The Bobbsey Twins in a Great City

and keep the wind from blowing on them too hard. So they did not see the ice-boat coming toward them, for the craft, blown by

o something!

! I will-

kate toward the twins as fast as he could. He hoped to reach them in tim

this. The ice-boat was coming toward the small twins fa

at's the only way to stop them!

to do. He stopped skating and, making a sort of

e! Look out! Dan

and wanted a rest, the two children leading the skating race stood up straight and looked back. They saw

nd Flossie, the man steered his boat to one side. But he made such a sudden change that, though he steered out of the way of Flossie and Fred

ed big chips from the frozen lake, the skimming boat shot past Nan and

't see you!

whizzed by. His last words seemed whipped away by

e he'd be sure to run in

s Mr. Watson. He buys lumber from my father. I gu

ld you ride in one of those d

give me the chance! H

ay so! They

lease let's stop and rest. My heart is b

d Freddie were a little startled by the closeness of the ice

ll have a chance to let my new readers know something of

he family lived in an Eastern city called Lakeport, which was at the head of Lake Metoka. Mr. Bobbsey was in

air and blue eyes. So it would have been easy to tell the twins apart, even if one pair had not been older than the other. Besides the children and their parents there were in

irst book of this series, entitled "The Bobbsey Twins," do not need to read this explanation here, but others may care to. In the second volume I told you

e at Snow Lodge there were some strange happenings, as there were also on the houseboat Bl

was always a question whether they had better times there or

Todd, a boy who lived with his grandmother in a poor section of Lakeport. And it was still that same Winter, after Tommy's

exclaimed Nan, as she skated slowly

Flossie. "Did he

ike that! He was looking after the ropes of the sail, or doing somethin

ice-boat go?"

blows a sailboat," explained Bert, lo

l boat," went on Freddie. "And it doesn't

er like a cross-almost the same as when you start to make a kite," he went on. "On each end of the short cross there are double runners, like skates, only bigger. And

ast and make the sail fast to that. Then when the wind blo

Tommy Todd. "Look! He's almos

st as fast as the wind," sa

ssie. "I want to go home

go on," said Nan.

d off, no longer thinking

u going to d

got it all thought out yet.

ret?" asked

rt

ease te

ome on, ska

would try to keep up with them, and so would get home more qu

to his grandmother's house, and Flossie and Freddie took turns

ny danger?" asked M

uess Mr. Watson would have stopped i

e get so far away from you anothe

and then, having asked his mother if she wanted anything from

s she saw him leaving. "

swered Bert

the ice, Nan and Bert keeping close to Freddie and Flossie. The

mes that ice

dded Nan. "Oh, we must sk

ed Bert. "It isn't coming f

ed Flossie. "I guess he wants to

e he is going to stop," he went on, as the ice-boat came slowly up to them. Then

n, don't you want

ied Flossie, cl

to steer!" a

, Bert, do you think it would be all right

ind doesn't blow hard, and Mr. Watson kn

" cried Flossi

nd walked toward the ice-boa

see you until almost the last minute. So I made up my mind the next ti

ing near the lake as they did, and often seeing boats at their fath

as some boats," said Mr. Watson, "

raised sides, built on the center of the crossed sticks, a

wrapped, and then, telling them all to hold on, he let out the sail a

sped Nan, for really the wind

iced that her brother was looking at different parts

the sides of the ice-boat, for the craft slid this way and that so quickly, somet

l too soon. With sparkling eyes, and red, glowing cheeks, the twins got o

time," he answered, as he

how did my little fat fairy like it?" And he lifted up first Freddie and then Flossie to kiss them. "Fat fireman" and "fat fairy" were Mr. Bobbsey's pet names for

ailing in an ice-boat must be like t

!" cried Freddie, making a dive after Snoo

asked Mrs. Bobbsey, of her husband, when t

on with his head, as if to tell his wife not t

clapping her hands. "What does

be told in plenty of time

cried Nan. "Bert has one

s secret?" ask

w yet; he wo

r brother. "But what's this about Fathe

voice of Dinah, the cook, and that ended

rs?" Nan managed to whisper to her bro

to-morrow afternoon," he wh

ternoon, and from the watchman in her father's lumberyard learned that Bert and another boy

n, as she saw her brother and Tommy Todd

ng a hammer at something that, so fa

n. "It looks more

ished!" said Tommy Todd.

it a boat?" cr

it after I'd seen Mr. Watson's. Father said I might, and he gave me the lumber, and let me have a carpenter to

have a ride

said Bert. "Just you wait," and then he