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.