Page 52 (1/2)

How the snowballs flew! Aled and yelled, and threballs as fast as he could, till they were all gone Royal ca over the ith all the ene they went into the deep snow, outside the wall, and they rolled over and over, hitting each other as hard as they could

Almanzo’s face was covered with snow and hishiot him down, but Almanzo squiran to bleed Al hi, “Holler ’nuff! holler ’nuff!”

Frank grunted and squirot on top of him He couldn’t stay on top of Frank and hit hiht, and he pushed Frank’s face deeper and deeper into the snow And Frank gasped: “’Nuff!”

Alot up on his knees, and he saw Mother in the doorway of the house She called: “Boys! Boys! Stop playing now It’s time to come in and warm”

They arht the cousins et war in, covered with snow, and Mother held up her hands and exclaimed: “Mercy on us!”

The grown-ups were in the parlor, but the boys had to stay in the dining-room, so they wouldn’t melt on the parlor carpet They couldn’t sit down, because the chairs were covered with blankets and lap robes, war by the heater But they ate apples and drank cider, standing around, and Almanzo and Abner went into the pantry and ate bits off the platters

Then uncles and aunts and the girl cousins put on their wraps, and they brought the sleeping babies fro from the barn, and Father and Mother helped tuck in the blankets and lap robes, over the hoopskirts Everybody called: “Good-by! Good-by!”

The h-bells caone Christmas was over

Chapter 27

Wood-Hauling

When school opened as usual, that January, Al wood from the timber

In the frosty coldoxen to the big bobsled and Alht were now too big for the little yoke, and the larger yoke was too heavy for Almanzo to handle alone Pierre had to help hiht under the other end of it

The yearlings had been idle all summer in the pastures, and now they did not like to work They shook their heads and pulled and backed It was hard to get the bows in place and put the bowpins in

Als (when sometimes he wanted to hit thely But before he could get the to the timber lot

Als obeyed hiht or left when he cracked his whip and shouted “Gee!” or “Haw!” They trudged along the road, up the hills and down the hills, and Almanzo rode on his bobsled with Pierre and Louis behind him