ere came along two large boys, Frank Cobb, and his
particular chum, Irving Knight.

"What's going on here; a race?" asked Frank.

"It looks that way," said Irving.

"Oh, will you push us off?" begged Bert, appealing to Frank, whose
father worked in Mr. Bobbsey's lumber yard.

"Sure we will," answered Frank goodnaturedly. "Take the other sled,
Irving," he said to his chum, "and we'll give 'em an even start. Then
we'll see which beats, and may the best sled win!"

"That's what I say!" cried Irving.

The two larger boys took their places behind the bobs. They slowly
shoved them to the edge of the hill, held them there a moment, and, at
a nod to each other, shoved them down evenly.

"Hurray!" cried the crowd of other coasters. "There they go!"

"And Danny's ahead!" said some of his friends.

"No, Bert's sled is!" shouted his admirers.

As a matter of fact, though, both sleds were even at the start. On and
on they went very swiftly, for the hill had been worn smooth. Then
Bert saw his bob getting ahead a little, and he felt that he was going
to win easily.

But he was glad too soon, for, a little later, Danny's sled shot ahead,
and for some distance was in the lead.

"Can't you beat him, Bert?" whispered Charley Mason, who sat just
behind his chum.

"I hope so," was the answer. "But I can't really do anything. We just
have to depend on the sled, you know."

"Steer a little more over to the left," suggested another boy. "It
looks smoother there."

"I will," said Bert, and he turned the steering wheel of his bob while
Luke Morton, in the rear, pulled hard on the bell, making it clang out
a loud warning.

"Look out where you're going, Bert Bobbsey!" warned Danny, looking back.

"You're coming over on my side of the hill!"

"No I'm not. I'm away from the middle even," said Bert. "Besides, I'm
behind you."

"I know you are, and you're going to stay there; but I don't want you
to run into me."

Bert thought of the time, the winter before, when Danny had run into
him, and broken his sled, but he said nothing. He did not want that
kind of an accident to be repeated if he could help it.

On, on and on dashed the big bobs, with the crowd on the hill, and a
number of coasters scattered along the way, watching anxiously. As
soon as Bert had steered over to the left his sled began to go faster,
as the snow was packed better there. He was fast catching up to Danny,
when one of the boys on that bob