THE SNOW OWL'S CHRISTMAS PARTY 127 



provokingly. " There's a lot of strange birds 

 come since yesterday, all the kinds from up north ; 

 storm blew them down, I guess, and this morning 

 I saw a mighty big white Owl catching mice down 

 in the meadow." 



" The Snow Owl ! Has he really come ? Oh, 

 how I wish I could see him and ask him to come 

 up here ! " 



"Ask him up here? He'd be so .likely to 

 come," laughed Obi, thinking that her cold must 

 have affected Tommy-Anne's head. "Now that 



