almost as much as it did the boys, and nearly every afternoon she went
down to the lumber yard to see how the work was getting along.

Mr. Bobbsey had given Bert just the right kind of lumber, and had a man
at the saw-mill saw the sticks and boards to a proper size. He also gave
his son some ropes and a pair of old iron runners from a discarded
sleigh, so that all Charley had to provide was the bed-sheet already
mentioned, for a sail.

The two boys worked with a will, and by Thursday evening had the ice
boat completed. They christened the craft the _Ice Bird_, and Bert
insisted upon it that his father come and see her.

"You have certainly done very well," said Mr. Bobbsey. "This looks as
if you were cut out for a builder, Bert."

"Well, I'd like to build big houses and ships first-rate," answered
Bert.

The sail was rigged with the help of an old sailor who lived down by the
lake shore, and on Friday afternoon Bert and Charley took a short trip.
The _Ice Bird_ behaved handsomely, much to the boys' satisfaction.

"She's a dandy!" cried Bert. "How she can whiz before the wind."

"You must take me out soon," said Nan.

"I will," answered Bert.

The chance to go out with Bert came sooner than expected. On Monday