"Now let's have a real race!" cried Ted, after they had been sliding for some time. "I mean let's see who can go farthest from the end of the slide."
They took turns at this, one at a time coasting down the wooden hill and marking where the sleds landed on the grass. Tom and Ted seemed able to make their sleds jump farther than did the girls.
"I beat!" cried Tom, pointing to the mark his sled had made on the grass, after jumping up and away from the little end bump of the slide.
"You did not! My sled went farther!" shouted Ted. "Here, girls, I'll leave it to you!"
The four were trying to decide who had won the race when Janet, glancing back toward the toboggan slide, gave a cry of alarm.
"Look at Trouble!" she exclaimed.
There, on top of the pile of big boxes, having climbed to the platform by means of the rickety steps, stood baby William.
"I s'ide down!" he cried, jumping up and down in delight. "I s'ide!"
"No! No! Don't! Stand still, Trouble! Don't move! I'll come and get you!" shouted Ted.
He started on a run, but he was too late. A moment afterward Trouble was in trouble, for the little fellow toddled toward the back edge of the platform, which had no railing to guard it, and a second later he seemed to topple off backward.