Ethel Morton's Holidays

se to his first cry, but, undaunted, he uttered a second. To this there came a faint "Merry Christmas" from the top story where the Ethels were snuggled under the roof,

go down stairs into Katharine

the usual family custom and take their stockings into the living room before breakfast instead of going to Katharine's room. As they passed her door they knocked on it and begged her

cky had waited for her be

ther hard on a small boy to have such tantalizing parcels r

o find that she had been the cause of s

and every hand dived in and brought out candy, nuts, rais

en his desire for a long time, and a card that advised him to look under the desk in the library and see what was

he paid no further attention to his other gifts or to those of the rest of the fam

other and a set of Stevenson from her grandfather. The Ethels had each

Ethel Brown, while Ethel Blue at once began to store

uitable size that came to Buffalo for her. She opened one after another: books, hair ribbons, a pair of silk stockings for

ks of a new sort occupied him when his mother stopped his travels on three wheels. A train of cars made its way under Katharine's feet and nearly threw her down, to her intense disgust, an

atharine flushed deeply at the accusation, realizing that it was not p

g walk?" Roger asked Ka

ne said

ndmother and we'll be off," and he threw down a handful

the pad and roller blotter and ink bottle. It was a handsome set. The blotter was green and the Ethels had made a string basket out o

oger had typed it on a typewriter at school, and the others had chosen and pasted the pictures that illustrated it. Ethel Blue had added an occasional drawing of her own when their k

tfield to Chautauqua in the trolley," she excl

of Chautauqua Institution-Bisho

Match-my, that Amphitheat

roplane that we flew

grounds-I recognize them. This is a sp

and Grandfather's class on Recognition Day? See, there's Mother hersel

erfect. I know Mrs. Emerso

?" and Roger swung the parcels on to his

at Dorothy's, aren't

s and to give Elisabeth hers and to say 'Merr

said Katharine to Ethel Brown as the

nows just what to do for Elisa

she belonged

we?" asked Ethe

er for taking ca

r, too, only we happen to have two doctors related to the Club

de loyal Ethel Brown, who had not a snobbish bone in her body, extremely angry. Service she understood-her father and her uncle and Katharine's father, too, for that matter, were serving

ho saw that she had offended Ethel. "Any way

ut even if she were just a nursemaid I should love her. I love Mary. She was Dicky's nurse and Mother s

when Miss Merriam came into the room to wish them a "Merry

ly splendid perso

Roger, walked a few steps, clinging to the Ethels' fingers, patted Helen's cheek, rippled all over when Dicky danced before her, and even permitted Katharine to take her on her lap. This was a concession on Kathar

. "I love all these things that you'v

Blue as they all, including Dorothy, swept out of the

s. Smith had sent Mrs. Emerson an unusual pair of richly decorated wax candles which she had found at an Italian candlemaker's in New York, a

said Roger, "and Mary baked us each a cake

at your Aunt

arly dinner. After dinner we are to call on the old ladies at the Home for a half hour and then we go back to a tree

. They're not tiring you out, I hope?" Mr. Emerson asked Katharine

sponded Katharine politely, but not

r took you back and helped you car

neral whoop of

to church, but we won't mind sta

I should say," said Roge

ristmas dinners for people in whom the Mortons had an interest. The young Mortons all had had a hand in pack

because she is almost blind and cooking is harder for her than it is for most people. There is a roast chicken and

fireless

s for all our baskets, and we've put in hard pudding sauc

body. That basket for the Flynns has enough cookie

er's there must be a good many d

he largest of all,"

their doors. The Flynns' was the last stop and everybody in the car laughed when all the Flynns who could walk, and that meant nine of them, fairly bo

Rosemont to live after they had met their unknown Morton relatives at Chautauqua the summer before. To Mrs. Smith it gave the greatest happiness to

butterfly dance that they had learned at Chautauqua and had given at their entertainment for the Christmas Ship. Dusk was coming on when the Ethels said that they must g

ed. It was while they were running up stairs to gather them together

r it this even

ied in clearing up after it. Supper at home was yet to come. Mrs. Morton had always urged upon the girls to be very careful about a

know," Ethel B

e to have her-" repli

o do things for us, but you see she's had a hard day and it isn't o

at her friend considered that she was being discourteous to her g

a martyr that Eth

," she offered, referring to the small room where Mrs. Morton allowed t

ot think of letting yo

never have pressed anything nice-but

hat she was not being treated with proper consideration, and Ethel Blue because she had been obliged to refuse the request of a friend an

eir packages and wished everybody a "Merry Christmas" and sho

e at the church. It also served as a background for Dick's little shining tree. This small tree had been a part of Dick's Christmas

len Point orphanage. There were all sorts of balls and tinsel wreaths and tiny, glistening cords. It glowed merrily while the supper went on, Dicky, at intervals of five minutes, calling everybody's