children dragging their sleds and following them, Russ
and Rose and Laddie and Vi went back to where they had left Mr. White
standing. There he was, very fine and brave-looking with his tall silk
hat on his head, his coal-black eyes glistening in the sun, and his row
of black buttons also shining.
All at once, as Russ, who was in the lead of the procession of children,
looked at the snow man, he cried:
"Oh!"
"What's the matter?" asked Rose.
"Did you hear some funny noise?" questioned Violet.
"No, but look at Mr. White!" cried Russ. "He took off his hat and made a
bow to me!"
"Why, Russ Bunker!" gasped Vi.
"Took off his hat?" cried Laddie.
"Made a bow to you!" exclaimed Rose. "Why, how could he? Mr. White is
only a snow man. He isn't alive!"
"Well, he made a bow just the same!" cried Russ. "You just watch, and
he'll do it again!"
Eagerly the children watched. Mr. White did not move. He just stared at
them with his black eyes, smiled at them with his red cloth lips, and
the tall, silk hat upon his snowy head never moved.
"You're fooling us, Russ!" exclaimed Laddie.
"No, I'm not--really!" Russ declared. "I saw him take off his hat and
wave it at me."
For a moment the six little Bunkers stood in a row and looked at Mr.
White. Then, just as naturally as if he had been used to doing it all
his life, Mr. White's tall, black silk hat came off his head, was
lowered before the children and was put back again. This time they all
saw it.
"Oh, look! Oh!" exclaimed Rose.
"Why--why----" and that was all Laddie could say as he stood with his
mouth wide open, he was so surprised.
"You made him do it, Russ!" exclaimed Violet.
"I? How could I make him do it?" Russ demanded.
"It's one of your tricks. You pulled a string and made his hat come off.
It's a trick!"
"Well, maybe it is a trick, but I didn't do it," declared Russ. "I
haven't got any string fast to his hat. And, anyhow, if I did, maybe I
could pull his hat off with a string, but I couldn't pull it back on
again, could I?"
"Well, maybe not, but you did it!" insisted Vi.
"No, I didn't!" said Russ. "You watch and I won't move my finger even,
and maybe Mr. White will take his hat off again."
"Did you know he was going to do it?" asked Rose, as she looked at the
snow man carefully.
"No, I didn't know anything about it," said Russ. "I was walking along
with you all, just now, and, all of a sudden, I saw the hat come off.
First I t
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