s a delicate stomach. You see, his keeper used to
feed him chocolate drops three times a day."

Hippy grinned good-naturedly. He was a round roly-poly boy, famous for
his appetite.

"Get away from here, Red Curls," he cried, hitting Reddy in the back
with a snowball.

"Oh, you coward," cried Reddy, talking in a high falsetto voice, "to hit
a man when his back is turned. I'll slap you for that," and he landed a
snowball on Hippy's chest.

Hippy crouched behind the girls.

"I was a fool to throw at a pitcher," he cried; "he'll be sending me one
of his curves in a minute."

"Hiding behind the ladies, hey?" returned Reddy, beginning to pitch
snowballs at the girls.

"Let's wash his face," cried Nora to the other boys and girls coming up
just then. They chased Reddy all the way to Nora's house and rolled him
in the snow until he cried "enough."

Once inside Nora's cozy home, the coasters were soon doing ample justice
to the good things to eat, which Nora's sister had prepared for them.
Although all three of Anne's chums regretted deeply the unpleasant
affair on the hill it was not mentioned again during the evening. Still,
each girl felt in her heart that poor little Anne had, in Miriam Nesbit,
a dangerous enemy.

CHAPTER XIII

CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS

"Here's the tack-hammer, Hippy, and don't fall off the ladder, please,"
cautioned Grace, as she assisted Hippy Wingate to tack up an evergreen
garland in Mrs. Gray's drawing room.

Not in twenty years had the old house taken on such holiday attire.
Great bunches of holly and cedar filled the vases and bowls and
decorated the chandeliers. Fires blazed on every hearth and the warm
glow from many candles and shaded lamps brightened the fine old rooms.

"My dear young people," exclaimed Mrs. Gray, coming in just then, "how
happy you make me feel! I do wish you were all really my children and
could forever stay just the ages you are now."

"This house would be like the palace of everlasting youth, then,
wouldn't it, Mrs. Gray?" suggested Anne.

"Until some meddlesome little Pandora came along, opened the box and let
all the troubles out," interposed David, who was still feeling very
bitter toward his sister Miriam, and glad to leave home for a time until
his anger had cooled.

"Ah, well, we have no Pandoras here," answered Mrs. Gray, smiling on the
young guests. "You are all girls and boys after my own heart, and I
trust we shall have a beautiful time toget