Frank drew his flashlight, and the streaming rays illuminated a
long passageway whose end they could not see. There were open
spaces in the roof and walls through which the snow had drifted in
spots, but there were other parts that were clear and dry, and
these were welcomed by the boys with immense relief after their
long battle with the snow.
At a turning of the corridor they came upon a large room that,
although mildewed and dilapidated and wholly bereft of furniture,
was intact as far as the walls and ceiling were concerned. But
what especially caught their eyes was a huge stone fireplace, and
at once they decided to end their explorations for the present
right there.
"Perhaps that hot coffee wasn't such a dream after all," chuckled
Billy. "We've got plenty of the stuff in our kits, and all we need
is some hot water."
"There's no end of broken branches about here," said Frank. "Let's
get a pile of them in here, and we'll have a fire started in less
than no time."
Though Tom said that the wood would probably be too wet to burn,
he turned in heartily with the others, and in a few minutes they
had a bigger pile of wood ready than probably the old room had
ever seen before.
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