ell wrapped up to keep out the cold. Nan said she would come down later
with Flossie.

"I have to practise my music first," said Nan.

Bert and Harry were good skaters, and Freddie did very well too, for his
age. But he could cut none of the "fancy figures" as did his brother and
cousin. Freddie was satisfied to glide around with some of the smaller
boys he knew.

"Will you be all right, if Harry and I have a race down at the lower end
of the lake?" asked Bert, after a bit.

"Course I will," said Freddie.

"Well, then we'll leave you for a little while. But don't go over near
the point," warned Bert. "It isn't frozen so solidly there. The ice is
thin and you may go through. Keep away from the point."

"I will," promised Freddie. The point was where some land curved out
into the lake, making a sort of little cove, and as this was a sheltered
place the ice had not frozen so thick there.

Bert and Harry raced away, to see who would first get to a certain
point, while Freddie stayed with his little chums. Pretty soon, however,
Freddie felt cold.

"I'm going in my father's office to get warm," he said to Johnnie Wilson
who was with him. "Come on."

The two little chaps were soon in the warm office of the lumber yard.
Freddie saw Tommy Todd come in, having been on an errand to the
post-office for Mr. Bobbsey.

"Hello, Tommy!" called Freddie, who was warming his hands at the stove.
"Why don't you go skating?"

"Haven't any skates," was the answer, and Tommy smiled. He was poor, and
did not have any of the playthings other boys had, but for all that he
was not cross or gloomy. "Besides, if I did have a pair I couldn't go. I
have to work to-day," Tommy went on.

"Oh, I could let you have some time off to go skating, if you wanted
to," said Mr. Bobbsey.

"Well, I would like it, if I had the skates," Tommy said. "But, as I
haven't, I'll stay and run errands for you."

"You could take my skates, while I'm getting warm," Freddie said. "I
guess I'll be quite a while getting warm, too, for it's awful cold out."

"Your skates are too small, I'm afraid," said Tommy.

"Bert has an extra pair. I heard him say so when he gave those to
Harry," put in Freddie. "Couldn't Tommy take them, Daddy?"

"Why, yes, I think so. If you want to go up to the house after them I'll
telephone Mrs. Bobbsey to have them ready for you," the lumber merchant
said to his errand boy.

"Oh, yes, sir, I should like it! I haven't skated for a l