The Bobbsey Twins in a Great City | Page 2

carry so much stuff in your pockets I thought maybe you'd
have paste."
"I might if it was summer, Flossie, and I was making kites with Bert.
But I haven't any paste now."
"Then have you got a postage stamp?"
"A postage stamp? Of course not! What good would a postage stamp be
to fasten your skate strap?"
"Well, a postage stamp has paste on it, hasn't it? Anyhow, it's sticky,
'cause I got some on my tongue once, and I just know if I could only
fasten down the end of this skate strap, to keep it from flopping up, and
coming out of the buckle, I'd be all right. It's the flopping end that
comes loose."
"Well, pooh! a postage stamp wouldn't be any good!" cried Freddie. "If
you did stick it on it wouldn't last more than three strokes. A postage
stamp wouldn't go far at all!"
"Some postage stamps do!" exclaimed Flossie. "Mother got one on a
letter the other day and it had stuck itself on half-way round the
world--she told me so. And if a stamp sticks half-way around the world

I should think it would stick while I skated down to the end of the
lake."
"Huh! That's different!" half grunted Freddie, for, just then, he was
stooping over tightening one of his straps. "Anyhow, I haven't got a
stamp."
"Well, maybe you could fix my skate so it wouldn't come off,"
suggested Flossie. "I've tried and tried, but I can't, and I don't want to
stay here all alone."
"Why Flossie Bobbsey! I'm with you!"
"I know, but Nan and Bert are away down at the other end, with
Tommy Todd, and Bert is going to buy hot chocolates. I know he is,
'cause he said so. I don't want to miss them."
"Me neither! Wait and I'll see if I can't fix your skate, Flossie."
Freddie was small--he and Flossie were the smaller pair of Bobbsey
twins--but he was a sturdy little chap, and living out of doors, and
playing games with his older brother Bert had taught Freddie how to do
many things. He put Flossie's skate on her shoe, tightened the strap, and
then made it still tighter by putting some pieces of wood under the
leather loop.
"There!" he exclaimed, as he stood up, having been kneeling in the
snow on the edge of the lake. "I guess that will hold, Flossie. Now
come on, and we'll see how fast we can skate."
Together the brother and sister started off. This time Flossie's skate
seemed to be all right, needing neither paste nor a postage stamp to
hold it on, and in a little while the smaller twins had caught up to Bert
and Nan, their brother and sister, who, with a boy neighbor, named
Tommy Todd, had slowed up to wait for them.
"What kept you?" asked Nan. "Did you try to do some fancy skating,
Flossie?"

"I guess Freddie stopped to see if there wasn't a crack in the ice where
he could get some water to play fireman," remarked Bert with a smile,
for his small brother was very fond of this game, and his best-liked toy
was a small fire engine, which, when a spring was wound, could squirt
real water.
"No, I didn't stop at any cracks!" exclaimed Freddie earnestly. "Cracks
in the ice is dangerous--Daddy said so. It was Flossie's skate."
"That's right--it kept coming off," explained the blue-eyed girl. "But
Freddie fixed it, and he didn't have to use a postage stamp, either. Did
you, Freddie?"
"Nope."
"Well, I guess they know what it means, but we don't!" laughed Nan,
taking her small sister's hand. "Come on, now, you little twins. I We
waited for you, so we could all have hot chocolate together. You didn't
get cold, I hope, stopping to fix your skate, Flossie?"
"Nope! I'm as warm as butter!"
"What does she mean by that?" asked Tommy Todd. "I often hear my
grandmother say she's as warm as toast, but _butter_----"
"Well, when it's Winter, like it is now, you have to warm your butter so
you can spread it on your bread," explained Flossie. "So I'm as warm as
butter now."
"I wish I was!" cried Bert. "I'm getting a chill standing here waiting for
you two! Come on, now. Skate lively, and we'll soon be there," and he
pointed to a little candy and soda-water stand near the lower end of
Lake Metoka, on the frozen surface of which the children were skating.
In the little cabin, which in Winter was built over the stand to make a
warm place for skaters, hot chocolate and other drinks could be had,
and Bert had promised to treat his brother and sisters, as well as
Tommy Todd.

"Don't skate too fast,"