Ta-ra! ta-ra! ta-ra-ra-ra! Ta-rat! when Amelia seized Nan by the arm and cried:
“Oh! who’s coming?”
They all looked down the strait. A figure in a red cap was dashing up the ice at great speed, and waving a tippet in a most excited manner.
“Why!” gasped Nan. “It’s Bess!”
They went down to the shore to meet Nan’s chum. Bess rushed up to them and threw herself into Nan’s arms.
“Guess! Guess what’s happened, Nan Sherwood!” she fairly shrieked.
“I—I couldn’t,” gasped Nan, actually turning pale.
“You’ve got to! You’ve got to guess! It’s the very wonderfulest thing——”
“‘Wonderfulest’?” murmured “Procrastination Boggs.” “That’s a new one. I’m going to look it up.”
“I couldn’t guess, Bess,” said Nan again, weakly.