t 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 ever. Dot clung a lit