"Jim," says Katy, "I see, just beyond the hut"—pointing in the direction opposite to that in which the lads had gone—"a space under the edge of the hummock where the ice seems pretty clear. Understand? And look! don't you see that long, dark line there? I wonder what it can be? Let us go and find out. We can get along easily enough after a few steps."
Jim strode ahead, and stamped down a path for Katy through the snow that lay between their house and the clear space of ice that had been swept by the eddy under the hummock, until, a moment later, they were both running along upon a clean floor towards the object they had seen. Now they could make it out clearly; and at the first discovery Jim tossed his cap high in the air and gave a hurrah, in which the girl joined, wishing she too had a cap to throw up. What do you suppose it was that had so excited and gladdened them? Can't you guess?
A log of wood frozen into the ice!
"Now we can have all the fire we want."
"And I can keep the coffee hot for the second cup."
Then they looked at one another, and laughed and clapped their hands again. Were two children ever before made so happy by the simple finding of a log?
Just then they heard Aleck's voice:
"Hallo-o-o! Where are you?"
Jim jumped up, and was about to shout back, but his sister threw her hand over his mouth.