The Ice Queen Read online

  "JIM GOT IN AT LEAST ONE GOOD BLOW."]

  THE ICE QUEEN

  by

  ERNEST INGERSOLL

  Author of"Friends Worth Knowing," "Knocking Round the Rockies," etc.

  Illustrated

  New YorkHarper & Brothers, Franklin Square

  Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1884, byHarper & Brothers,In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.

  All rights reserved.

  CONTENTS.

  CHAP. I. THROWN UPON THEIR OWN RESOURCES II. "THE YOUNGSTER'S" PLAN III. FITTING OUT THE "RED ERIK" IV. MAKING A START V. COMFORT IN A LOG CABIN VI. NORSE TALES VII. THE FIRST DAY ON THE LAKE VIII. JIM'S REBELLION IX. SKATING BY COMPASS X. AN UGLY FERRIAGE XI. CAMPING AGAINST AN ICE WALL XII. SNOWED UNDER XIII. SAVED FROM STARVATION XIV. THE ARCTIC VISITORS XV. CHRISTMAS BIRD-CATCHING XVI. HOW TUG MADE "TWITCH-UPS" XVII. THE BREAKING UP OF THE ICE XVIII. RESCUING THE WANDERERS XIX. ADRIFT ON AN ICE RAFT XX. A NIGHT IN AN OPEN BOAT XXI. THE ESCAPE TO THE SHORE XXII. REX FIGHTS UNKNOWN ENEMIES XXIII. EXPLORING THE ISLAND XXIV. THE WILD DOGS AGAIN XXV. THE PERILS OF A MIDNIGHT SEARCH XXVI. FINDING SNOW-BIRDS AND LOSING THE CAPTAIN XXVII. ANOTHER ENCOUNTER WITH THE WILD DOGS XXVIII. THE ACCIDENT EXPLAINED XXIX. DECIDING UPON A NEW MOVE XXX. KATY TAMES THE WILD DOGS XXXI. ABANDONING THE ISLAND XXXII. AN ASTONISHED FARMER XXXIII. THE "TIMES" CORRESPONDENT XXXIV. A HAPPY CONCLUSION

  ILLUSTRATIONS.

  "JIM GOT IN AT LEAST ONE GOOD BLOW" DISCUSSING THE PLAN "A MOMENT LATER THEY WERE OFF" SUPPER IN THE LOG CABIN "LAY ON!" CROSSING THE HUMMOCK JIM AND KATY BRINGING THE RUSHES TO CAMP "THE LITTLE FIRE WAS SOON BLAZING MERRILY" CAMPING AGAINST AN ICE WALL "A SHARP REPORT WAS HEARD" KATY TRAPPING THE SNOW-BUNTINGS SETTING THE NEW TRAPS "REX STRUCK OUT AND SWAM ACROSS" "THEY WERE ABLE TO DRAG HIS LIFELESS FORM OUT UPON THE ICE" "TRY TO STEADY HER" THE CABIN ON THE ISLAND ATTACKED BY THE DOGS "DON'T CRY, KATY!" "'IS HE DEAD?' ASKED JIM" REPAIRING THE OLD SCOW "'WA'AL, I DECLARE!'"

  THE ICE QUEEN.

  Chapter I.

  THROWN UPON THEIR OWN RESOURCES.

  The early dusk of a December day was fast changing into darkness asthree of the young people with whose adventures this story isconcerned trudged briskly homeward.

  The day was a bright one, and Aleck, the oldest, who was a skilledworkman in the brass foundry, although scarcely eighteen years of age,had given himself a half-holiday in order to take Kate and TheYoungster on a long skating expedition down to the lighthouse. Katewas his sister, two years younger than he, and The Youngster was abrother whose twelfth birthday this was.

  The little fellow never had had so much fun in one afternoon, hethought, and maintained stoutly that he scarcely felt tired at all.The ice had been in splendid condition, the day calm, but cloudy, sothat their eyes had not ached, and they had been able to go far outupon the solidly frozen surface of the lake.

  "How far do you think we have skated to-day, Aleck?" asked TheYoungster.

  "It's four miles from the lower bridge to the lighthouse," spoke upKate, before Aleck could reply, "and four back. That makes eightmiles, to begin with."

  "Yes," said Aleck, "and on top of that you must put--let me see--Ishould think, counting all our twists and turns, fully ten miles more.We were almost abreast of Stony Point when we were farthest out, andthey say that's five miles long."

  "Altogether, then, we skated about eighteen miles."

  "Right, my boy; your arithmetic is your strong point."

  "Well, _I_ should say his feet were his strong point to-day," Kateexclaimed, in admiration of her brother's hardihood.

  "It wasn't a bad day's work for a _girl_ I know of, either," remarkedAleck, as he took the key from his pocket and opened the door of theirhouse, which was soon bright with lamplight and a crackling fire ofoak and hickory.

  The house these three dwelt in was a small cottage in an obscurestreet of the village, but it was warm and tight. Kate washousekeeper, and The Youngster--whose real name was James, contractedfirst into Jim, and then into Jimkin--was man-of-all-work, andmaid-of-all-work too, sometimes, when Kate needed his help.

  While these two are getting tea, and Aleck is carefully wiping theskates and putting them away where no rust can have a chance at theblades, or mice gnaw the straps, let me tell you a few things aboutthe family.

  Jim could remember his father only vaguely, but Kate and Aleck couldtell us all about him. His name was Kincaid, and he was amaster-builder of houses. He had bought and fitted up the cottage, andhad put savings in the bank, though Mrs. Kincaid was sick much of thetime, so that money was spent that would have been laid by "for arainy day" if she had been strong and well.

  Unfortunately, the rain came sooner than any one thought for. One day,about five years before the beginning of our little history, papa wasbrought home hurt by falling from a scaffold at the top of a house. Hewas not dead, and all thought he would be well again in a few weeks atmost; but instead he grew slowly worse, and after a time died.

  Then the poor mother, always weak, did the best she could, and Katetried to help her, while Aleck stopped his school-going, and went towork in the brass foundry. At first, though, he could earn but alittle, and Mr. Kincaid's savings slowly melted away until almostnothing was left. Then the tired and desolate mother, never strong,bade her children that long farewell that seems so terribly hopelessto all of us when we are young, and the three "mitherless bairns" werethrown upon their own resources.

  The question arose as to what they should do. Jim was now eight yearsold, and going to school. Kate had not neglected to do some studying,and a great deal of reading, too, though she had always been so busy;and a few weeks before her mother's death she had begun to studyregularly with a lady who lived near, whom Katy repaid by pickingvarious small fruits as they matured in the lady's large garden.Aleck, as I have said, was working steadily, and getting enough wagesto keep them all in fair comfort, since they owned the house andenough garden to give them plenty of vegetables. So, after talking theprospect over, they decided to stay in their little house and livetogether. A letter was written to Uncle Andrew, in Cleveland, who hadoffered Kate and Jimmy a home, telling him they would try it alone awhile before burdening any of their friends.

  This decision had been made almost four years before my story opens,and it had not been regretted. They had even saved some money, but thelarger part of this had been spent in repairing the house, and infitting up a new boat for Jim and one of his friends, who thought theyknew a way to make a little money in the summer vacation if they had agood boat. This boat had been completed only in time to prove howgood it was, before the winter had closed the river with ice at anunusually early date, and now the pretty craft was safely stored in awarehouse at the schooner-landing, a mile below the town.

  All slept very soundly after their skating holiday--even Rex, thegreat Newfoundland dog, who was a member of the family by no means tobe overlooked; but their ears were not stopped so tight that theclangor of the church bells about midnight failed to arouse them withits dreadful alarm of fire. Hastening to an upper window, one glanceat the blaze-reddened heavens showed our friends that the group offactories in the southern part of the town was burning, and one ofthese was the brass foundry where Aleck worked.

  Aleck hurried away, and they did not see him until after sunrise, whenhe came home tired, wet, and soot-blackened. The whole shop had burnedto the ground, he reported, and it was only by great risk and exertionthat he had been able to rescue his father's precious chest of tools.

  "I didn't think," said the young man, as
he sat wearily down to Katy'shot coffee, "that my job would be so short when McAbee told meyesterday I could work there 'as long as the foundry lasted.'"

  During that day and the next Aleck tried every possible chance ofemployment in the village, but found nothing; and by the time eveningcame he had made up his mind that no regular employment equal to hisold place was to be had there for months to come.

  There was no doubt about it. The time had arrived when they must availthemselves of Uncle Andrew's kindness, and seek in his hospitablehouse at least a temporary home.