They did not, as it developed, and soon they were sipping the hot beverage while gliding along, the wind having died out somewhat.
As they made the turn around the bend, a little later, they got the full force of the breeze, which, increasing in power, sent them along so suddenly that the ice boat tilted on two runners.
"Oh, dear!" screamed Grace, clutching Mollie, and causing her to spill what remained of the cup of coffee.
"There, look what you did!" snapped the French girl, quickly.
"I—I didn't mean to," said Grace, contritely. "I thought we were going to spill."
"This was the only 'spill' there was," laughed Betty, as she helped Grace wipe up the trickling beverage.
"Oh, well, it doesn't matter," said Mollie—"mollified Mollie," as Will expressed it later. The little flash of temper died out almost as soon as it showed.
"Steady all!" called Allen, for the girls were moving about, and he needed less motion in order to handle the boat easily.
They were proceeding along at a fast pace when, from behind one of the boathouses along the shore of the frozen river, there shot out a small ice craft, containing two persons. It was so sudden, and cut so sharply across the path of the Spider, that Allen narrowly avoided a collision.
"Why don't you look before you come out?" he called sharply to the steersman of the smaller craft.