"I must get you home as soon as I can, and take off your wet clothes," he said. "You must be terribly cold. Laddie and Rose, take off your skates and follow after me. Bring Mun Bun and Margy, and tell Vi to come. Hurry now. Russ, I told you not to go out in the middle, where the ice might break."
"I—I'm sorry, Daddy!" shivered Russ. "I won't do it any more."
And I am glad to say he did not.
Of course Mother Bunker and Grandma Ford were excited when Daddy Bunker came racing in, all dripping wet, with Russ, also soaked through, in his arms. But Grandmother Ford and Mother Bunker were used to accidents. Dry clothes were put on, the two shivering ones sat by the fire and drank hot milk, and soon they were all right again.
The hole in the ice froze over in a little while, and the ice became so thick that even the grown men could go out in the middle of the pond. Then there was no danger of the children's tumbling in, and they were told they might play wherever they liked.
Russ and Laddie had another race—one that was finished, and Russ won, so he did not have to guess Laddie's riddle.
"If I had beat you," said Laddie, "I was going to ask you why is an automobile tire like a snake."
"Pooh, that's easy to guess," said Russ. "'Cause it's round and fat."
"Nope," said Laddie. "It's 'cause a snake hisses and so does an auto tire when the air comes out."