ppery as a coasting hill. Perhaps the
sudden cry of the blue jay had made Trouble give a nervous jump and this
had thrown him off his balance, causing him to fall.

"Was that bird chase me?" he asked, as he heard the blue one cry and saw
it flitting about.

"Oh, no," answered Lola. "You chased yourself, I guess. Are you hurt?"

"I--I'm all--bumped," explained Trouble.

And this, really, was all that had happened to him. The pine hill was so
smooth that no one could have been hurt on it. The girls found it so
slippery that they could hardly stand up on it while helping Trouble up.

"Let's try--" began Mary. She was about to say "try a slide," when her
feet suddenly went from under her and she did as Trouble had done. She
burst out laughing, as did William and the other two girls, and the
woods echoed to the merry sound, bringing the boys over on the run. They
had not seen the rabbit after the first fleeting glimpse.

"What's the matter?" asked Ted.

"We've found a slippery place," answered his sister.

"Come on, let's try it!" suggested Tom.

They all did, making efforts to go down the slippery pine-needle hill
standing up. But every one toppled before reaching the bottom of the
hill. However, this was part of the fun, and Trouble enjoyed it with the
others.

Now and then the blue jay would flit to and fro, alighting on the trees
or bushes, and shrilly cry:

"Hay! Hay! Hay!"

"Maybe he wants to play, too," suggested Mary, who liked to look at one
of our most brilliantly colored winter birds.

"He's making enough fuss about it, anyhow," said Tom.

The children had lots of fun in the woods that day and the next. No more
tappings on the window were heard, and the Curlytops and their playmates
forgot all about the little scare. The weather grew colder and colder.
One morning Uncle Toby came in from the barn. He rubbed his red hands
before the fire and said:

"Lake's frozen over! Now you can go skating!"

CHAPTER XVI

A REAL TOBOGGAN

"Let's have a race!" cried Ted, as soon as his skates were fastened on
his shoes, for as soon as breakfast was over the children had gone out
on the ice with their skates.

"All right!" shouted Tom, who was quite ready for this sort of fun. "I
can beat you, Ted Martin!"

"And I can beat you, Tom Taylor!" exclaimed Lola, his sister, who was a
very good skater.

"Oh, wouldn't it be fun if we two could beat them?" suggested Jan to
Lola.

"We'll try," was the an