Christmas Holidays at Merryvale: The Merryvale Boys

								

boys?"
"I should say we have," cried Toad. "Everybody's good before Christmas."
"Well, run along home then, and I'll tell your mas just what you want,"
promised Daddy. "Herbie's ma's in here now and she doesn't want you boys
to know what she buys."
"All right," answered Reddy. "Don't forget to say I want a punching bag
and a pair of skates."
"And I want a new sled," chimed in Toad, as they both started off.
"Shucks, I didn't see half the things, did you?" protested Reddy.
"Oh, well, we can come down again this afternoon," was the cheering
answer. "Come on over to my house, anyway," he called as they parted.

CHAPTER II
THE SNOW FIGHT

By evening the snow that Toad and Reddy had so eagerly awaited had come,
and by morning many inches had fallen. A crowd of boys had gathered on
the Brown's lawn, for the news of a snow battle had carried far.
"First chooser!" cried Charley Brown, a happy-faced boy who bore the
name of "Chuck" among his friends.
"Second," shouted Reddy, and when the sides were chosen Toad found
himself with Herbie, a boy with whom he played very often, and four
others on Reddy's side.
It was then decided by the choosers, who were also the captains, to
build two forts, ten yards apart, and a half hour was agreed upon as
time enough in which to do the work.
"We must hurry," Reddy told the boys he had chosen, "and I think," he
added in a low voice, "three of us had better build the fort while the
other three make snowballs, as we want a lot on hand so we wont have to
stop firing to make them.
"Work fast," he ordered as he selected two of them to help him build the
fort.
Toad piled up great heaps of snow while Reddy and Herbie packed it down
with wooden spades into a wall which curved like a new moon.
"How are the snowballs getting on, boys?" asked Toad of the three boys
who were working hard making them.
"We're stacking them up so they'll be easy to get at," answered one.
"They're good hard ones," said another. "It's fine packing snow."
"We're going to have plenty, too," laughed the third.
"Wonder what Fat's doing?" cried Reddy. "He's bringing a pail of water
from the house."
Frank, called "Fat" by the other boys, because of his size, was Reddy's
older brother.
"I wonder," mused Toad. "He's pouring it on the walls of their fort. Oh,
don't you see," he added a moment later, "it's to make it freeze."
"Let's do that too," proposed Herbie. "I'll get the water," and he
started for the house.
Ten minutes later the walls of the fort were like a solid mass of ice,
and the snowballs were inside in four heaps so all were anxious for the
fun to begin.
CHAPTER III
THE VICTORY

"Hey, Captain of the enemy!" shouted Chuck from the other fort, "are you
ready?"
"All ready," came the answer. "Fire!"
A storm of snowballs flew through the air and Reddy barely had time to