Part 24 (1/2)
”And I don't know whether I've got any feet left or not,” broke in Bill Glutts piteously.
The main door to the bungalow had not only been locked, but also barred.
Now the door was unfastened, and Gif, with the others beside him, allowed the portal to swing open a few inches.
A terrible scene met their eyes. The snow was piled up against the door to the depth of two feet or more, and the wind was swirling the white particles in all directions, so that the snow came into the living room in a perfect cloud. In this ma.s.s of white stood Bill Glutts and Gabe Werner, their heavy clothing covered with a ghost-like mantle. Behind them was a one-seated sleigh drawn by a horse that looked ready to drop from exhaustion.
”Come in,” said Gif briefly.
No such invitation was needed, for as soon as the door was opened wide enough Bill Glutts staggered into the living room, followed by his crony. A swirl of snow followed them, and continued until Gif and Jack managed to close the door once more.
”Gee! I'm all in,” gasped Glutts, as he sank down on a chair close to the smouldering fire.
”I thought we'd drop before we got you fellows up,” added Werner. ”You sure are some sleepers,” he grumbled, as he too sank down on a seat.
Ordinarily the Rovers and their chums would have treated these two bullies with scant courtesy. But now Glutts and Werner appeared to be suffering so much from the cold that they had not the heart to find fault with their enemies.
”I'll stir up that fire a little,” said Gif, and did so while Andy and Randy went out into the entryway, to bring in some additional sticks of wood.
”We can't leave that horse out there,” remarked Jack. ”He'll be frozen to death.”
”Well, I'm not going out to take care of him,” declared Gabe Werner quickly. ”I wouldn't go out in that storm again for a thousand dollars.”
”Neither would I,” growled Glutts. ”The nag can look after himself.”
”That's a shameful way to treat any animal, Glutts,” declared Gif. ”But as you fellows seem to be so exhausted, we'll look after him,” he continued.
”If you go out, Gif, I'll go with you,” said Jack quickly. ”But we had better slip some of our clothing right over our pajamas. I'll bet it's as cold as Greenland's icy mountains around that stable.”
While the newcomers continued to make themselves comfortable before the fire, and Spouter and Fred prepared a pot of hot tea for them to drink, Gif and Jack hurried into their clothing and then went outside.
The blast that struck them as they hurried toward the exhausted horse was terrific, and for the moment they thought they would have to turn back and abandon the animal. But then they took another grip on themselves, and finally managed to turn the horse in the direction of the stable.
They saw that the sleigh was filled with provisions and other things, and so managed to haul it under the shed where it would be partly protected. Then they placed the horse in the stable, gave him a drink, and likewise left some hay for him to chew on.
”We may not be able to get here in the morning,” said Gif; ”so we'll leave him some supper and some breakfast at the same time.”
”I don't much like the idea of Glutts and Werner loading down on us in this fas.h.i.+on,” remarked Jack, as the pair prepared to go back to the Lodge.
”Like it!” exclaimed his chum. ”I should say not! But what are we going to do about it, Jack?”
”Oh, we'll have to make the best of it.”
”If this storm keeps up we may have those fellows on our hands for some days.”
”Well, if they stay here that long they can pay their own way,” declared Jack. ”They have some provisions in that sleigh, and there is no reason why we should feed them for nothing. If we divide up our stuff they can divide up theirs.”
”It wouldn't be any more than fair.”
”Where is this Tony Duval's place they mentioned?” continued the oldest Rover boy.