break a window."

Miss Wright, the vice-principal of the Oak Hill primary school, was the
feed-store man's cousin.

"That so?" he asked interestedly. "Well, now, I'll have to speak to
Cousin Lelia. When I was a boy and went to school we had regular
snowball fights. Built forts, you know, and chose a captain for each
side and had real exciting times. You tell her you won't throw toward
the school, and I shouldn't be a bit surprised if she let you build
forts in the school yard and have a good battle."

"The snow's fine there," said Meg, catching Mr. Wright's enthusiasm.
"It hasn't been touched since the first storm, only where the janitor
dug out the walks. I'd love to have a snowball fight."

"Girls don't snowball fight, do they?" Bobby was quite scandalized, and
appealed to Mr. Wright.

"Well, now, I don't believe they did when we were boys," admitted the
feed-store man slowly. "But times have changed, you know. I should
say that the side that lets girls have a place stands the best chance
of winning this snowball fight you're planning."

"Can we stay?" begged Twaddles and Dot, who had overheard.

"I should say not!" declared Bobby crushingly. Meg might win her
point, but he hoped he could still handle the twins. "You go straight
home. And you can tell Mother, if we don't come in early, that we're
having a snowball fight at school."

"You always have all the fun," grumbled Dot. "Why can't we stay a
little while?"

"They'll have to say lessons right up to recess time, before they can
even roll a snowball," Mr. Wright comforted the twins, driving the
sleigh up to the curb before the school-house yard. "You and I are
going to have a nice little ride while they're pegging away at their
books. How's that?"

Dot and Twaddles were cheered by this thought, and they were able to
see Meg and Bobby and the lunch-boxes go up the school walk without
another protest.

"You go and ask her now," suggested Meg, as she and Bobby went into the
hall. "Go on, Bobby. Ask her if we can have a fight right after
school."

Bobby stood a little in awe of Miss Wright, the vice-principal, but the
vision of snow forts, and perhaps himself as one of the captains,
decided him.

"All right, I will," he said recklessly. "You wait for me, Meg. It's
only quarter of."

Bobby hurried down the hall to the door marked "Office" and opened it.
Miss Wright was nowhere in sight. There was no one in the office, and
the clock