Ethel Morton's Holidays

Merriam gave her extremely nourishing food in small amounts and often; she made her rest hours as long as those of a baby of a year and her naps were always taken in the open air, where she lay wa

rothy's cottage one Saturday morning early in December. The Ethels, their coat collars turned up and rugs wrapp

oll her down the street a l

s Merria

might keep her o

Watkinses coming early

ow that they thought they'd better come early so it

for Christmas this afternoon.

as gift I wish Aunt

tly for she had great faith in the ideas

he would let us have a visit from Kath

he same class at West Point and her mother had known Ethel Blue's mother who had died when she was a tiny baby. The two Ethels had had a we

er thought of! Let's speak to Mother as soon as we go home and wri

sure she wil

our Christmas festivities for the time she's

iam brought out a cup of warm food when it was reported to her that her charge had finished her nap, and when the luncheon was consumed with evidences of satisfaction the Ethels

r her breath, "there are the Misse

aid, for Roger acted as furnace man for these elderly ladies w

k as if they were coming expressly to speak

as being waylaid, for the Misses Clark stood ins

rriage came near enough, "and we came out

is is Ay

th, I suppose. Why d

e the only word she remembers so we thought we'd

Clark, coming through the gate. "Wil

hel Blue hesitatingly began to explain that the baby did not yet know how to shake hands, wh

y as if the delicate contact had touched an intimate chord. She gav

er Miss Clark. "We should like so much to have you. We've watched he

ol of Mothercraft," and Ethel Brow

d have been anxious work for Mrs. Morton and Mrs. Smith i

' Elisabeth," and Elisabeth obediently repeated "Gertrude" i

on feeling far more gently disposed toward their cross-patch neighbors than they ever had b

to Dorothy's they foun

g along," said Ethel Brown, going in to the living room, while E

eye on her," repl

," returned Ethel. "Of course we appreciate it tremendously, but

; "but Elisabeth is the Club baby, you know, and Tom and Della a

just didn't want you to be bothere

as one tiny hand after another was released from its mitten and

call really fat yet,

e beginning," insisted Ethel Blue stoutly. "Miss M

the young physician as the baby murmured "G

o order at a quarter of three and informed the members that it was high ti

right, because our 'show' for the Home went off well and the old ladies were pleased, but we didn't originate the idea and

th. I know we can't afford to pay Miss Merriam's salary; I am afraid we've got to call on the g

half Miss Merriam's sa

the other half,"

d us a hundred dollars a year for her. We could put it in the bank for her,

ning," said Roger elegantly, as he in turn "forked over" a bill

ll us what there is at the Cl

just about cleaned us out, and the cost of some of the material for costumes for 'Miles Standish' near

or December," confessed E

linquent, but even after all had paid there was a ve

her and Aunt Louise will wait to be paid. It isn't as if we had been extravagant and run into debt. The baby came unexpectedly and had to be made comfortable right off. W

reed Tom, "but I think we mu

low state of the treasury,

t has in mind for our Christmas work is doing somet

d Margar

s gives a personal present that costs more than ten cents to any relative or friend. Then we can place in the club treasury whatever we had intended to spend more than that, an

the motion, Madam President. We'll give ten cent presents to our relatives and friends and put all the rest of our stupen

f them handed to James a calculation of how much h

James pronounced after some work with pencil and paper. "We can't

ed her brother. "Don't you remember when we talked this over before we said that what we'd do for them would be to give them some foolishne

ey have

James. "It has pretty lights and a bag of candy apiece for the kids, and they stand around and

s an awfully good time dres

s," said Roger rather shamefacedly. "I'm afraid the poor k

e that whatever we do for the orphans shall be something that they

it has squeezed everything else out, I'm afraid," admi

ke the Christmas Ship useful

ani

e our presents for the children in a

tree anyway; this will be a nov

nough stuff t

the size o

full; just the deck coul

gging could

dren so they can have more o

work themselves-the work o

and then tell them that they are to play that they all went over with

aimed Margaret. "Do you know there are twenty or twenty

erfulness, however. "Why couldn't they wear an arm band marked SAILO

. And have another group o

o represent Commander Courtney and

e work to the boys; w

e too near home. They won't follow the story too far. The

side as she comes up to the pier, and the longshoremen can stagger ashore laden with big bundles. On the shore there can be groups of girls

ey won't notice whether the presents are ten centers or fif

ly so they'll have fun opening

epot, Dorothy?" inquired James who had done wonders in ma

ome paste right off," said Dorothy, pointing out the corner of the

it would not be disturbed, and the place had proved to be so great a comfort during the autumn months, that Mrs. Smith had had a radiator put in so that it was warm and snug for winter use. Electric lights had made it possible f

we ought to cheer up the old co

we chopped wood

o see them sitting there so dully, every

g that won't make any demand on our treasury, so To

while they were making up their parcels for the real Christmas Ship. Now, with but a short time before Christmas, they chose articles that could be made quickly. The girls also decided on the candies that each should make to fill the boxes, and the

ame a call up t

her aunt wanted, and came back b

atharine may come to us for a fortnight, and another one from K

to the march that was the Mortons' expression of great pleasure:

d never seen Katharine and so was able to

istmas-that's Wednes

car to go and get her; it's so much more

glori

delight-at which they looked b