ny of them. Her little red
boots flashed as she ran about. Not one of the other children was a
match for her at snowballing. And when the children began making a
snow woman, a Baba Yaga, you would have thought the little daughter of
the Snow would have died of laughing. She laughed and laughed, like
ringing peals on little glass bells. But she helped in the making of
the snow woman, only laughing all the time.

When it was done, all the children threw snowballs at it, till it fell
to pieces. And the little snow girl laughed and laughed, and was so
quick she threw more snowballs than any of them.

The old man and the old woman watched her, and were very proud.

"She is all our own," said the old woman.

"Our little white pigeon," said the old man.

In the evening she had another bowl of ice-porridge, and then she went
off again to play by herself in the yard.

"You'll be tired, my dear," says the old man.

"You'll sleep in the hut to-night, won't you, my love," says the old
woman, "after running about all day long?"

But the little daughter of the Snow only laughed. "By frosty night and
frosty day," she sang, and ran out of the door, laughing back at them
with shining eyes.

And so it went on all through the winter. The little daughter of the
Snow was singing and laughing and dancing all the time. She always ran
out into the night and played by herself till dawn. Then she'd come
in and have her ice-porridge. Then she'd play with the children. Then
she'd have ice-porridge again, and off she would go, out into the
night.

She was very good. She did everything the old woman told her. Only she
would never sleep indoors. All the children of the village loved her.
They did not know how they had ever played without her.

It went on so till just about this time of year. Perhaps it was a
little earlier. Anyhow the snow was melting, and you could get about
the paths. Often the children went together a little way into the
forest in the sunny part of the day. The little snow girl went with
them. It would have been no fun without her.

And then one day they went too far into the wood, and when they said
they were going to turn back, little snow girl tossed her head under
her little fur hat, and ran on laughing among the trees. The other
children were afraid to follow her. It was getting dark. They waited
as long as they dared, and then they ran home, holding each other's
hands.

And there was the little daughter of t