“Oh, here comes that ice-boat again!”

“Surely enough, it is!” added Nan.  “Oh, we must skate toward shore!  Come on!”

“No need to do that,” replied Bert.  “It isn’t coming fast, and Mr. Watson sees us.”

“He’s waving his hand at us!” cried Flossie.  “I guess he wants to give us a ride.  Come on, Freddie!”

“Here!  Wait a minute!” called Bert “Don’t get into any more danger.  But I believe he is going to stop,” he went on, as the ice-boat came slowly up to them.  Then, as it swung up into the wind, with the sail loosely flapping, Mr. Watson called: 

“Come on, children, don’t you want to go for a ride?”

“Oh, let’s!” cried Flossie, clapping her hands.

“And I want to steer!” added Freddie.

“No, you can’t do that!” exclaimed Nan.  “Oh, Bert, do you think it would be all right for us to go?” she asked her older brother.

“I don’t see why not,” said Bert.  “The wind doesn’t blow hard, and Mr. Watson knows all about ice-boats.  I say let’s go!”

“Oh, what fun!” cried Flossie and Freddie.

They took off their skates and walked toward the ice-boat.  Mr. Watson smiled at them.

“I’m so sorry I nearly ran into you the other day,” he said.  “I did not see you until almost the last minute.  So I made up my mind the next time I saw you on the lake I’d give you a ride.  Come on, now, get aboard!”

“He talks just as if it was a real boat!” laughed Flossie, for, living near the lake as they did, and often seeing boats at their father’s lumber dock, the Bobbsey twins knew something about water craft.

“Well, of course, this isn’t as big as some boats,” said Mr. Watson, “but it will hold all of us, I think.”

The children saw where there was a sort of platform, with raised sides, built on the center of the crossed sticks, and on this platform were spread some fur rugs and blankets.

Mr. Watson saw to it that the little children, especially, were well wrapped, and then, telling them all to hold on, he let out the sail and away flew the ice-boat down the frozen lake, fairly whizzing along.

“My! how fa-fa-fast we go!” gasped Nan, for really the wind seemed to take away her breath.

“This sure is sailing!” cried Bert, and then Nan noticed that her brother was looking at different parts of the ice-boat, as if to find out how it was made.

Flossie and Freddie were having lots of fun holding on to one another, and also to the sides of the ice-boat, for the craft slid this way and that so quickly, sometimes seeming to rise up in the air, that it was like being on the back of a horse.

But the Bobbseys liked it, and the ride in the ice-boat came to an end all too soon.  With sparkling eyes, and red, glowing cheeks, the twins got out close to their father’s lumber dock, calling their thanks to Mr. Watson.

“I’ll take you again, some time,” he answered, as he sailed off down the lake.