CHAPTER III
THE FIRST SNOW STORM
Nan felt greatly relieved to learn that Grace was not dead.
"Oh, mamma, I am _so_ glad!" she said, over and over again.
"I am glad too," answered Mrs. Bobbsey. "Her mamma has told her severaltimes not to jump so much."
"Yes, I heard her." Nan's eyes dropped. "I was wicked to turn the ropefor her."
In the end Nan told her mother the whole story, to which Mrs. Bobbseylistened very gravely.
"It was certainly wrong, Nan," she said. "After this I hope my littlegirl will try to do better."
"I shall try," answered Nan.
It was long after the dinner hour before the excitement died away. Thenit was learned that Grace was resting quietly in an easy chair and thedoctor had ordered that she be kept quiet for several days. She was verymuch frightened and had told her parents that she would never jump ropeagain.
The time was the fall of the year, and that Saturday evening there was afeeling of snow in the air stronger than before.
"Oh, if only it would snow!" came from Bert, several times. "I likewinter better than anything."
"I don't," answered Nan. "Think of the nice flowers we have in thesummer."
"You can't have much fun with flowers, Nan."
"Yes, you can. And think of the birds----"
"I like the summer," piped in Freddie, "cos then we go to the countrywhere the cows and the chickens are!"
"Yes, and gather the eggs," put in Flossie, who had gathered eggs manytimes during the summer just past, while on a visit to their UncleDaniel Bobbsey's farm at Meadow Brook. All of the Bobbsey childrenthought Meadow Brook the finest country place in all the world.
Bert's wish for snow was soon gratified. Sunday morning found it snowingsteadily, the soft flakes coming down silently and covering the groundto the depth of several inches.
"Winter has come after all!" cried the boy. "Wish it was Monday insteadof Sunday."
"The snow is not quite deep enough for sleighing yet," returned hisfather.
Despite the storm, all attended church in the morning, and the fourchildren and Mrs. Bobbsey went to Sunday school in the afternoon. Thelady taught a class of little girls and had Flossie as one of herpupils.
To the children, traveling back and forth through the snow was greatsport, and Bert couldn't resist the temptation to make several snowballsand throw them at the other boys. The other boys threw back in returnand Bert's hat was knocked off.
"Bert, this will not do on Sunday," said Mrs. Bobbsey, and there thesnowballing came to an end.
All through that night the snow continued to come down, and on Mondaymorning it was over a foot deep. The air was crisp and cold and all ofthe children felt in the best of spirits.
"Nan and Bert can go to school," said Mrs. Bobbsey. "But I think Freddieand 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 stayindoors all day."
"You shall go out later on, in the garden," replied his mother.
"They can watch Sam shovel off the snow," put in Mr. Bobbsey. Sam wasthe man of all work. He and Dinah, the cook, were married and lived insome pleasant rooms over the stable.
"Yes, let us watch him!" cried Flossie, and soon she and Freddie were atthe window, watching the colored man as he banked up the snow on eitherside of the garden walk and the sidewalk. Once Sam made a motion as ifto throw a shovelful of snow at the window, and this made them dodgeback in alarm and then laugh heartily.
The school was only a few blocks away from the Bobbsey home, but Nan andBert had all they could do to reach it, for the wind had made the snowdrift, so that in some spots it was very deep.
"Better look out or we'll get in over our heads," cried Bert.
"Oh, Bert, wouldn't it be terrible to have such a thing happen!"answered his twin sister. "How would we ever get out?"
"Ring the alarm and have the street-cleaning men dig us out," he saidmerrily. "Do you know, Nan, that I just love the snow. It makes me feellike singing and whistling." And he broke into a merry whistle.
"I love it because it looks so white and pure, Bert."
They were speedily joined by a number of other boys and girls, all boundfor school. Some of the girls were having fun washing each other's facesand it was not long before Nan had her face washed too. The cold snow onher cheek and ear did not feel very nice, but she took the fun in goodpart and went to washing like the rest.
The boys were already snowballing each other, some on one side of thestreet and some on the other. The snowballs were flying in alldirections and Bert was hit on the back and on the shoulder.
"I'll pay you back!" he cried, to Charley Mason, who had hit him in theback, and he let fly a snowball which landed directly on Charley's neck.Some of the snow went down Charley's back and made him shiver from thecold.
"I wouldn't stand that, Charley," said Danny Rugg, who was close athand. "I'd pitch into him if I were you."
"You pitch into him," grumbled Charley. "You can throw awfullystraight."
Danny prided himself on his throwing, which, however, was no better thanthe throwing of the other lads, and he quickly made two hard snowballs.With these in hand he ran out into the street and waited until Bert'shands were empty. Then he came up still closer and threw one of thesnowballs with all his might. It struck Bert in the back of the head andsent 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 timehitting Bert directly in the ear. The snowball was so hard it made Bertcry 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 whack in the ear made that member ache, and Bert did not feel nearso full of fun when he entered the schoolyard. Several of his friendscame up to him in sympathy.
"Did he hurt you very much, Bert?" asked one.
"He hurt me enough. It wasn't fair to come so close, or to make thesnowballs so hard."
"Let us duck Danny in the snow," suggested one of the boys.
This was considered a good plan, but nobody wanted to start in, for, asI have said before, Danny was a good deal of a bully, and could get veryrough at times.
While the boys were talking the matter over, the school bell rang andall had to go to their classrooms. In a little while Bert's ear stoppedaching, but he did not forget how Danny Rugg had treated him.
"I'll pay him back when we go home to dinner," Bert told himself, andlaid his plans accordingly.
As soon as Bert got out of school he hurried into a corner of the yardand made three good, hard snowballs. These he concealed under hisovercoat and then waited for Danny to appear.
The big boy must have known that Bert would try to square matters withhim, for as soon as he came out he ran in the direction of one of themain streets of Lakeport, just the opposite direction to that which heusually pursued.
"You shan't get away from me!" cried Bert, and ran after him. Soon hethrew one snowball and this landed on Danny's back. Then he threwanother and knocked off the bully's cap.
"Hi! stop that!" roared Danny, and stooped to pick up the cap. Whiz!came the third snowball and hit Danny on the cheek. He let out a cry ofpain.
"I'll fix you for that, Bert Bobbsey!" he said, stooping down in thestreet. "How do you like that?"
He had picked up a large chunk of ice lying in the gutter, and now hethrew it at Bert's head with all force. Bert dodged, and the ice wentsailing past him and hit the show window of a small shoe store,shattering a pane of glass into a hundred pieces.