It was the first snowfall. The grey sky was filled with little white feathers dancing down--down--down.
"Look at the snowflakes," exclaimed the three happy children, all in one breath.
"Yes," said their Mother, "the snow has come. In the spring and summer Mother Earth works very hard. It takes so much of her strength, feeding the millions of plants from her brown breast. By fall she is very tired and in winter she takes things quite easy.
"Then the gentle Rain Fairy feels sorry for Mother Earth. She turns her own tears to snow-flakes, and scatters them over her. They weave a soft white comforter to keep her warm. And it keeps the seed babies, sleeping in Mother Earth"s brown breast, all snug and warm too."
All that day and all night the snow fell. And all the next day and the next night--and the third day and the third night too.
Then all of a sudden it stopped, and the three happy children woke in the morning, and looked out of the window.
"Why the snow"s most as high as Wienerwurst"s house!" cried Jehosophat.
Then they all trooped in to breakfast.
"We will make forts," said Jehosophat.
"Hooray!" exclaimed Marmaduke.
"The very thing!" added Mother.
And Wienerwurst, curled up by the rosy kitchen stove, barked, "Woof, woof, woof."
Now this means a lot of things. But this time it meant, "Good, good, good."
So the three happy children hurried through their oatmeal. They hurried so fast that they had three little pains. Jehosophat had one right under his belt, Marmaduke one in the centre of his blouse, Hepzebiah one under her little red waist.
Mother came in from the kitchen. She looked at the empty bowls.
"What! All gone already! Look out or you"ll each have to take a big table-spoonful of the yellow stuff in that bottle."
There it stood, on the kitchen mantel. She pointed right at it. They hated it worse than most anything in the world.
"I"m all right," said Jehosophat; and
"I"m not sick," protested Marmaduke; and
"Pain"s all gone," cried Hepzebiah.
It was funny how the sight of that bottle frightened the three little pains away.
Mother smiled. It was a funny smile. Then she said:
"Now, on with your things!"
Jehosophat sat on the floor and pulled on his new rubber boots, which reached almost to his waist. On the stool sat Marmaduke, putting on his, and Mother helped little Hepzebiah with her wee little ones.
Over Jehosophat"s head went a red sweater, over Marmaduke"s a green, and over Hepzebiah"s curls one of blue. Then wristlets and mittens and coats and caps, and out into the deep white snow they tramped.
"Forward march!" said a voice.
They looked. It was the Toyman.
"The enemy is about to attack," he explained sternly.
"Where"s the enemy?"
"You can"t see them. But they"re advancing fast. Up with the fort. Double quick!"
So at double quick they marched to the barnyard, and began work with their shovels.
My! how they dug! Fast flew the snow. And the Toyman packed it down hard, and shaped it into the walls of a big strong fort.
It was odd, too, how the Toyman could find time to help. For he had lots of work to do. But then the enemy was coming!
Rover and Brownie and Wienerwurst scampered around in the snow. They were not of much help. All they did was to bark--bark--bark.
"Hush!" commanded the Toyman. "We must keep quiet so the enemy won"t know where we are."
So they dug and they dug and packed the snow hard. Soon the walls were as high as Jehosophat"s shoulders, and the fort was all ready.
The Toyman stopped and said:
"Now for the ammunition."
"What"s ammunition?"
"Watch."
The Toyman took a handful of snow and crushed it hard between both hands.
When he had finished he opened his fingers. In his palm was a round white ball. Then another he made and another. And the three little soldiers, Jehosophat, Marmaduke, and Hepzebiah, made lots too. They piled them in the corner of the fort, until they had a heap like the iron b.a.l.l.s around the cannon in the town park.
"Now," commanded the Toyman. "March to the barracks and get warm" (he pointed at the house). "I"ll watch and call when the enemy comes."
Into the house they went, and dried their mittens and warmed their hands.
And each had a cup of nice warm milk.
After a while there was a loud knock at the door, and the sound of a horn.
Mother opened the door a little way.
The horn sounded again. Then the voice spoke loudly:
"Fall in," it said. "_The enemy comes_!"
Quickly the three little soldiers put on their mittens and caps, and b.u.t.toned their coats, and hurried to the fort.
They looked around. They could not see anybody with a horn. And the Toyman was gone.