"Hullo, black-eye!" shouted Bert, as he caught sight of his guests. "Come on; here's some fun for you."
"What's that for?" asked Phil, curiously eying the crazy structure.
"That? Don't you know?" replied Ted, with a disdainful emphasis on the last word.
"It's a toboggan chute," explained Bert. "We're going to cover it with snow, and slide down on it. By the way, there are you fellows' sleds."
"Where did they come from? I thought they went under," said Rob.
"Sam went up the next morning and found them floating close to the dam," answered Ted. "He cut a long pole and hauled them in. But you kids go to work and help me. We want to get this done, so we can have some fun before a thaw."
After two hours of hard work, Phil ventured to suggest that it would be easier to go to some of the ready-made hills for their coasting, but his comrades scorned the suggestion and promptly suppressed him.
By noon the slide was ready, and the boys separated for a hurried dinner, agreeing to be back as soon as possible. Soon afterwards they reappeared, Ted peeling an orange, and Phil with a pocketful of crackers, while Bert came out with a vast wedge of pie in his hand. With their sleds, they scrambled up the incline, and were soon on their way down it again. It was not in all respects a success. The framework, insecurely supported, tottered beneath them, and the boards were not carefully joined, causing occasional bumps in the way. But the charm of novelty covered a multitude of sins, and for an hour the boys followed one another down the slope and up again, with hardly a pause.
"Say, Phil," asked Ted, as if suddenly impressed with a new idea, "what made you take the snow from the foot of the slide to cover it with? That's what ails it, and makes our sleds stick so."
"That's so," responded Phil, diving into his overcoat pocket for another cracker. "I didn't think about that, and it was easier to get the snow here. I'll shovel some on that place."