"Be careful, or the house will come down!" cried Flossie, all at once, and hardly had she spoken when down came the whole top of the snow pile and poor Freddie was buried completely out of sight! CHAPTER VII FREDDIE AND FLOSSIE'S SNOW HOUSE "Freddie! Freddie!" shrieked Flossie, when she saw her twin brother disappear. "Do come out!" But Freddie could not come out, and when, after a few seconds he did not show himself, she ran toward the kitchen door, screaming at the top of her breath. "Oh, Dinah! Dinah! Freddie is buried! Freddie is buried!" "Wot's dat yo' say, Flossie?" demanded the cook, coming to the door. "Freddie is buried. The ceiling of the snow house came down on him!" "Gracious sakes alive, chile!" burst out Dinah, and without waiting to put anything on her head she rushed forth into the garden. "Gib me dat shovel quick! He'll be stuffocated fo' yo' know it." [Illustration: "DAT CHILE DUN GWINE AN' BURIED HIMSELF ALIVE."--P. 53.] She began to dig away at the pile of snow, and presently uncovered one of Freddie's lower limbs. Then she dropped the shovel and tugged away at the limb and presently brought Freddie to view, just as Mrs. Bobbsey and Nan appeared on the scene. "What in the world is the matter?" questioned Mrs. Bobbsey, in alarm. "Dat chile dun gwine an' buried himself alive," responded the colored cook. "De roof of de snow house cabed in on him, pooh dear! He's 'most stuffocated!" In the meantime Freddie was gasping for breath. Then he looked at the wreck of the snow house and set up a tremendous roar of dismay. "Oh, Flossie, it's all spoilt! The bay window an' all!" "Never mind, Freddie dear," said his mother, taking him. "Be thankful that you were not suffocated, as Dinah says." "Yes, but Flossie and me were makin' an _ev'rything_ house, with a parlor, an' a bay window, an' _ev'rything_. I didn't want it to fall down." Freddie was still gasping, but now he struggled to the ground. "Want to build it up again," he added. "I am afraid you'll get into trouble again, Freddie." "No, I won't, mamma. Do let us build it up again," pleaded the little fellow. "I kin watch dem from de doah," suggested Dinah. "Let me help them, mamma," put in Nan. "Bert is reading a book, so he won't want me for a while." "Very well, Nan, you may stay with them. But all of you be careful," said Mrs. Bobbsey. After that the building of the snow house was started all over again. The pile of snow was packed down as hard as possible, and Nan made Flossie and Freddie do the outside work while she crept inside, and cut around the ceiling and the bay window just as the others wanted. It was great sport, and when the snow house was finished it was large enough and strong enough for all of them to enter with safety.