or many days the boys had been looking forward to the party to be held
at Toad Brown's house, but the evening finally arrived and a number of
new games were played, although a few things happened which were not on
the program.

_Illustrations in Color 12mo. Cloth 40c per Vol., Postpaid_

=THE NEW YORK BOOK CO., 201 E. 12th St., New York=

[Illustration: "Wish my dad would get me a new sled like that flyer,"
sighed Toad.]

_THE MERRYVALE BOYS_

CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS AT MERRYVALE

BY
ALICE HALE BURNETT

AUTHOR OF "HALLOWE'EN AT MERRYVALE,"
"MERRYVALE BOYS ON THE
FARM," ETC.

PICTURES BY
CHARLES F. LESTER

THE NEW YORK BOOK CO.

201-213 EAST 12TH STREET NEW YORK

_Copyright_, 1916, BY
AMERICAN AUTHORS PUBLISHING CO.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

I. TOAD'S WISH 9

II. THE SNOW FIGHT 15

III. THE VICTORY 19

IV. CHUCK'S RUDE AWAKENING 26

V. THE ADVENTURE IN THE SNOW 33

VI. TOAD'S UNSELFISHNESS 40

VII. THE BOYS PLAN A SURPRISE 46

VIII. WHAT MIKE FOUND 52

IX. CHRISTMAS MORNING 59

CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS AT MERRYVALE

CHAPTER I

TOAD'S WISH

"Hurrah!" shouted "Reddy." "School is out and no more lessons for two
weeks!" and he threw his cap into the air.

"Let's go home by the way of the village, so we can look into Daddy
Williams' toy shop," suggested his friend Thomas Brown, better known as
"Toad," who ran up to join him.

"All right," agreed Reddy, "and I'll show you what I want for
Christmas," and they started down the street.

"Looks as though it might snow by night," said Toad, "don't you wish
there would be a big one? Then we could get all the boys together and
have a battle."

"It's the best fun I know of, next to swimming in the creek," was the
answer.

"Here we are," he cried a few minutes later and both boys stopped in
front of a small shop window that looked very gay with a wonderful
display of Christmas toys.

"See those skates hanging up by that sled. That's the kind I want,"
pointed out Reddy. "You screw them right into the heels of your shoes
and you bet they can't ever come off."

"They're fine," agreed Toad, "but look at that engine and train. It
go