t and were quiet now. But the front
part of the sled seemed to have sagged into the snow.

"I thought so!" exclaimed Mr. Macksey, as he got up after peering under
the vehicle. "No going on like this."

"What happened?" asked Alice.

"One of the forward runners has broken. There must have been a defect in
it I didn't notice."

"Can't we go on?" asked Mr. Sneed.

"Not very well," was the answer. "We've broken down, and unfortunately
we're the leading sleigh. I don't know how to get the others past it."

"Well, I knew something would happen," sighed the human grouch. And he
seemed quite gratified that his prediction had been verified.

CHAPTER IX

THE BLIZZARD

The two other sleds had, as a matter of necessity, come to a halt behind
the first one. The defile in the snow was so narrow that there could be
no passing. Those who had broken the road through the drifts had not
been wise enough to make a wide path, and now the consequences must be
taken.

In fact it would have been a little difficult to make at this point a
path wide enough for two sleighs. The road went between two rocky walls,
and though in the summer, when there was no snow, two vehicles could
squeeze past, in the winter the piling up of the snow on either side
made an almost impassable barrier.

To turn out to right or left was out of the question, for the snow was
so deep that the horses would have floundered helplessly in it.

"Well, what's to be done?" asked Mr. DeVere, as he buttoned his coat
collar up around his neck, and looked at his two daughters.

"I'm afraid I'll have to ask you all to get out," said Mr. Macksey. "I
want to get a better look at that broken runner, and see if it's
possible to mend it. Bring up a lantern," he called to one of the
drivers of the other sleds. "We'll soon need it."

The moving picture players in the broken-down sled piled out into the
snow. Fortunately they had come prepared for rough weather, and wore
stout shoes. Ruth and Alice, as well as Russ and Paul, laughed at the
plight, and Mr. Switzer, with a chuckle, exclaimed:

"Ha! Maybe mine pretzels vill come in useful after all!"

"That's no joke--maybe they will," observed Mr. Sneed, gloomily. "We may
have to stay here all night."

"Oh, we could walk to Elk Lodge if we had to," put in Mr. Macksey, as he
took the lantern which the other driver brought up.

"It wouldn't be very pleasant," replied Mr. Sneed, "with darkness soon
to be here, and