Four Little Blossoms and Their Winter Fun | Page 7

use up all the snow
'fore we got there."
Really, there didn't seem to be much danger of that. Wayne Place hill
was alive with coasters when the four little Blossoms reached it. The
snow was still deep and soft on the sides, and packed hard and smooth
in the center of the road.
"Here comes a bob!" cried Bobby, as the children began their walk up.
"Look how she goes! Dave Saunders is steering."
The big sled shot past them, filled with high-school boys and girls.
"Ours is just as nice," said sunny-tempered Meg, catching Twaddles in
a wistful stare.

CHAPTER IV

WHEN THE BOBSLED UPSET
"Our sleds are ever so much nicer," declared Bobby sturdily. "Bobs are
no fun, Twaddles. You can't see a thing 'less you're steering. Come on
now; we're going down."
Bobby took his place on the sled, Twaddles grasped the belt of his coat
tightly, and Meg pushed. Away they went!
"Hurry up, Dot," cried Meg excitedly. "Let's get down before they start
to walk up."
"Can you steer it?" asked Dot cautiously.
"What a question!" Meg was indignant. "Didn't I steer it all day
Saturday, silly?"
But Dot, for some reason, did not want to coast. To tell the truth, Meg
had narrowly missed a tree Saturday afternoon, and after that Dot had
shut her eyes tight every time they went down the hill.
"You go too fast," she complained now.
Meg looked at her little sister, genuinely surprised.
"Why, you have to go fast," she said. "You can't stop the sled after you
get to going. And if you did all the others would run into you. Come on,
Dot, you'll like it after the first ride."
By this time Bobby and Twaddles, rosy and panting, had reached the
top of the hill.
"The snow's packed fine," said Bobby enthusiastically. "What are you
waiting for, Meg? Feet cold?"
"No, they're warm enough," answered Meg, absently stamping her feet
in the snow to prove it. "Dot's afraid."
"I am not!" cried Dot indignantly. "I just said Meg went too fast."

"And she wanted to know if I could steer," said Meg scornfully.
"There's nothing to steering, is there, Bobby?"
"Well, of course, you have to be careful," answered Bobby. "Suppose I
take Dot down? Want to go with me?"
Dot nodded.
"All right," said Bobby. "Meg, you'll give Twaddles a coast or two,
won't you? If he kicks you in the back just shove your elbow into him."
Twaddles looked abashed. He had a habit, when excited, of kicking
with his sharp little right foot, and Bobby strongly objected to being
punched in the back when he was centering all his mind on the steering
bars of his sled.
Dot settled herself comfortably behind Bobby and glanced back at Meg
uncertainly.
"You don't mind, do you, Meg?" she asked timidly.
"Mind?" echoed Meg. "Oh, no, of course not. Silly Dot!"
Meg, Father Blossom had once said, saved a good many minutes that
other people wasted in grumbling or envying or being cross. Meg
seldom had mean little feelings.
"One, two, three--go!" shouted Dave Saunders suddenly.
A whole fleet of little sleds with shrieking youngsters on them shot
down the hill.
"Gee!" cried Twaddles, forgetting and using his right foot vigorously.
"Gee, isn't this fun!"
"There, did I steer to suit you?" asked Bobby of Dot, as he ran gently
into a sloping snow bank and the sled stopped.
"It was lovely," sighed Dot. "Do it again, Bobby."

"All right," agreed Bobby. "You stay on, Dot, and we'll give you a ride
back. But Twaddles, you walk."
"I should think he'd better," declared Meg severely. "Kicking me in the
back like that!"
Twaddles was sure that he would remember the next time, and Meg
forgave him.
At the top of the hill they lined up again, and Bobby found Tim Roon
and Charlie Black on one side of him.
"Packs good, doesn't it?" said Tim affably.
During the fall and winter Tim and Charlie had occasioned a good deal
of trouble for Bobby in one way or another, and he was not at all
desirous of having much to do with them. In school, especially, they
had landed him in a sad scrape, and Meg, too, had had to endure their
teasing. Still, coasting was another matter.
"Have you been here long?" asked Bobby, as Dot tucked in her skirts
and Twaddles planted himself behind Meg. "Why didn't you come to
school?"
"Didn't want to," grinned Tim. "Charlie and I coasted all the morning,
'cept once when we saw old Hornbeck's buggy and horse coming. Had
the whole hill to ourselves."
Dave Saunders shouted, and Meg and Bobby started. Down, down,
they flew, Meg's small hands steering capably, Twaddles' right foot
prodding her as enthusiastically as