Half-Past Seven Stories

n the yard. They were drawing a big load of lumber from the m

Toyman picked out a few of the finest and carried them into his shop

s for us," decl

it is!" said

out. But the Toyman never appeared until long after five. He had his cornhusk

s very provoking, thought the boys, t

t. He stopped the Toyman as he was coming f

what are tho

d the Toyman--just

the boys answered together. It sounded like

an, "ask me no questions

Miss Prue Parsons the school teacher didn't at all approve. But Father said

yman was

tions an' I'll

sour but make v

with that information, bu

he house, or mend the leaks in the roof of the barn. Of course, he might have fixed Old

snow. I ought t

lip and the secr

ked the door of his worksh

their two heads in the doorway. That was his

ut oh, Toyman, let

ords to the minute, or I can't plane this st

nd chores for the Toyman to finish IT, whatever IT was. But after about a week the

ss-pieces of a ve

ss-piece wi

ry long one

guess what they would

nailed them with little nails, very neatly, on the four long curved pieces of wood. Then he fastened these curved pieces together by nailing the cross-pieces betwee

Toyman had been planning to make. And when he painted the runners yellow with a little blue edge running arou

t the word "Scud" in blue l

it, it was the finest bobsled in t

together as in a chorus, not forgetting

ed was ready, but something else was

snow!" Jeho

sonny," the Toyman replied, "But

God bless Mamma an' Papa an' the Toyman an' Wienie an'" all the rest of his fri

end us some snow,--

week. On the twenty-third

ite, and only about three for the snow to

e sky, then at the grou

. He was always knocking off wo

e big bobsled first. For it was a thing to be proud of, with its yellow runners

the corner pen," said the To

. Turns! That was the prop

" wasn't as fine as the next

called, "and I'l

en knew he meant horse. So the three, Jehosophat, Marmaduke, and Hepzebiah

e feathery snow, and the woods looked like some great lace design made by the Winter Qu

o get off and walk up so as to make it easier for the Toyman. He wouldn't hear of tha

ed down hard by the coasters. There were so many of them, boys and girls from the neighborhood all

dren reached the top of t

e Hepzebiah. You boys sit in back, Jehosop

he Toyman hadn't forgotten anyth

oot!" he shouted, an

r the

Perhaps it was more like flying than anything else, but that was funny, too, when y

ip was worth the trouble of trudging back, espec

again, once more he shoute

Mrs. Hamm, riding by in a buggy, on

nk Clark again, hollerin' like a w

"I'd send him to the work'us if

the Toyman worth while? You just ask Jehosophat and Marmaduke

fell into the snowdrift head first so that only her legs could be seen, and they were kicking wildly in the air. Now the Toyman was busy untangling the rope, which had gotten mixed with the steering-gear, and he hadn't noticed Fatty and Reddy at their old tricks. But her two brothers pulled her out of the drift

the trou

They were rather excited, you see, and as soon as they were through tel

ried to lie

herself," he sa

"he pushed her in." And he started to rus

ere, let me

ghtfully like a judge, while Fatty twist

t do any good anyway. Your fists would only sink into him like do

hard, as the Toy

ring, the great big booby,

ame." So they all took up the chorus, everybody on that hill. You know that chorus, and your parents

ame, puddi

knows yo

elling at the top of his lungs. But he stumbled over the bobsled, and the tangled ropes caught his feet and started him rolling down the hill. He didn't exactly roll, either, for he was so fat that he seemed to bounce like a rubb

e Mr. and Mrs. Hamm and all the neighbors shake their heads over the Toyman and say he was crazy. But Jehosophat,

they coasted down, down the hill on that big bobsled, which they did ti