He twisted it around, to send the bob-sled away from Flossie and Freddie, who were almost under the runners now.  Bert, who saw what was about to happen, was ringing the bell as hard as he could.  The other boys were yelling and the girls were screaming.

“Flossie!  Freddie!  Fall off your sleds!  Roll out of the way!” yelled Nan.

CHAPTER XVIII

BERT’S SNOWSHOES

For a moment it seemed as though there would be an accident, in which not only Flossie and Freddie, but some of those on the big bob-sled as well, would be hurt.  But Tommy Todd seemed to know just what to do.

“It’s all right!” he cried.  “Stay on your sleds, Freddie and Flossie.  I can steer out of your way.”

And Tommy did.  But the only way he could avoid hitting the two little twins was to steer the big bob-sled into a bank of soft snow on one side of the hill.  This he did, and though he, Nan and some of those sitting in front were covered with a shower of the white flakes, no one was hurt.  Flossie and Freddie kept on down the hill on their sleds, scared but not in the least harmed.

“Say, it’s a good thing you grabbed that steering wheel when you did,” said Bert to Tommy, as they all got off the bob-sled.

“I should say so!” cried Ned Barton.  “I didn’t know you could steer, Tommy.”

“I didn’t know it myself until I tried,” Tommy said, with a smile, as he dug some snow out of his ear.  “I knew I just had to steer, though, when I saw Charley fall off.  We didn’t want to run over Flossie and Freddie.”

“It’s a good thing you sat so close to the steering wheel,” put in Nan.  “You grabbed it just in time.”

Flossie and Freddie came walking up the hill, and Charley, who had picked himself up, came walking down.  He had not been hurt by his fall.

“Flossie—­Freddie, what made you steer over to our side?” asked Bert.

“We couldn’t help it,” said Freddie.

“Our sleds just did it themselves,” went on Flossie.  “Did you think we were going to run into you?”

“No, but we almost ran into you!” exclaimed Nan.  “You must be more careful or mother won’t let you come out on the hill again.”

“Well, we’re tired of coasting now, anyhow,” Freddie said.  “We’re going home.”

Most of the others made ready to go home also, for it was nearly supper time.

“That was a fine thing you did—­saving my little brother and sister from getting hurt, Tommy,” said Bert, as he walked along, pulling the bob-sled after him.  “I’ll tell my father and mother what you did.”

“Oh, that wasn’t anything,” Tommy said, “Anybody would have done the same if he had been in my place.”

“Yes, but not everybody would have steered as quickly as you did.  You surely can steer a bob!  The next time you come out on the hill I’ll let you steer a lot.”