away from
Roly-Poly.

Opening it, Hal found in the package a pair of shining ice skates,
just like those Mab was trying on her shoes.

"Oh, thank you, Daddy!" Hal cried.

"And I thank you, too!" added Mab. I'd get up and kiss you, only my
mouth is all jam. I'll kiss you twice as soon as I've washed."

"That will do," laughed her father. "Do you like your skates,
children?"

"Oh, do we?" they cried, and by the way they said it you could easily
tell that they did.

"And Daddy's going to take us skating; aren't you?" asked Hal as he
measured his skates on his shoes to see if they would fit. They did.
Oh! Daddy Blake knew just how to buy things to have them right, I tell
you.

"Yes, I'll take you skating, and show you how to stand up on the
ice--that is as soon as it is thick enough on the pond to make it
safe, and hold us up," promised the children's father.

Just then Mamma Blake came running up from down the cellar. She was
much excited.

"Oh, come quickly!" she called to her husband. "Something has happened
to the stationary wash-tubs. The water is spurting all over the
cellar. Oh, do hurry!"

CHAPTER IV

THE FROZEN POND

Daddy Blake hurried down cellar. Hal and Mab carefully putting away
their new skates, followed their father. Roly-Poly, the little fat
poodle dog looked around to see if he could find anything to drag
off and hide, but, seeing nothing, he went down cellar also, barking
loudly at each step.

"Hal! Mab!" called Aunt Lolly. "Come back here, dears!"

"We want to see what has happened!" answered Hal.

"Oh, you'll get hurt! I'm sure you will!" exclaimed the dear, little,
fussy old lady aunt.

"No, it isn't anything serious!" called Daddy Blake when he saw what
had happened. "Only one of the water pipes has burst. We must send for
the plumber. Wait, children, until I shut off the water, and then you
can come down. It is like a shower-bath now."

Daddy Blake found the faucet, by which he could shut off the water at
the stationary wash-tubs, and then, when it had stopped spurting from
the burst pipe, he called to Hal and Mab:

"Now you may come and see how strong ice is. Not only does it burst
glass bottles, but it will even crack an iron pipe."

"Just like it cracked a cannon ball!" cried Hal, and he was in such a
hurry to get down the cellar steps that he jumped two at a time.

That might have been all right, only Roly-Poly, the little fat poodle
dog, did the same thing. H