our hero.
"Trust them to order up the good things to eat."

"And trust Dave to help us get away with them," sang out the senator's
son, gaily.

"There is only one time when those fellows can't eat," retorted Dave.
"That is when they are asleep."

At a small table not far away from where the young people were seated,
sat an elderly man and a lady.

"There is Doctor Renwick and his wife," said Laura, when the meal was
finished. "They must have been sleighing, too. I am going to speak to
them." For Dr. Renwick came from Crumville, and had often attended
the Porter family, as well as the Wadsworths.

"We are staying here for a few days," said Mrs. Renwick to Dave's
sister, after they had shaken hands. "You see, the proprietor of this
hotel and restaurant is my cousin."

"Oh, I didn't know that," said Laura. "They certainly have a very nice
place here, and the dinner we had was just too lovely for anything."

"Are you folks calculating to drive back to Crumville now?" questioned
Dr. Renwick.

"That was our expectation," replied Dave, who had followed his sister;
"but it looks pretty fierce outside, doesn't it?"

"I should say so, Porter. Just listen to that wind, and see how it is
driving the snow! I shouldn't like to face it for any great
distance."

The others came up, and all the strangers were introduced to the
doctor and his wife, and then the entire party left the restaurant and
entered the parlor of the hotel, from the windows of which they could
watch the storm.

"It certainly is fierce!" remarked Phil, as they gazed at the furious
onslaught of the elements.

The wind was blowing as hard as ever, rattling the windows and sending
the snow against the panes as if it were so much hail. It was
impossible to see across the street, and, although Lamont boasted of
a limited electric light service, all the lights upon the street
corners were out.

"This storm is going to break down a lot of the wires," announced
Roger.

"What do you think about our trying to get back to Crumville?"
questioned Dave.

"To tell the truth, Dave, I don't see how we are going to make it. You
don't want to face that wind, do you? And going back we'd have to head
into it nearly all the way."

"I think I'll go outside and have a talk with the driver," answered
our hero, and went out accompanied by Roger and Ben.

"I'd like to get home on account of my father's being sick," announced
the real estate dealer's son. "Otherwise I