Laura Lee Hope

“ It struck Bert in the back of the head and sent him staggering.
"Hi! how do you like that?" roared Danny, in high glee. "Have another?" And as Bert stood up and looked around he let drive again, this time hitting Bert directly in the ear. The snowball was so hard it made Bert cry out in pain.
"For shame, Danny Rugg, to hit Bert so hard as that!" cried Nan.
"Oh, you keep still, Nan Bobbsey!" retorted Danny. "This is our sport, not yours."
"But you shouldn't have come so close before you threw the snowball."
"I know what I'm doing," growled the big boy, running off. ”

“ The ice-cream was done up into various fancy forms, and Freddie got a fireman with a trumpet under his arm, and Nan a Japanese lady with a real paper parasol over her head. Bert was served with an automobile, and Flossie cried with delight when she received a brown-and-white cow that looked as natural as life, all of the forms were so pleasing that the children did not care to eat them until the heat in the lighted dining room made them begin to melt away. ”

“ You've got the ghost, haven't you? And Nan is scared to death of it, isn't she?"
"No, she isn't."
"Yes, she is, and so are you and all the rest of the family." And then Danny set up his old shout: "Afraid of a ghost! Afraid of a ghost!"
Some of the other boys followed suit and soon a dozen or more were crying, "Afraid of a ghost!" as loudly as they could.
Bert grew very pale and his breath came thickly. He watched Danny and when he came closer caught him by the arm. ”

“ Bert tried to stand, but had to sit down. "Oh, my ankle!"
"It wasn't my fault," said Danny Rugg, and began to haul his sled away. Charley started to follow.
"Don't leave me, Charley," called out Bert. "I—I guess I can't walk."
Charley hesitated. Then, feeling in his heart that he was really responsible for running into Bert in the first place, he came back and helped Bert to his feet.
"The sled is broken," said Bert, surveying the wreck dismally.
"That was Danny's fault."
"Well, then, he ought to pay for having it fixed."
"He never pays for anything he breaks, Bert,—you know that." ”

“ Then he shook him very gently.
"Oh!" cried Freddie. "Oh! Wha—what do you want? Let me sleep! It isn't time to get up yet."
"Freddie, I want you to wake up," said Bert.
"Who is talking?" came from across the hallway, in Mr. Bobbsey's voice.
"I'm talking, papa," answered Bert. He ran to the doorway of his parents' bedchamber. "I've just found out who the ghost is," he continued.
"The ghost?" Mr. Bobbsey leaped up. "Where is it?"
"In bed now. It was Freddie, walking in his sleep. He was asking for another piece of strawberry shortcake." ”

“ Bobbsey let Freddie and Flossie take their time in looking into the several windows. One was full of dolls, which made the little girl gape in wonder and delight.
"Oh, mamma, what a flock of dolls!" she cried. "Must be 'bout ten millions of them, don't you think so?"
"Hardly that many, Flossie; but there are a good many."
"And, oh, mamma, what pretty dresses! I wish I had that doll with the pink silk and the big lace hat," added the little girl.
"Do you think that is the nicest, Flossie?"
"Indeed, indeed I do," answered the little miss. "It's too lovely for anything. ”

“ The other boys threw back in return and Bert's hat was knocked off.
"Bert, this will not do on Sunday," said Mrs. Bobbsey, and there the snowballing came to an end.
All through that night the snow continued to come down, and on Monday morning it was over a foot deep. The air was crisp and cold and all of the children felt in the best of spirits.
"Nan and Bert can go to school," said Mrs. Bobbsey. "But I think Freddie and Flossie had better stay home. Walking would come too hard on them."
"I want to go out in the snow!" cried Freddie. "I don't want to stay indoors all day." ”

“ A cheer was given for those who had captured the fort. Then some of the boys began to dance on the top of the walls, and down they came, one after another, until the fort was in ruins, and the great contest came to an end.
"It was just splendid!" said Nan to Bert, on the way home. "Just like a real battle."
"Only the band didn't play," put in Freddie disappointedly. "Real soldiers have a band. They don't play fish-horns." ”

“ The country is a lovely place, especially in the summer time, and all of my young readers can rest assured that the twins enjoyed themselves at Meadow Brook to the utmost.
"I'll be so glad to see Cousin Harry again," said Bert.
"And I'll be glad to see Aunt Sarah," piped in Freddie. "She makes such beautiful pies!"
"Think of the lovely big barn," put in Flossie. "It's just like a—a palace to play in on wet days!"
"Oh, Flossie, to compare a barn to a palace!" exclaimed Nan. "But it is a nice place after all," she added, after a moment's thought. ”

“ He insisted upon it, and soon Nan was on the sled behind Flossie, and Bert and Freddie were hauling them along where pulling was easy. This was great sport for Freddie, and he puffed and snorted like a real horse, and kicked up his heels, very much to Flossie's delight.
"Gee-dap!" shrieked the little maiden. "Gee-dap!" and moved back and forth on the sled, to make it go faster. Away went Freddie and Bert, as fast as the legs of the little fellow could travel. ”

“ Thus assured Nan opened the door and followed Bert outside. At a word from the farmer Tige stopped barking and began to wag his tail.
"That dog wouldn't hurt nobody, 'ceptin' he was attacked, or if a person tried to git in my house," said Farmer Sandborn. "He's a very nice fellow, he is, and likes boys and gals fustrate; don't ye, Tige?" And the dog wagged his tail harder than ever, as if he understood every word. ”

“ This time he had three valentines for Nan and several for the others. Some were comical, but the most of them were beautiful and contained very tender verses. There was much guessing as to who had sent each.
"I have received just as many as I sent out," said Nan, counting them over.
"I sent out two more than I received," said Bert.
"Never mind, Bert; boys don't expect so many as girls," answered Nan.
"I'd like to know who sent that mean thing that was marked ghost," went on her twin brother.
"It must have come from Danny Rugg," said Bert, and he was right. ”

“ By the time he was made half presentable once more the kitchen was in a mess from end to end.
"What were you doing near the flour barrel?" asked Nan.
"Going to get flour for the cake."
"But we don't want that kind of flour, Freddie. We want this," and she brought forth the package.
"Dinah uses this," answered the little boy.
"Yes, for bread. But we are not going to make bread. You had better sit down and watch Bert and me work, and you, Flossie, had better do the same."
"Ain't no chairs to sit down on," said Freddie, after a look around. "All full of flour." ”

“ I'm going to be a real fireman," was the ready answer.
"An' what am yo' gwine to be, Master Bert?"
"Oh, I'm going to be a soldier," said Bert.
"I want to be a soldier, too," put in Freddie. "A soldier and a fireman."
"Oh, dear, I shouldn't want to be a soldier and kill folks," said Nan.
"Girls can't be soldiers," answered Freddie. "They have to get married, or be dressmakers, or sten'graphers, or something like that."
"You mean stenographers, Bert. I'm going to be a stenographer when I get big."
"I don't want to be any stenogerer," put in Flossie. ”

“ When the boys finally floundered out of the hollow into which they had fallen, they found themselves in snow up to their waists. On all sides of them were the walls of the sand pit, ten to fifteen feet high.
"I don't see how we are going to get out of this," said Bert dolefully. "We can't climb out."
"We'll have to do it," answered Bob. "Come, follow me."
He led the way through the deep snow to where the walls did not seem to be so high. At one spot the rain had washed down part of the soil.
"Let us try to climb up that slope," said the larger boy and led the way, and Bert followed. ”

“ It was Bert who spoke about cake-making first. Queer that a boy should think of it, wasn't it? But Bert was very fond of cake, and did quite some grumbling when none was to be had.
"It ought to be easy to make a nice big plain cake," said Bert. "I've seen Dinah do it lots of times. She just mixes up her milk and eggs and butter, and sifts in the flour, and there you are."
"Much you know about it!" declared Nan. "If it isn't just put together right, it will be as heavy as lead." ”

“ Flossie between them. "I do love sleigh riding so much!"
"See me drive!" cried Freddie, who held the very end of the reins, the part dangling from Sam's hands.
"Well, Freddie, don't let the team run away," said Mr. Bobbsey, with a laugh.
"I shan't," answered the little fellow soberly. "If they try to run away, I'll whip them good."
"You'll never stop them that way," said Bert. "You want to talk gently to them."
On and on they went, over the smooth snow. The horses were fresh and full of spirit, and mile after mile was passed with a speed that pleased all of the twins very much. ”

“ Nan could not go on, but leaned on her twin brother's arm for support.
"You girls are crazy to jump rope so much," put in a big boy, Danny Rugg by name. Danny was something of a bully and very few of the girls liked him.
"It's no worse than playing football," said a big girl.
"Yes, it is, much worse," retorted Danny. "Rope jumping brings on heart disease. I heard father tell about it."
"I hope Grace didn't get heart disease." sobbed Nan.
"You turned the rope," went on Danny maliciously. "If she dies, they'll put you in prison, Nan Bobbsey." ”

“ As the time for Christmas drew shorter all of the Bobbsey children wondered what Santa Claus would bring them and what they would receive from their relatives at a distance.
Freddie and Flossie had made out long lists of the things they hoped to get. Freddie wished a fireman's suit with a real trumpet, a railroad track with a locomotive that could go, and some building blocks and picture books. ”

“ It began to snow. At first the flakes were but few, but soon they came down thicker and thicker, blotting out the already darkened landscape.
"Let us walk home," suggested Nan. "That will be better than staying out here in the snow storm."
"It's a long walk. If only we had brought our skates." But alas! neither had thought to bring skates, and both pairs were in the office at the lumber yard.
"I don't think we had better walk home over the ice," said Bert, after another pause. "We may get all turned around and lost. Let us walk over to the Hopedale road." ”

“ Do you feel sick?" asked the father.
"No, I'm not sick," he answered.
"You play altogether too hard. Take it easy. The snow will last a long time," went on Mr. Bobbsey.
After lunch Bert did not dare to go back to school. But he could think of no excuse for staying home and at last set off in company with Nan. He looked around for Danny, but the big lad did not show himself.
"What's the matter with you, Bert?" questioned his twin sister, as they trudged along.
"Nothing is the matter, Nan."
"But there is. You act so strange." ”

“ FUN ON THE ICE
"Oh, the fight is going to start!" cried Nan, in high excitement. "See them coming up the hill!"
"Will they shoot?" asked Flossie, just a bit nervously.
"Course they won't shoot," answered Freddie. "Can't shoot snowballs. Ain't got no powder in."
The attacking party was still a good distance from the fort when those inside let fly a volley of snowballs. But the snowballs did not reach their mark, and still the others came up the hill.
"Now then, give it to them!" cried Bert, and let fly his first snowball, which landed on the top of the fort's wall. ”

“ But instead of returning up the lake the craft headed for the western shore, and in a few minutes they struck some lumpy ice and some snow and dirt, and both were thrown out at full length, while the Ice Bird was tipped up on one side.
Bert picked himself up without difficulty and then went to Nan's aid. She lay deep in the snow, but fortunately was not hurt. Both gazed at the tipped-up ice boat in very great dismay.
"Bert, whatever shall we do now?" asked Nan, after a spell of silence. "We'll never get home at all!" ”

“ He's found!" shrieked Nan. "Aren't you glad, Bert?"
"Of course I am," answered Bert. "But I can't understand how he happened to go to sleep in such a lively store as that."
"He must have walked around until he got tired," replied Nan. "You know Freddie can drop off to sleep very quickly when he gets tired."
As soon as possible Mr. Bobbsey drove around to the department store in his sleigh. The watchman and Freddie were on the lookout for him, the little boy with the kitten still in his arms.
"Oh, papa!" cried Freddie. "I am so glad you have come! I—I don't want to go to sleep here again!" ”

“ Nellie was close at hand and soon the two sleds were side by side, with a girl on each, Bert and Charley stood behind.
"Are you ready?" asked Charley.
"Yes."
"Then go!"
Away went both lads, giving each sled a lively shove down the hill. Then each hopped aboard, and took hold of the rope with which to steer.
"A race! A race!" shouted those standing near.
"I think Charley will win!" said some.
"I think Bert will win!" said others.
"Oh, let us win if we can!" whispered Nan to her twin brother.
"I'll do my best, Nan," was the answer. ”