yelled Ruth Rose. She and Dink hurled snowballs at Josh’s fort. Josh’s grinning face popped up. “Missed by a mile!” he yelled. “You throw like a girl, Ruth Rose!” “I am a girl!” Ruth Rose yelled back. She whipped another snowball, catching Josh in the face. The sides were uneven, but no one cared. It was Dink, Ruth Rose, and her little brother, Nate, against Josh and his dog, Pal. Nate was in charge of making snowballs for his sister and Dink. Pal raced around barking and trying to catch the snowballs in his mouth. More snowballs flew at Josh’s fort. Suddenly, Dink yelled, “Stop!” Two little kids in lumpy snowsuits had wandered into Dink’s backyard. “Who’re they?” asked Ruth Rose. Dink shrugged. He and Ruth Rose dropped their snowballs and walked over to the newcomers. The taller one was a boy. He wore a dark blue parka and a green ski hat. The shorter one was a girl. Her red hair framed blue eyes and pink cheeks. “Hi,” Dink said. “Who’re you?” “I’m Josephine!”
