g the sticks, and soon an appreciable
sense of warmth stole through the cave. The crowd began to laugh and
chatter. The girls brushed out the cave and the boys rolled forward loose
stones for seats.

Isadore found Jerry's shotgun, ammunition, bow and arrow, and other
possessions.

"He must have taken the rifle with him when he went to the other end of
the tunnel," Ruth said.

"Say!" exclaimed Ralph Tingley. "You could find the way through the hill
to where you came out of the cave with Jerry; couldn't you, Ruth?"

"Oh! I believe so," cried Ruth.

"Then we needn't worry," said the boy. "We can go home that way. Even if
the storm doesn't stop to-night, we ought to be able to find the lodge
from _that_ end of the cave."

"We've nothing to worry about, then," said Madge, cheerfully. "We're
supplied with all the comforts of home----"

"And plenty to eat," sighed Heavy, with satisfaction.

CHAPTER XXII

SNOWED IN

Naturally, thirteen young folk in a cave could not be content to sit
before the fire inactive. They played games, they sang songs, they made up
verses, and finally Madge produced a pencil and a notebook and they wrote
a burlesque history of "George Washington and the Cherry Tree."

The first author wrote a page of the history and two lines on the second
page. Then the second read those last two lines and went on with the
story, leaving another two lines at the top of the next page, and so on.
It was a wonderful piece of literary work when it was finished, and Madge
kept it to read to the S.B.'s when they got back to Briarwood Hall.

"For, of course," she said, "we're not going to be forever shut up in this
cave. I don't want to turn into a 'cave man'--nor yet a 'cave woman'!"

"See if the snow has stopped--that's a good boy, Tommy," urged Helen.

"Of course it hasn't. Don't you see how dark it is, sis?" returned her
twin.

But he started toward the mouth of the cavern. Just then Bob looked at his
watch in the firelight, and exclaimed:

"No wonder it seems dark--do you know it's half after four right now?"

"Wow! mother will be scared," said Ralph Tingley.

Just then there came a cry from Tom. Then followed a heavy, smothered
thud. The boys dashed to the entrance. It was pitch dark. A great mass of
hard packed snow filled the opening, and was being forced into the cave
itself. In this heap of snow struggled Tom, fairly smothered.

They laid hold upon him--by a leg and an arm--and dragge