"You're coming over on my side of the hill!""No I'm not.I'm away from the middle even," said Bert."Besides, I'm behind you.""I know you are, and you're going to stay there; but I don't want you to run into me."Bert thought of the time, the winter before, when Danny had run into him, and broken his sled, but he said nothing.He did not want that kind of an accident to be repeated if he could help it.
On, on and on dashed the big bobs, with the crowd on the hill, and a number of coasters scattered along the way, watching anxiously.As soon as Bert had steered over to the left his sled began to go faster, as the snow was packed better there.He was fast catching up to Danny, when one of the boys on that bob, looking back, saw it, and warned the steersman.
"He's coming, Danny," he cried.
"Oh, he is; eh? Well, he won't pass me," and Danny steered his sled over directly in front of Bert's, almost causing Bert to collide vith him.
"Shame!" cried some watchers."That wasn't fair!" "Let him keep on his own side then," warned Danny.
But this mean trick did Danny little good for, though Bert was forced to go to the right, to avoid crashing into Danny, he, most unexpectedly, found good coasting there, and he shot ahead until his sled was even with that of the bully's.
"Better look out, Danny," warned the boy sitting directly back of him."He's crowding us fast.""Oh, it's only a spurt.We'll soon be at the bottom of the hill and win."On and on came Bert's bob, the Flier.It was a little ahead of Danny's now, and the latter, seeing this, steered over, thinking the going was better there.
"Look out!" warned Bert."Who's crowding over now?""Well, I've got a right here!" snarled Danny.
But Bert knew his rights also, and would not give away.He held to his place, and Danny dared not come too close.Then, as Bert found himself on smooth, hardpacked snow, he steered as straight as he could.More and more ahead of Danny he went, until he was fully in front of him.
"We're going to win! We're going to win!" cried Bert's friends."We're going to win the race!"Danny was wild with anger.He steered his sled over sharply, hoping to get on the same track as was Bert and so pass him.But it was not to be.Danny took too sudden a turn, and the next instant his bob overturned, spilling everyone off.
There was a cry of surprise at the accident, and some of those on Bert's sled looked back.Bert himself looked straight ahead as a steersman always should.
"Danny's upset!" cried Charley.
"I'm sorry!" said Bert."Now he'll claim the race wasn't fair."And that is what Danny did when he picked himself up, and walked down to meet Bert, whose bob got safely to the foot of the hill, and so won the race.
"Aw, I'd have beaten if you hadn't gotten in my way so I had to steer over," cried Danny.
"Don't talk that way now," said Irving, who, with Frank Cobb had come to the end of the hill."Bert beat you fair and square.""Aw, well" grumbled Danny.
"I'll race over again, if you like," offered Bert.
"Yes, and do the same thing," grumbled Danny."I will not.I know my sled is the best."But few others, save those who hoped for a ride on it, agreed with the bully, and Bert's homemade bob was held to be champion of the hill.
Then came many more coasts, Bert giving Nan and Flossie and Freddie, and a number of their little girl and boy friends, several rides.
Until late that evening the coasting kept up, and Bert and Charley were congratulated on all sides for the fine bob they had made.And what funBert had home after supper, telling of how he had won the race!
It was in the middle of the night, when the Bobbsey household was awakened by the ringing of fire bells.They all heard the alarm, and as Papa Bobbsey counted the number, he said to his wife:
"That must be near here.Guess I'll look.It's a windy night and a fire in my lumber yard would be very bad."As he went to the window he saw a glare on the sky in the direction of the lake.
"It is near here!" he said."The engines are going past our house! I'd better take a look.""Can I come?" asked the little "Fat Fireman" from his cot."Take me, papa!"
