"Yes," agreed Will.
"Go ahead," spoke Jake, and Sam nodded his assent.
"If we only had Mr. Blackford here we could have three on a side," remarked Will to Frank, as they made a pile of snowballs, which example was being followed by their rivals. But the young business man had gone into town to see about some of his affairs, promising to come back by evening.
"All ready?" asked Allen, as he noted that the white ammunition was accumulating. He would have been glad to take a hand himself, but he thought it hardly dignified.
"All ready!" replied Will, and his rivals nodded their willingness to start. "Everybody in the game!"
Then the snowball fight began, and it was sufficiently fierce to allow the rather angry feelings on both sides to be worked off, in perhaps the least harmful manner.
All four of the boys were fairly good shots, and for the first five minutes a number of hits were recorded. Each was struck in the face several times, though most of the shots were on the body. Will received one in his eye that pained him very much.
"That's sure to swell, and be black and blue," he thought. "Well, we'll see what this will do," and he aimed one at Jake. It took young Rossmore full in the ear, and a little later he begged for a truce to rid it of snow.
Meanwhile Kittie and Alice, rather terrified at the impending clash, had hurried on.
"We ought to get a policeman and make that Ford fellow and his chums stop," said Alice, vindictively.