When he got the first row done Menie said, "I can do that! Let me
try."
He took the knife and cut out a block. It wasn't nice and even
like his father's blocks.
"That will never do," his father said. "Your house will tumble
down unless your blocks are true."
He made the sides of the block straight by cutting off some of
the snow.
"Now all the other blocks in this row must be just like this
one," he said. Koko tried next. His block was almost right the
first time. But then, as I have told you before, Koko was six.
Monnie tried the next one. I am sorry to say hers wouldn't do at
all. It was dreadfully crooked. They took turns. Menie cut a new
block while Koko placed the last one on the snow wall.
Kesshoo had to put on the top blocks to make the roof. Neither
Koko nor Menie could do it right, though they tried and tried. It
is a very hard thing to do. When the blocks were all laid up and
the dome finished, Kesshoo said, "Now, Monnie can help pack it
with snow."
Monnie got the snow shovel. The snow shovel was made of three
flat pieces of wood sewed together with leather thongs. It had an
edge of horn sewed on with thongs, too.
Monnie threw loose snow on the snow house and spatted it down
with the back of the shovel.
While she was doing this, Menie and Koko built a tunnel entrance
for the dogs just like the big one on the stone house.
They worked so hard they were warm as toast, though it was as
cold as our coldest winter weather; and when it was all finished
Menie ran clear over it just to show how strong and well built it
was.
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