Mother Blossom always knew what to do for the little hurts, and she bandaged Bobby’s eye and listened to the account of the snow fight with great interest.

“Meg, Meg!” Dot’s voice sounded from the front hall, as Mother Blossom finished tying a soft handkerchief around Bobby’s head to hold the eye-pad in place.  “Is Meg home yet?”

Dot appeared in the doorway of Mother Blossom’s room.

“What’s the matter with Bobby?” she asked.

Bobby explained, but Dot was too excited to pay much attention to the story of the fight.  She had other matters on her mind.

“Meg, you’ve got a letter,” she announced.  “We all have.  Only Twaddles and I opened ours.”

“A letter!” repeated Meg, delighted.  “Who wrote it?”

“Give Bobby his,” directed Mother Blossom.  “Open them, dears.  That is the only sure way to know what is inside.”

Meg and Bobby tore open the square pink envelopes together, but Meg read hers first.

“Marion Green’s going to give a birthday party!” she exclaimed.  “Isn’t that fun!  I can wear my white dress.  What’ll we take her, Mother?”

Mother Blossom said that they would think up something nice before the day for the party came, and then they heard Father Blossom come in, and down the four little Blossoms rushed to tell him about the snow battle and the party.

“I’m glad,” announced Dot with a great deal of satisfaction at the supper table that night, “there’s something in this town they don’t say Twaddles and I are too young to go to!”

Everybody laughed, and Father Blossom said that Dot shouldn’t worry about her age, for she was growing older every year.

Marion Green’s party was the next Saturday afternoon, and Mother Blossom and Aunt Polly helped the children to get dressed.

“If I only had my locket,” sighed Meg.  “It would look so pretty with this white dress.  Oh, dear!  I wish I had remembered about taking it off.”

Bobby and Meg had hunted often after school for the locket, but though they were sure they had been over every inch of ground where Meg had coasted, they could not find the pretty ornament.

“Don’t sigh for things gone,” said Aunt Polly, giving Meg a kiss.  “We all know you will be more careful another time, dear.  Now I’m sure you look very nice.  And, as your grandmother used to say, ’behave as well as you look.’”

Meg wore a white dress with blue sash and hair-ribbons, and Dot was all in pink—­dress, ribbons and socks.

“I hope,” remarked Twaddles, as they started for Marion’s house, “that the ice-cream will be chocolate.”

“I don’t think you should think about what you’re going to get to eat,” reproved Meg primly, feeling very much the older sister because she was wearing gloves, kid ones.  “It’s colder, isn’t it?”

It really was very cold, and the four little Blossoms were glad when they reached Marion’s house.