became stuck in the
snow," explained Uncle Toby. "I hope they have dug the engine out by
this time. If they haven't it may have to stay there a long time, for
this storm is getting worse."

The children thought so too, as they listened to the wind howling around
the corners of the house and down the chimney, while the hard flakes of
snow beat against the windows.

But they were snug and warm in Uncle Toby's house, and Jan and her
brother, with Lola and Tom, were so jolly, suggesting so many games to
play and talking about the good times to come at Crystal Lake, that
though Mary and Harry had begun to feel homesick this soon wore off, and
the strange playmates laughed with their new friends.

Trouble was to sleep in a big bed with Jan in a room next to Aunt
Sallie. And in the same room with Jan and her little brother, Mary and
Lola would sleep, but in separate beds.

The three older boys had a room to themselves, each with a single bed,
so they would not disturb one another.

"And mind!" cried Uncle Toby, when the time came to "turn in," as a
soldier or a sailor might say. "Mind! No pillow fights!"

"Oh, no!" cried Tom and Ted, winking at each other.

And I think Uncle Toby must have known that they would have a little fun
in this way. For he did not come up to stop them when they began tossing
about at each other the soft, fluffy pillows. At this game there was a
jolly good time for half an hour.

But even boys can get tired sometimes, and these boys had had a long
automobile ride that day. So they finally gave up tossing the pillows
about and settled down snugly in their beds. The girls and Trouble had
gone to sleep long before this.

"Well, you certainly have quite a houseful, Uncle Toby," said Aunt
Sallie that night, when locking-up time came, "with seven children, to
say nothing of the animals."

"Oh, I like 'em all!" exclaimed the old sailor, with a laugh. "And I
just had to take the Curlytops. There was no place for them to go when
their father and mother had to start off on that trip. As for Tom and
Lola, I wanted the Curlytops to have some playmates over the holidays.
And about Mary and Harry--well, I couldn't leave them in the big city
all alone, with their mother in the hospital."

"No, I suppose not. Poor children! Poor Mother! I hope she gets better!"

"I hope so, too," said Uncle Toby. "And I hope the Curlytops' father
doesn't lose his money."

Janet was awakened early the next morning by fe