The pegs on the sole of that boot and the heel of it were the last touches required, and the young sculptors stood back, and walked around their great work, again and again, in almost silent admiration. Ben fairly looked warm and comfortable in the flood of noon sunshine that was pouring down upon him.
"He'll thaw out," grumbled Dan Madderley; and just then there came a great shout from the shore.
The sun had been at work as well as the boys, and the thaw he was making had had a day or two the start of them.
The shout came from Billy McCoy's biggest brother, Bob, and they saw him dance up and down with excitement, while he swung his hat and repeated it: "Boys! boys! come in! The ice is breaking away!"
So much trampling and running to and fro, and so much added weight of boys and sculpture, had helped the sun above and the rising water below the ice, and now they all had just about time to hurry ashore. Then the great crack Bob McCoy had noticed grew rapidly wider, and they could hear all the frozen surface of the pond crack and split in every direction.
There was some fun in watching the ice break up, but there was sorrow among the sculptors, for all that.
"It's an awful pity to lose such a snow man as that is."
"He didn't even have time to thaw out."
"We can make another."
"There never was just such a Ben Franklin as that."