many risks--not with so many of those
fellows on hand. If I had only Porter to deal with it might be
different," returned Ward Porton. "Just the same, I'm going to keep my
eyes open, and if I can get the best of him in any way you can bet
your boots I'll do it."

In the meanwhile Dave and his chums had rejoined the girls and Dr.
Renwick and his wife in the parlor of the hotel, and there all made
themselves as much at home as possible. There was quite a gathering of
snowbound people, and a good deal of the talk was on the question of
how long the blizzard might last.

"Some of the people here are going to try to get over to Pepsico,"
said one man. "That is only a mile and a quarter from here, and they
are hoping to get the train that goes through that place about one
o'clock in the morning."

"The train may be snowbound, too," returned another; "and if it is
those folks will have their hard tramp to Pepsico for nothing."

Outside it was still snowing and blowing as furiously as ever. All the
street lights were out, and so were the electric lights in the hotel,
so that the hostelry had to depend on its old-time lamps for its
illumination. But the lamps had been discarded only the year before so
it was an easy matter to bring them into use again.

Not to keep the good doctor and his wife up too long, Laura told Mrs.
Renwick that they would retire whenever she felt like it. About half
past ten good-nights were said and the girls went upstairs with the
lady, followed presently by the doctor. The boys remained below to
take another peep out at the storm.

"It's a regular old-fashioned blizzard," announced Dave.

"And no telling how long we'll be stalled here," added Roger. "Quite
an adventure, isn't it?" and he smiled faintly.

"Well, we can be thankful that we weren't caught somewhere along the
road," broke in Phil.

"That's it!" came from Ben. "Why, if we had been caught in some
out-of-the-way place, we might be frozen to death trying to find some
shelter."

The two rooms which the chums occupied on the third floor of the hotel
were connected, and before they went to bed the youths all drifted
into the one which was to be occupied by Dave and Ben, for here it was
slightly warmer than in the other room, and the lamp gave a better
light. It seemed good to be together like this, especially on a night
when the elements were raging so furiously outside. The former school
chums talked of many things--of days at Oak H