Christmas

out by the brushing of her gown's wet hem and by a dragging corner of shawl. She came to a little evergreen tree, not four feet tal

aid then, "will

n his shoulder and looked a questi

AN TO SING 'GO BU

" she said; "I'v

ittle tree, with casual ease and no compunctions, and they dragged it to the

ather," Ellen said. "They ca

the open oven door of the cooking stove,

ng to think you'd forgot about

," she said, "we'll have some muffins to

ld man demanded peevishly. "Why don

x blade, looked at it

t," he

t?" her fat

ur fist," Ellen said. "I let it out

complained. "Last time it was a squirrel you let go because it

contented herself with auxiliary offices of china and butter gettin

e City to-morrow. What do you s'pose after? A boy. He

ng to get the b

to have a new diagonal and she wanted the number o

tton spread covered the table, Ellen asked her husband to bring in the little tree. She found a cra

py-" said her mother

to pop me some corn to trim it with; aren't you, father? Mother, why

aid her mother, but she brought

er father; "I'd ought to have s

er mother demanded; "I thought they

n said only. "I guess it won't

om red yarn; wishbones tied with strips of bright cloth; a tiny box, made like a house, with rudely cut doors and windows; eggshells penciled as faces; a handful of peanut owls; a glass

e was not at home there. "If the boy had lived and had been up-chamber asleep now,"

ole front of the tree ba

it should see the blue paper soldier first

ng the tree for somebody," he

t look in the window-

d the old man to the popcorn. "I'd ought to have somebod

me in. When he had the pattern number, by laborious copying

a boy to work

aughed an

" he said. "We allow to have h

und the house

ly all gone, all married, and got their own. We figured to get hold of a li

said Matthe

admitted. "We've got one spoke

urned. "How ol

figure." Helders said

n, with the white festoon

said, "let hi

You mean bring us

girl or boy. Anythin

, with high eyebrows, "ain't you

ands slightly and let the

r daughter, and now first sh

, too, got your hands full.

"and I'm not wore out wit

the popper. "Don't get a child around here underfoot.

sband, "let Helders bring us on

It seemed incredible that so large a deci

to think about it a whil

thought about it? When have I thought about

ed, "you don't know what

d gently; "you don't know

o when you come back to-morrow night?

se at Matthew, who wa

first, now?" Helders temporiz

s-and either girl or boy," Ellen said, and stopped. "The nicest tree thing I've made is for a

Then he looked in the woman's face. "I'll fe

do," s

at the floor. "Every headlong thing I've ever

s past to-morrow," she merely said, "you'll likely se

an gave out; "this ain't the

d on his shoulder

said, "then you'd

not if it was ado

yours. See," she cried, "you've been stringin

the old man. "Would I? Hey, king

y, with that manner, which eager interest

id, "we must get the popc

I used to make pink tarleton stockings for your trees and fill 'em with the corn. I

loured trifles. The kitchen seemed to be centering in the tree, as if the room had been concerned long enough with the doings of these grown folk and now were

y, daddy?" Ellen asked, tens

hes, blew away a last plume of sh

plained. "I made one for you, once, and you liked it li

cried, and tied the doll a

e pretty soon?" Matthew aske

the front room wind

re was a patter of other steps, and Ellen caught open the door before h

sked, her eyes aliv

rs shook

dead sorry. They wa'n't but the

aid; "you said

for like ours-long ago. It seems they do that way. But I want you should do something: I want

the coat of the child, a small frightened thing, with cap too large for him and one mitten lost. But he looked up brightly, and

quietly to Helders. "I never thought

fumbling f

e said, and turned to Matthew: "And here's your quarter. I didn't get the

y Helders for a toy. And at that Ellen crossed abruptly to her husband,

ther pound

we have to wait?" he demanded shrilly. "King a

ore open

, "how long did they

nger," Helders' voice came out of

d fastening up a fa

s," she said. "Even with it here, we won'