want for once."

"We can have rides downhill for a long while," remarked Janet.

"And make snow men and snow forts and snowballs as much as we like,"
added Teddy.

All night long the storm raged again. The wind blew and the snow came
down, but not as hard as it had the night before. If it had, there is no
telling what would have happened. The Curlytops would have been snowed
in worse than they were.

But it was bad enough, as they saw when they awakened and looked out the
next morning. That is they tried to look out, but it was little indeed
that they could see. For some of the windows from which they had had a
glimpse of the outer world the day before were completely covered now.

"We'll have to do some digging to get to the opening of the tunnel,"
said Daddy Martin to Uncle Frank, "and we'll have to dig all day to get
to the barn. But we've got to do it."

"That's right!" agreed Uncle Frank.

"Couldn't I help?" asked Teddy.

"No, I'm afraid not, Curlytop," answered his father. "It's pretty hard
work for us men."

"But will you let me go out and see Nicknack as soon as you dig to his
stable?" the little boy asked.

"I'll see about it--if the snow isn't too deep," his father replied.

"I want to come, too!" added Janet.

"Well, maybe you can," said Uncle Frank. "We'll see."

Then, after they had had a warm breakfast, the two men started the
digging again. Teddy and Janet could not see them because they were so
far inside the tunnel. And as the Curlytops could not be out to play
they had to amuse themselves as best they could in the house.

Aunt Jo played with them and Trouble. Baby William was the hardest to
amuse, as he was very active. He wanted to run about and do everything,
and two or three times, when they looked for him, they found he had
slipped away and was out in the kitchen, teasing Nora to let him make a
cake.

It was well on in the afternoon when there came a stamping and pounding
in the back entry.

"Oh, there's daddy and Uncle Frank knocking the snow off their feet!"
exclaimed Janet.

"Maybe they've been out to the barn," said her brother.

"And maybe they've brought Nicknack in," added Janet.

The Curlytops ran to the kitchen, not stopping to wait for Trouble, who
cried to be taken along. There in the entry, brushing the snow from them
and stamping it from their boots, were Daddy Martin and Uncle Frank.

"Did you get to the barn?" inquired Teddy.

"Yes, we got there all right.