“Bow-wow!” barked Rover, as he dashed out after the pine cone.
That was his way of saying he would bring it back as quickly as he could. And as Rover rushed from under the little green tent of the pine tree Flossie gave a cry of surprise.
“What’s the matter?” asked Freddie, turning around to look at his sister.
“Rover knocked me down!” she answered with a laugh, and, surely enough, there she was sprawling on the brown pine needles which covered the ground under the tree. “He just bunked into me and knocked me over!”
Rover was not used to playing with children, you see, and he was a bit rough. But he didn’t mean to be.
Flossie sat up, still laughing, for she was not in the least hurt, and by this time Rover had brought back the pine cone that Freddie had tossed out.
“Good dog, Rover!” cried Freddie, patting the animal as he laid down the cone and wagged his tail. “Now it’s your turn to throw one, Flossie,” Freddie said.
“All right,” Flossie answered. “But look out he doesn’t knock you down, Freddie.”
“I’m looking out!” Freddie said, and he quickly moved over to one side of the space under the tree, while Flossie threw out her cone.
Flossie was not quite so good a thrower of sticks, stones, or pine cones as was her brother. But she did pretty well. Though her cone did not go as far as Freddie’s had, it sank farther down into the snow. Maybe the cone was a heavier one, or it may have fallen in a softer place in the snow. Anyhow it went quite deep into a drift and Rover had to dig with his forepaws to get it so he could take it in his mouth.