shovel, for while the Curlytops' father had been digging away
at the snow with his shovel, Uncle Frank had used the other to pile into
the basket the loosened heap of white flakes.

"What's the matter?" asked Janet's father as he looked at her. "Why did
you call me?"

"'Cause Teddy's in a big drift--down there!" she answered, pointing.

"Yes, he really did jump down there, and the snow was so soft that he
went all the way through," added Aunt Jo.

"Then we must get him out in a hurry!" cried Uncle Frank. "Come on,
Dick! This will be a new kind of digging for us."

"I should say so!" exclaimed Mr. Martin.

The two men ran toward the big drift, but when they got close they
walked more carefully, for they did not want to make more snow fall in
on top of Teddy through the hole he left when he jumped into the big
drift.

"Are you down there, Son?" asked Mr. Martin, leaning over the hole and
calling to the little boy.

Janet began to cry. She was afraid she would never see her brother
again, and she loved him very much.

"Don't cry," said Uncle Frank kindly. "Well get Teddy out all right. Did
he answer you?" he inquired of Daddy Martin.

"Not yet, but I guess----"

Just then a voice seemed to call from under their very feet.

"Here I am!" it said. "Down in a big pile of snow. Say, can you get me
out? Every time I wiggle more snow falls in on top of me!"

"We'll get you out all right, Ted!" shouted his father. "Just keep as
still as you can. Can you breathe all right?"

"Yep!" came back the answer, as if from far away.

Then Daddy Martin and Uncle Frank began to dig in the big drifts with
their shovels, while Aunt Jo and Janet looked on. As yet Mrs. Martin and
Nora knew nothing about what had happened, nor did Trouble.

"But it's of no use to tell your mother and frighten her, Janet," said
Aunt Jo. "They'll have Teddy dug out in a minute, and then he can tell
her himself what happened to him, and we'll all have a good laugh over
it."

"Won't he smother?" asked Janet.

"Oh, no," answered Aunt Jo. "Falling under snow isn't like falling under
water. There is a little air in snow but not any in water--at least not
any we can breathe, though a fish can. But still if a person was kept
under heavily packed snow too long he would smother, I suppose. However,
that won't happen to Teddy. They're getting to him."

Uncle Frank and Daddy Martin were tossing the snow away from the drift
by big shovelfuls. In a littl