Four Little Blossoms and Their Winter Fun | Page 5

Sam, as he brought in a great armful of wood
for the fireplace. "Looks like real winter at last."
Mother Blossom was mending the twins' mittens, for their thumbs had
a way of coming through, no matter how often she knitted them new
pairs or darned the old.
"I'm going upstairs to hunt my muffler," said Meg. "I think I left it in
the bureau drawer, but I'd better look."

Father Blossom laughed.
"You all evidently plan to start out right after breakfast, don't you?" he
teased them. "Where is the best coasting, Bobby?"
"On Wayne Place hill," replied Bobby. "My, I'm anxious to let Fred
Baldwin see the new sled."
Aunt Polly folded up her embroidery.
"I'll go upstairs with you, Meg," she said. "I've something I want to
show you. Come into my room after you find your scarf."
As they went upstairs they met Twaddles coming down, carrying the
cat, Annabel Lee, in his arms.
"Going to give her a ride on the sled--just in the hall," he informed
them. "If she gets used to sleds in the house, maybe she'll like to take a
ride outdoors. Philip could pull her."
Aunt Polly was doubtful about Annabel Lee's feelings toward sleds, but
Twaddles was sure she would learn to like coasting.

CHAPTER III
AUNT DOROTHY'S LOCKET
"Aunt Polly?" Meg tapped lightly on her aunt's door.
"Yes, dear, come in," called Aunt Polly. "You found your muffler?
That's good. Come over here and see this."
Aunt Polly was seated before her open trunk, a little white box on her
knees. Meg came and stood beside her.
"This was your great-great Aunt Dorothy's," said Aunt Polly, opening
the little box.

It was lined with blue velvet and on the velvet lay a little gold locket.
"Oh, how pretty!" exclaimed Meg.
The locket was round and set with tiny blue stones that formed three
forget-me-not flowers. In the center of each flower sparkled a tiny
diamond.
"The blue stones are turquoises," explained Aunt Polly. "Great Aunt
Dorothy wore her locket on a bit of black velvet, but I bought this chain
for you. Do you like it, dear?"
"Is it for me?" asked the surprised Meg. "For me, Auntie? Can I wear it
to school and show it to the girls? Oh! can I?"
"It is for you," Aunt Polly assured her small niece, kissing her. "But,
honey, you must be careful of it. Wear it to school one day, if you want
to, and then keep it for special times. You see, you must save it for your
little girl."
"My little girl?" echoed Meg, wonderingly. "Why?"
"Because," explained Aunt Polly seriously, "this locket has always
been handed down to the oldest daughter. Great-great Aunt Dorothy
gave it to her daughter, and she gave it to her oldest daughter and so on.
Some might say I should give it to Dot, because she is named for great
Aunt Dorothy, but you are the oldest daughter. I had it instead of your
mother for that reason. And as I have no daughter, it goes to you."
Meg ran downstairs to show her gift, and the sleds were forgotten while
the children crowded around to examine the pretty locket.
"You must be very careful of it, Daughter," said Father Blossom. "You
know you've lost two or three trinkets. This is the kind of thing you
can't replace if you lose it."
"I'll be careful," promised Meg, clasping the fine gold chain around her
neck again and dancing off to the kitchen to show her treasure to

Norah.
The next morning it had stopped snowing, but there was, as Sam
remarked, "enough and to spare" of snow for coasting. The minute
breakfast was over the four little Blossoms, warmly bundled up, were
out with their sleds.
Wayne Place hill was a famous coasting hill, and all kinds of children
with all kinds of sleds were on hand to enjoy the first real sledding of
the winter.
"Trade with you, Bobby," called a freckle-faced boy, dragging an old
tin tray.
Bobby grinned.
"Won't trade," he called back. "But you can go down with me."
So the freckle-faced boy, whose name was Palmer Davis, took turns
coasting downhill on his tray, which he managed very skilfully, and
going down with Bobby on the brand-new sled.
Bobby taught Meg how to steer, and he usually pulled Twaddles up the
hill, while Meg gave Dot an extra ride. They coasted the whole
morning and went back for the afternoon.
"I'd never get tired," declared Twaddles, as they were starring home. "I
could go sledding all my life!"
"I never get tired, either," announced Dot, from the sled where she was
comfortably tucked on and being pulled along by patient Meg.
"That's 'cause you're too young to work," said