The horses snorted in the crisp, dry air; there was a jingle of merry sleigh bells as off they started down the street toward the open country.
Jingle bells, jingle bells, Jingle all the way.
Oh, what fun 'tis to ride In a one-horse open sleigh.
they sang as they bowled over the well-beaten track; and Tom Gray breathed a sigh of pure delight.
"Isn't this great!" he exclaimed.

"Wouldn't you rather do this than write an essay or study Latin prose composition ?" "Next to riding in an airship and skating, it's the finest thing I know of," answered David.
"Have you ever ridden in an airship ?" demanded Tom.
"No, but I intend to," replied the other; for David had never for a moment relinquished his pet scheme, but worked on his experiments whenever he had a spare moment; little dreaming that one day he was to become the talk of the town.
As the sleigh passed the Nesbit house, Miriam and some of her friends were just entering her front gate.

She saw the party and a shadow of black jealousy darkened her face.
"Why don't we do the same thing ?" she exclaimed aloud, and in another twenty minutes she had bundled her own guests into the Nesbit sleigh, while she herself took the reins and guided the pair of spirited black horses.
"Miriam, I do wish you would let one of the boys drive," said her mother, who had come to the door to see her off.
"I prefer to do the driving, mother," replied the spoiled girl, and with a crack of the whip, the second sleighful was off after the first.

It was not long before the Nesbit sleigh had met and passed the other, which was not going at a very great rate of speed.

Mrs.Gray's carriage horses were much older and more staid than Miriam's pair of young blacks.
"Who is the girl in front ?" asked Tom, as the sleigh flashed past.
"My sister," answered David shortly.
"She must be a pretty good driver," observed Tom.
David made no reply.