e too bad to disappoint Mr. Pertell now."

The next day, owing to a slight indisposition on the part of Miss
Pennington, a drama that included her as one of the cast had to be
postponed, and as no other was ready to be filmed, the players had a
little holiday.

"Who wants to come for a trip to the ice cave?" asked Russ, when he
found that he would not have to use his camera.

"What's the ice cave?" asked Ruth.

"Why, it's a cave made out of ice. There's one about two miles from
here, and Mr. Pertell is thinking of having some scenes made there. I'm
to go out and size up the situation. Want to come?"

"It sounds interesting," observed Ruth. "I believe I would like to go.
Shall we, Alice?"

"Indeed, yes."

"Count me in!" cried Paul.

So a little later the four young people set off for the ice cave. This
was a natural curiosity not far from Elk Lodge. Every year, at a
waterfall in a local stream, the ice piled up in fantastic shapes. The
flow of the water, and the effect of the wind, made a large hollow or
cave at the cascade large enough to hold several persons. Mr. Pertell
had heard of it and had laid one scene of a drama there.

There was a fairly good road almost to the ice cave, and then came a
trip across an unbroken expanse of snow, the snowshoes being used, they
having been carried strapped to the backs of the four.

"Oh, how beautiful!"

"See how the sun sparkles on the ice."

"And what big icicles!"

"Oh, if we could only keep that until Summer!"

Thus the young people cried as they saw the beautiful ice cave. It was
indeed a pretty sight. Nature, unaided, had done more than man could
ever hope to achieve.

"Let's go inside," suggested Russ.

"Will it be safe?" asked Ruth.

"Oh, surely. Why, we have to go in it when we make the moving picture,
so we might as well get used to it. They say this ice lasts nearly all
summer. It's down in a deep hollow, you see. Come on in."

"Go ahead! I'm game!" Paul said, grimly.

The girls hesitated, but only for a moment. Then they followed the young
men into the cavern.

The entrance was rather small, and they had to stoop to get through it,
but once inside the cave widened out until there was room for perhaps a
dozen persons.

"What a lovely place for a dance!" cried Alice, as she slid about. "It's
so slippery that you'd need those new slippers with rubber set in the
sole. Come, on, try a hesitation waltz," she cried gaily to Ruth.

Paul whistled o