The expedition had bad luck from the start. The livery man, disliking the weather prospects, had had an inferior team harnessed to the big sled. John Hardy and the other young men stood for their rights and after a long wrangle, succeeded in getting what they wanted. But this had consumed precious time. They drove out of the livery barn at six-thirty instead of six, as they had intended. Then two or three of the girls were not ready. One of the last called for, having sat with her wraps on for over three-quarters of an hour, had finally removed them and her party frock as well, in disgust, thinking the jaunt had been given up on account of the weather. By the time she had dressed herself afresh it was a quarter past seven. There was still one young man to be picked up at the hotel. He, too, had grown tired of waiting and had started out to hunt the sleigh. Ten minutes more were consumed searching for him. The clock in the schoolhouse tower was striking the half hour as the sleigh load passed the last house in the little town, and turned into the country road leading to the ranch. Sherm pulled out his watch. "Whew, Frank and Marian will have a nice wait for us! We can't possibly make it till after nine." The next two miles went with a dash. The moonlight was a dim gray half light instead of the silvery radiance they had counted upon. "Those clouds must be beastly heavy--there is scarcely a star to be seen," ejaculated John Hardy, who was on the driver's seat with a sprightly girl of nineteen for his companion. "What'll you bet the snow catches us before we get home to-night?" "I'll bet you it catches us before we get out to Morton's," retorted one of the other young men. "Well, I'm glad I am taking my turn at driving going out, if that's the case. I shouldn't like the job of keeping the road on these prairies in a nice blinding snowstorm." "Oh, that's just because you're a town dude," said Grant Stowe boastfully. "It is just as easy to follow a country road as a street in town if you only know the country." "All right, Grant, if it snows, we'll let you drive home." "If it snows?" exclaimed one of the girls. "I felt a flake on my nose this very minute." The party surveyed the sky. "Oh, you are just dreaming, Kate." "Somebody blew you a kiss and it cooled off on the way," teased another. "Just wait a minute, smarties. There--there was another!" "Yes, I felt one, too!" exclaimed Mamie. "You're right, it's coming." Sherm stared at the sky in some concern. "Better whoop it right along, John," advised one of the young men thoughtfully. "I am not so sure that we shouldn't be sensible to turn round and call this frolic off for to-night," John Hardy replied. There was a chorus of No's. "Nonsense, who's afraid of a little snow? Besides, we'd disappoint the Mortons and Jane's mother would be frantic if she didn't come. Don't crawfish, John Hardy."