“Well, whatever it was, it saved us,” contentedly responded Tavia. “By the way, Maddie sent me the cutest card—painted it herself!”
“Who wants to ride across the lake?” demanded Major Dale, slowing up the horses, “that will save us climbing the hill, you know, and the ice is plenty thick enough; don’t you think so, Winnie?”
“Yes, indeed,” Aunt Winnie answered, ready for anything that meant adventure, and as they all chorused their assent joyfully, away they drove over the snow-covered ice.
The horses galloped straight across the lake, up the bank, and then came a smash! The steeds ran into a drift, dumped over the sleigh; and a shivering, laughing mass of humanity lay on the new, white snow.
“Such luck!” cried Tavia, “out of the fire into the snow!”
While Major Dale and the boys righted the overturned sleigh, Bob took care of the ladies.
“You and the girls leave for New York to-morrow, Tavia tells me,” said Bob.
“Yes,” replied Aunt Winnie, with a sigh, “a little pleasure trip, and some business.”
“Business?” cried Dorothy, closely scrutinizing her aunt’s worried face.
Quick to scent something that sounded very much like “family matters,” Tavia turned with Bob, and deliberately started pelting with snow the hard-working youths at the sleigh.