
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