t as soon as possible. And on the way downstairs
I'll see if I can't lift that cap and overcoat."

CHAPTER XIII

WHAT WASHINGTON BONES HAD TO TELL

Dave was the first of the four chums to awaken in the morning. He
glanced toward the window, to find it covered with frost and snow,
thus leaving the room almost dark. The wind was still blowing
furiously, and the room was quite cold. Without disturbing Ben our
hero looked at his watch and found that it was almost eight o'clock.
He leaped up and commenced to dress.

"Hello! getting up already?" came sleepily from his roommate, as Ben
stretched himself and rubbed his eyes. "It must be pretty early."

"That's where you're mistaken, Ben," was Dave's answer. "In a few
minutes more it will be eight o'clock."

"You don't say so! How dark it is! But I suppose it's the frost on the
window makes that," went on the real estate dealer's son, as he, too,
got up. "Phew! but it's some cold, isn't it?" and he started to dress
without delay.

The noise the two boys made in moving around the room aroused the
others, and soon they too were getting up.

"Wow! Talk about Greenland's Icy Mountains!" commented Phil, with a
shiver. "How'd you like to go outside, Roger, just as you are, and
have a snowball fight?"

"Nothing doing!" retorted the senator's son, who was getting into his
clothing just as rapidly as possible. "Say, fellows, but this surely
is some snowstorm!" he continued, as he walked to the window and
scraped some frost from a pane of glass so that he could catch a
glimpse of what was outside. "It's still snowing to beat the band!" he
announced.

"And listen to the wind!" broke in Ben. "Why, sometimes it fairly
rocks the building!"

"Doesn't look much as if we were going to get back to-day," said Dave.
"I suppose the roads are practically impassable."

"They must be if it snowed all night," answered Ben. "Let us go down
and take a look around."

"I wonder if the girls are up yet?" questioned Roger.

"It won't make much difference whether they are or not," returned
Dave. "If we can't get away from here they may as well sleep as long
as they please. There certainly isn't much to do in this small
hotel."

The youths were soon washed and dressed, and then all trooped below.
They passed the rooms occupied by the girls and by Dr. Renwick and
his wife, but heard no sounds coming from within.

"They are taking advantage of the storm to have a good rest,"
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