“It is very nice, but I won’t be told I don’t ‘dare’ by any boy in the world.  If you are afraid, I’ll go alone.”  And, before he could speak, she had snatched the rope from his hand, thrown herself upon the sled, and was off, helter-skelter, down the most dangerous coast on the hill-side.

She did not get far, however; for, starting in a hurry, she did not guide her steed with care, and the red charger landed her in the snow half-way down, where she lay laughing till Jack came to pick her up.

“If you will go, I’ll take you down all right.  I’m not afraid, for I’ve done it a dozen times with the other fellows; but we gave it up because it is short and bad,” he said, still good-natured, though a little hurt at the charge of cowardice; for Jack was as brave as a little lion, and with the best sort of bravery,—­the courage to do right.

“So it is; but I must do it a few times, or Joe will plague me and spoil my fun to-night,” answered Jill, shaking her skirts and rubbing her blue hands, wet and cold with the snow.

“Here, put these on; I never use them.  Keep them if they fit; I only carry them to please mother.”  And Jack pulled out a pair of red mittens with the air of a boy used to giving away.

“They are lovely warm, and they do fit.  Must be too small for your paws, so I’ll knit you a new pair for Christmas, and make you wear them, too,” said Jill, putting on the mittens with a nod of thanks, and ending her speech with a stamp of her rubber boots to enforce her threat.

Jack laughed, and up they trudged to the spot whence the three coasts diverged.

“Now, which will you have?” he asked, with a warning look in the honest blue eyes which often unconsciously controlled naughty Jill against her will.

“That one!” and the red mitten pointed firmly to the perilous path just tried.

“You will do it?”

“I will!”

“Come on, then, and hold tight.”

Jack’s smile was gone now, and he waited without a word while Jill tucked herself up, then took his place in front, and off they went on the brief, breathless trip straight into the drift by the fence below.

“I don’t see anything very awful in that.  Come up and have another.  Joe is watching us, and I’d like to show him that we aren’t afraid of anything,” said Jill, with a defiant glance at a distant boy, who had paused to watch the descent.

“It is a regular ‘go-bang,’ if that is what you like,” answered Jack, as they plowed their way up again.

“It is.  You boys think girls like little mean coasts without any fun or danger in them, as if we couldn’t be brave and strong as well as you.  Give me three go-bangs and then we’ll stop.  My tumble doesn’t count, so give me two more and then I’ll be good.”

Jill took her seat as she spoke, and looked up with such a rosy, pleading face that Jack gave in at once, and down they went again, raising a cloud of glittering snow-dust as they reined up in fine style with their feet on the fence.