"He doesn't really belong to the family, you know," Flossie would
explain to her friends. "But I have to keep him, for mamma says there is
no colored orphan asylum for dolls. Besides, I don't think Sam and Dinah
would like to see their doll child in an asylum." The dolls were all
kept in a row in a big bureau drawer at the top of the house, but
Flossie always took pains to separate Jujube from the rest by placing
the cover of a pasteboard box between them.

With so much snow on the ground it was decided by the boys of that
neighborhood to build a snow fort, and this work was undertaken early on
the following Saturday morning. Luckily, Bert was by that time well
enough to go out and he did his fair share of the labor, although being
careful not to injure the sore ankle.

The fort was built at the top of a small hill in a large open lot. It
was made about twenty feet square and the wall was as high as the boys'
heads and over a foot thick. In the middle was gathered a big pile of
snow, and into this was stuck a flag-pole from which floated a nice flag
loaned by a boy named Ralph Blake.

"Let us divide into two parties of soldiers," said Ralph. "One can
defend the fort and the others can attack it."

"Hurrah! just the thing!" cried Bert. "When shall the battle begin?"

The boys talked it over, and it was decided to have the battle come off
after lunch.

The boys went home full of enthusiasm, and soon the news spread that a