ome
days. But the sun was melting the snow a little every day, and one
afternoon, when Flossie and Freddie came home from school early, and
went out to play in the snow house, something happened.

Before long Flossie went to the kitchen to ask Dinah for some cookies to
have a make-believe party in the snow house, and when the cook had given
them to her, and the little girl was about to come out, she looked from
the window and saw a strange sight.

Snap was playing about the yard with another dog. All of a sudden Snap
gave a jump, right on top of the snow house, and he was so heavy, and
the roof was so thin, that it caved in. Snap, with a bark, jumped away
and ran off with the other dog, but Freddie was held fast by the pile of
snow which fell on him, as he was inside.

"Oh! oh!" cried the little fellow, his voice muffled by the pile of
snow. "Help me out! Help me out! I'm buried under the snow house! Help
me out! Oh, Flossie!"

CHAPTER XVII

ON THE HILL

"Dinah! Dinah!" called Flossie, dropping to the floor the cookies she
had gotten to take out to the snow house. "Oh, Dinah! Look at Freddie!"

Dinah hurried to the window.

"Freddie?" she asked. "Freddie? Where am Freddie? I can't see him, so
how kin I look at him, Flossie lamb?"

"Oh, you can't see him!" wailed Flossie, "But you can hear him, can't
you?"

Dinah listened.

"Help me out! Help me out!" Freddie was crying. His voice was rather
faint, for he was under the snow, and it sounded as though he were down
in the cellar. But though the snow roof had fallen in when Snap jumped
on it, there was a sort of little cave, or hollow around his head so
Freddie could call out.

"Don't you hear him?" asked Flossie, who was so excited she did not know
what to do. "Don't you hear him, Dinah?"

"Yes, I _heahs_ him all right," replied the colored cook, "but I can't
_see_ him, honey lamb."

"He's under the snow! In the snow house!" Flossie went on. "The roof
fell on him because Snap jumped on it when I came in here to get the
cookies. Oh, Dinah, will you help get him out?"

"Git Freddie lamb out? Course I will! In de snow house wid de roof fell
in on him! Oh mah land ob massy!" cried Dinah. "It's jest laik it done
happened once befo' when Bert made a bigger house."

She caught up a big spoon, which she used to stir the pancakes, and
rushed out to the yard, Flossie running after her. Up to the big pile of
snow, which did not look much like a house now,