It was customary at Lakeport to close the schools for about a month around the winter holidays and all of the pupils counted the days to when the vacation would begin. At last the time came, and with a whoop, Joe, Harry, and several dozen other lads rushed forth, not to return until near the end of January. “And now for Christmas!” cried Joe. Deep down in his heart he was wondering if he would get another watch and chain. Ice had already formed on Pine Lake, but just before Christmas it began to snow and blow heavily, so that skating was out of the question. This put something of a damper on the lads and they went around feeling somewhat blue. Christmas morning dawned bright and fair. The ground was covered with over a foot of snow, and the merry jingle of sleighbells filled the air. As may be surmised the Westmore boys were up early. There were many presents to be given and received, and it was a time of great surprises and not a little joy. What pleased Joe most of all was the new watch he received. It was decidedly better than the first watch had been, and so was the chain better than the other. “Just what I wanted!” he declared. “It tops all the presents—not but what I like them, too,” he added, hastily. Harry had slipped off without the others noticing. Now he came back, his face aglow with enthusiasm. “Oh, Joe, what do you think?” he cried. “The wind has swept Pine Lake as clean as a whistle.” “If that’s the case, Harry, we can go skating this morning instead of waiting until after dinner. But how do you know the ice on the lake is clear?” “Didn’t I just come from there?” Harry held up a shining pair of nickel-plated skates. “Couldn’t resist trying ’em, you know. Say, it was just all right of Uncle Maurice to give each of us a pair, wasn’t it?” “It certainly was,” returned Joe. “But I rather think I love that double-barreled shotgun a little better. I am fairly aching to give it a trial on a bird or a rabbit, or something larger.” “Well, as for that, I don’t go back on the camera Aunt Laura sent up from New York. Fred Rush was telling me it was a very good one, and he ought to know, for he has had four.” “What did Fred get for Christmas’?” “A shotgun something like yours, a big bobsled, some books, and a whole lot of other things. One book is on camping out, and he is just crazy to go. He says a fellow could camp out up at Pine Island, and have a bang-up time.” “To be sure!” ejaculated Joe, enthusiastically. “Just the thing! If he goes I’m going, too!” “You don’t know yet if father will let you go. He says no boy should go hunting without some old hunter with him.” “I’m seventeen,” answered Joe, drawing himself up to his full height; he was rather tall for his age. “And Fred is almost as old. I reckon we could take care of ourselves.”