OF THE UNEXPECTED

XVIII. UNDER ORDERS

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

"A quartette of boys and girls were darting about on skates."

"He cautiously moved away a few inches along the beam."

"His lamp extended in one hand, while with his other he held his cane,
which he was poking about in the soft, sticky mud."

IN BLUE CREEK CANON.

CHAPTER I.

A COUNCIL ON SKATES.

A strong southeast wind was blowing up the canon and driving before it
the dense yellow smoke which rolled up from the great red chimneys of
the smelter. To the east and west of the town, the mountains rose
abruptly, their steep sides bare or covered with patches of yellow pine.
At the north, the canon closed in to form a narrow gorge between the
mountains; but towards the south it opened out into a broad valley,
through which the swiftly rushing creek twisted and turned along its
willow-bordered bed. A half mile below the town the creek suddenly
broadened into a little lake that was now frozen over, forming a sheet
of dazzling ice, upon which a quartette of boys and girls were darting
about on skates.

"Ugh!" gasped one of the boys, as a sudden gust of wind, coming straight
from the east, brought the stifling cloud in their direction; "I'm glad
I'm not up in town this afternoon. It's getting ready for a storm, I
think, from the way the smoke comes down; and they must be catching it
all, up there."

"Oh, dear!" sighed the girl with whom he was skating; "if it storms
'twill be sure to be more snow, and spoil the ice. It's too bad, for we
get so little skating out here, and it's almost time to go home now.
Just see how low the sun is getting!"

"Never mind, Marjorie," said the boy, as he paused to breathe on his
cold fingers; then held out his hand to her once more. "We'll have one
more go across the pond, anyway, for there's no knowing when we'll have
another chance. You take Allie, Ned, and we'll race you, two and two,
over to that largest stump. Come on, and get into line. One! two!
_three!_"

Away they flew, the bright blades of their skates flashing in the long
slanting rays of the late afternoon sun, and their eyes and cheeks
glowing with the cold air and rapid exercise. Marjorie and her attendant
knight were the first to reach the goal, and turned, panting, to face
the others as they came up to them.

"That was just fine!" exclaimed Allie's companion, as he dropped her
hand and spun around in a narrow circle which