Jessie and Ronald now hurried home, thankful that an unseen Hand had held back the crashing snow-slip, while they were slowly passing along its track, unconscious of danger. So intently were their minds engaged with the fearful scene they had just witnessed, that Ronald did not notice, as he passed into the yard, that his snow-house was reduced to a shapeless heap, and its ruins scattered around in every direction.
CHAPTER IV.
THE REFEREE CASE.
“I wonder where Henry is; I haven’t seen him for three or four days,” said Jessie one morning, as Ronald was mending one of the straps of his skates, preparatory to an excursion to the pond with several boys who were waiting outside.
No reply was made, and after a moment’s pause, she added,
“I am afraid he is sick. Have you seen him, lately, Ronald?”
“No, I haven’t seen him since that day we went over to Round Hill Pond, to see the ice-boat,” replied Ronald.
“You haven’t heard of the falling out of Ronald and Henry, have you?” inquired Oscar of Jessie, as soon as Ronald left the room.
“A falling out? No, I have heard nothing about that. What is the trouble between them?” inquired Jessie.
“I didn’t know anything about it until yesterday,” replied Oscar, “although I suspected something was wrong. It seems, according to Ronald’s story, that he and Henry undertook to build a snow-house, and had got it nearly done, when Henry got mad about something or other, and knocked it all to pieces, while Ronald was away.”
“But I can hardly believe that,” said Jessie. “It doesn’t seem at all like Henry, to do such a thing as that—and such good friends as he and Ronald have always been, too. Did anybody see Henry tear the house down, or is it all mere suspicion?”