“Do you think the snow’s packed hard enough?” demanded Jane.
“Hope so,” returned Max, with a grin. “The kids were sledding last night over near Cooper’s woods, so they ought to have made a track. Anyhow, we can have some fun. You’ve just got to be outdoors, weather like this.”
They made their way across the yard, chatting about the school entertainment, their dates for the next two weeks, and the fun which Christmas always brought them. When they reached the hill where the coasting was the best, near Riverside, they found many of their other high-school friends, and for two hours they alternately rode down the steep incline at a breathtaking speed and then trudged slowly back to the top. The sun was setting, and the afternoon was gone before they knew it.
“Oh, I must go home!” exclaimed Mary Louise, glancing at her wrist-watch in amazement.
“It’s only five o’clock,” returned Max complacently. “You don’t eat at your house before six-thirty, do you?”
“Come on, Mary Lou!” called Jane. “All aboard!”
Her chum shook her head.
“I can’t, Jane. I’ve got to be home by five-thirty.”
“Why the rush?” demanded Max.
“I have to see my father. He left word with Mother for me to be there.”