ns on, and my wed cap."

"You can't reach your coat an' you've lost your mittens," insisted Fred,
with perseverance worthy a better cause.

"O, yes I can. I can 'tep on my high chair," dragging it after him.

"I can get my things on first," said Fred who suddenly decided in favor
of the snow man, and hurriedly suiting the action to the word, rushed to
get his coat which hung under Jamie's, just as Jamie reached his little
hands up to get his. Fred gave a tremendous flirt and pull at his coat
which overbalanced his little brother and down came the high chair and
Jamie plump upon the luckless Fred, whose angry squeals and kicks,
mingled with Jamie's loud shrieks of terror made a commotion that
brought Anna, the housekeeper, to the rescue.

"What _is_ the matter?" as she plucked Jamie from the general _debris_.

"Fred pulled me down--"

"Jamie jumped on me," said both at once as soon as they could get their
breath.

"An', I aint lost my wed mittens, an' my little white leg is broke off,"
cried Jamie suddenly, spying the oft-mended leg of the high-chair, which
in this _melee_, had completely severed company with the rest of the
chair, and now mutely appealed for help to be put on again.

"There, there, papa can mend it all right again. Don't cry, little man.
Now Fred, you must stop crying and play nice with Jamie and not quarrel
so much. There! I hear mamma's bell; I must go see what she wants. Run
away and be quiet, for mamma can't stand a _bit_ of noise to-day," and
Anna left them again to their own devices. Jamie carefully laid the
little white leg away in his box of playthings, and then both children
went back to the window to watch the drops again.

"I see one, two, three, seven, four, ten--" slowly counted Jamie as the
crystal drops fell.

"Oh, I see a ice berg, an' I'm goin' to get it for candy," shouted Fred
as he ran out on the porch and seized an icicle. It seemed so nice out
there that he stayed and called Jamie to come, too. They were delighted
with the new plaything and new sights, and any thought of being cold or
needing their coats never entered their minds, so the icicle, the
beautiful drops, and finally the snow claimed their attention until they
were at last happily engaged in the much-desired occupation of making a
snow man.

It was near noon and the sun had finally rifted the grayest clouds, and
was sending such warm smiles on the snow-laden earth that trees and
fences, roofs and ridges burs