<h2 id="CHAPTER_XIV">CHAPTER XIV<br/> <span class="smaller">CHRISTMAS</span></h2>
<p>Every day in the year has the same
number of hours, but some days skim
past like an automobile and some creep
like a snail at a gallop. The days between
Thanksgiving and Christmas are of the motor-car
variety. There is so much to do, and to
think of, that people can scarcely believe the
clock. Lucy and Dora were as busy with their
plans as were the grown people.</p>
<p>Dora made several pretty calendars for
gifts. She hemmed a duster for Miss Chandler
and another for Mother. She thought
Miss Chandler would find use for a duster in
her three rooms, especially a cream-white one,
feather-stitched all around in blue.</p>
<p>Mrs. Merrill suggested this gift and she<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[210]</SPAN></span>
thought Dora took a good while to make it.
She did not know that Dora made a second
one, precisely like the first. She made it under
Mother’s very nose, and Mother never saw
it. Lucy and Dora both thought this was very
funny, and could not help laughing, but it
never occurred to Mrs. Merrill that the duster
Dora was working on was not always the same
one.</p>
<p>On Christmas eve there was a church service.
Miss Page asked her class to come early.
This was an important occasion because the
mite-boxes for the hungry children in other
countries were to be collected.</p>
<p>Mr. and Mrs. Merrill were going with the
children, but they would sit in the back of the
church. Lucy and Dora were to sit with their
class. The class was to sit in pew twenty-eight.</p>
<p>There had been many things to do that afternoon,
and nobody looked out until they started<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[211]</SPAN></span>
for church. When the door shut behind the
Merrill family, everybody was surprised.</p>
<p>Christmas came on a moonlight night that
year, but in addition to the moon, at almost
every house the porch light was shining, and
the ordinary electric bulbs had been unscrewed
and red ones substituted. All up and down the
streets shone the pretty red lights.</p>
<p>“Oh, Mother!” said Lucy. “I wish our
house had one. But it is only gas, and none
at all on the porch.”</p>
<p>Mrs. Merrill thought a minute. The red
lights did look pretty. In the front windows
of the brown cottage hung Christmas wreaths
but there was no light behind them.</p>
<p>“Wait for me a bit,” she said, and she went
back into the cottage.</p>
<p>Lucy and Dora wondered what she was going
to do. A group of young people went by.
They were singing softly and Father began to<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[212]</SPAN></span>
sing with them. When Father was a young
man, he used to belong to the choir.</p>
<div class="poetry-container">
<div class="poetry">
<div class="stanza">
<div class="verse">“It came upon the midnight clear,</div>
<div class="verse indent2">That glorious song of old,</div>
<div class="verse">Of angels bending near the earth,</div>
<div class="verse indent2">To touch their harps of gold.”</div>
</div></div>
</div>
<p><em>What</em> was Mother doing? She had lighted
the lamp on the parlor table, but what was
keeping her now?</p>
<div class="poetry-container">
<div class="poetry">
<div class="stanza">
<div class="verse">“Still through the cloven skies they come,</div>
<div class="verse indent2">With peaceful wings unfurled:</div>
<div class="verse">And still their heavenly music floats</div>
<div class="verse indent2">O’er all the weary world.”</div>
</div></div>
</div>
<p>Dora looked up at the sky. The moon was
so bright that only the largest stars could show
to-night. There was Orion with his flaming
belt and sword. Dora knew several star-groups
now. She and Uncle Dan and Olive
had gone out one night with a flash-light and
the star-book from the Public Library and
traced them. Still, Mrs. Merrill did not come.</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[213]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>“Father,” asked Dora, “do you think
angels come down to earth now?”</p>
<p>“If they ever come, it is at Christmas,” said
Father, and he went on humming the words
which were now faint in the distance.</p>
<div class="poetry-container">
<div class="poetry">
<div class="stanza">
<div class="verse">“O rest beside the weary road,</div>
<div class="verse indent2">And hear the angels sing.”</div>
</div></div>
</div>
<p>Suddenly the windows of the Merrill parlor
turned a warm crimson. From them streamed
a soft red light.</p>
<p>“Oh, look, Father! Look, Dora!” exclaimed
Lucy. “Now, we have a red light,
too!”</p>
<p>“I thought Mother would fix it somehow,”
said Mr. Merrill.</p>
<p>Mrs. Merrill came out while the children
were still exclaiming. “How did you do it?”
Dora asked.</p>
<p>“With Dan’s red silk scarf,” said Mrs. Merrill,<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[214]</SPAN></span>
pulling on her gloves again, and looking
back at the pretty light.</p>
<p>“Safe against fire, Molly?” asked Mr. Merrill.
“We wouldn’t like to go to church and
come home to find the house burned.”</p>
<p>“It can’t take fire,” said Mrs. Merrill.</p>
<p>The minute they entered the vestibule, spicy
smells of spruce and evergreen greeted them.
The church was warm and all the rafters were
draped with festoons of green. The only light
was in the chancel and what came from two big
Christmas trees on either side of the chancel
arch. They were strung with wee red bulbs,
and at the top of each tree shone a star. Between
the trees stood the manger for the gifts.</p>
<p>When the choir came, in place of their usual
white cottas, they wore bright red ones. How
Christmas-y the church did seem!</p>
<p>There were carols and Christmas hymns and
then one by one, the classes took up their mite-boxes<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[215]</SPAN></span>
and placed them in the manger.
People had brought other gifts for the poor.
All the children looked over their toys and selected
something to go to the Children’s Hospital.</p>
<p>Lucy chose a doll of which she was not very
fond. Dora brought a set of blocks, which she
liked very much. She did not often play with
them now, but because she had enjoyed them
so much herself, she thought children who were
not very sick—just beginning to get better—might
care for them.</p>
<p>The Christmas eve service did not last long,
but it left everybody with a pleasant and
peaceful feeling.</p>
<p>All the red lights were yet burning
and almost every house had wreaths in the
front windows. The children were pleased as
they came near the brown cottage to hear people
speak of how pretty the red lamp looked.</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[216]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>“You’ll let it burn a long time, won’t you,
Mother?” begged Dora.</p>
<p>“It may burn until Father and I go to bed,”
said Mrs. Merrill. “You children had better
be off early, so as to give Santa Claus a
chance.”</p>
<p>“There is to be a surprise for <em>you</em>, to-morrow,”
said Dora, and she and Lucy both giggled.</p>
<p>“There will be surprises for everybody,”
said Mrs. Merrill, “but I think the biggest one
will be for Dora.”</p>
<p>When Mother said this Dora almost flew up
in the air. On any time but Christmas eve, she
could not have borne the suspense. But she
would know early in the morning.</p>
<p>Mr. Merrill unlocked the door and they all
went into the cosy house. And there, on a
table near the parlor door, stood a fairy Christmas
tree!</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[217]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>It was only about eighteen inches high,
planted in a flower-pot full of sand. At the
top shone a silvery star, and from the star
dropped webs that looked as though very large
spiders had been spinning silver lace.
Through the shimmery mist showed the green
branches.</p>
<p>The tree had not been there when they went
to church! The children stared in surprise and
danced about the room. It was not until they
had jumped around for a minute or two that
they saw Mother was as surprised as anybody.
She looked at the lovely tree and then at Father.</p>
<p>“I didn’t do it, Molly,” he said smiling.</p>
<p>“But you know who did,” said Mrs. Merrill.</p>
<p>“Cross my heart, I don’t,” declared Father.</p>
<p>How Lucy and Dora laughed to hear him
say this. They looked again at the wee tree.
Red candies were tied to its branches with silver<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[218]</SPAN></span>
cord, and white sugar-plums with red
string. That was all the fruit it bore.</p>
<p>“Now, didn’t you put it there yourself,
Mother?” asked Mr. Merrill. “When you
went back to light the lamp?”</p>
<p>“I didn’t,” said Mrs. Merrill. “It wasn’t
there then and I never saw it before, and the
house has been locked all the time we were at
church.”</p>
<p>“It <em>is</em> odd how a Christmas tree could get
into a locked house,” agreed Mr. Merrill.
“Had we better report it to the police?”</p>
<p>“I wouldn’t go so far as that,” said Mrs.
Merrill. “Here’s Dan. He may know.”</p>
<p>“I was at church,” protested Dan. “Didn’t
you see me singing in the choir in a very fancy
rig?”</p>
<p>“Uncle Dan,” said Dora, “did you ever <em>see</em>
that tree before?”</p>
<p>“How can I tell?” said Dan. “There have<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[219]</SPAN></span>
been several hundred Christmas trees in the
square this past week. I don’t know one from
another.”</p>
<p>Dora held him firmly. “Did you put that
tree in here?” she asked.</p>
<p>“I did not,” said Dan.</p>
<p>“Did you unlock the door so somebody
could bring it in?” Lucy asked.</p>
<p>“I did not,” said Dan.</p>
<p>The children looked at each other. Then
Dora had a bright idea.</p>
<p>“Uncle Dan,” she demanded, “did you
<em>lend</em> your key to somebody while you went to
church?”</p>
<p>“I have answered three questions and that
is enough!” said Dan. And he never did answer
that one.</p>
<p>All the family hung up their stockings.
Lucy and Dora put theirs on the brass knobs
either side of the open stove. Mr. and Mrs.<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[220]</SPAN></span>
Merrill fastened theirs to the ends of the sofa.
Uncle Dan went out again, but Dora hung his
sock to the back of Mother’s rocking-chair.
She and Lucy took one last look at the fairy
tree and went to bed.</p>
<p>They didn’t talk and giggle more than any
little sisters do on Christmas eve and they went
to sleep before Mrs. Merrill expected. In less
than an hour she put out the red lamp.</p>
<p>It was still dark when Dora woke but a
great star was looking through the open window.
It was so big and so bright that it seemed
like the real star of Bethlehem, shining to guide
the shepherds to where the little Jesus lay.</p>
<p>The star was so beautiful that Dora looked
at it instead of wondering about her stocking.
That could wait, but the star would fade with
the dawn. She watched it a long time and saw
the sky gradually grow lighter and the star less
distinct.</p>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/illus6.jpg" width-obs="440" height-obs="650" alt="" /> <p class="caption"><span class="smcap">A great star was looking through the open window</span>—<SPAN href="#Page_220"><i>Page 220.</i></SPAN></p> </div>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[221]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>Just as she was having hard work to see the
star, Lucy woke. “Merry Christmas, Dora!”
she exclaimed. “Let’s get up and look at our
stockings.”</p>
<p>Lucy hustled down the steep stairs, but
Dora opened the door of Uncle Dan’s room
and looked in. Only his black head showed
above the blankets. The window was wide
open and the room freezing cold, but Dora ran
in, kissed Uncle Dan’s cheek and whispered
“Merry Christmas!” in his ear.</p>
<p>Dan woke and looked at her. “Get back to
bed,” he said. “You’ll catch your death.”
And then he said, “Merry Christmas, Dora!”</p>
<p>When Dora reached the foot of the stairs,
Mr. Merrill jumped out from behind the door
to his room and gave her a big hug and a
Christmas greeting.</p>
<p>Father came into the parlor, he <em>said</em> to make
the fire burn better for the children, but<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[222]</SPAN></span>
Mother came the next moment, and she didn’t
give <em>any</em> excuse for coming. Most mothers
and fathers like to see the Christmas stockings
opened.</p>
<p>The stockings were knobby and puffed and
would be most uncomfortable to wear if they
should stay that shape. Some packages were
too big even to go in. These were on the floor
under the stockings.</p>
<p>Lucy and Dora began to open the gifts, and
everything they opened they liked very much.</p>
<p>From Mother there was a pretty woolen cap
and muffler, a brown set for Lucy and a blue
one for Dora. Both were much pleased, because
all the girls were wearing them.</p>
<p>Olive gave Lucy a box of pretty handkerchiefs
and Dora some writing paper with a
blue M at the top. It was like some which
Olive had at the beach and which Dora admired.
Olive’s paper was marked G.</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[223]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>Miss Page gave each a little New Testament.
There was also from Miss Page a cunning
bouquet. At a distance it looked like a
bunch of flowers, but each flower was a bit of
candy wrapped in oiled paper. About the
bouquet was some paper lace. Both Lucy and
Dora were delighted.</p>
<p>Lucy liked her pincushion very much. She
had made for Dora a little silk bag in which
to carry a purse or a handkerchief.</p>
<p>Uncle Dan gave each a box of candy, besides
making the stage for the marionettes.
The stage was finished and painted. It stood
back against the parlor wall.</p>
<p>And as though Father were not making
them a big present by whittling the puppets for
the theatre, he gave them each a book. Lucy’s
was “When Mother Lets Us Cook.”</p>
<p>Only the fact that she was not dressed kept
Lucy from rushing into the kitchen and trying<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[224]</SPAN></span>
a receipt. Besides, Mother said quite emphatically
that she wasn’t doing any “letting”
at that hour in the morning. Later in the day,
she would see about it.</p>
<p>What do you think was the name of Dora’s
book? She could scarcely believe her eyes.
When she did believe them, she could not
speak, only look at Father and then hug him
hard.</p>
<p>Father had gone to the Public Library and
asked Miss Perkins which book Dora liked
best. Miss Perkins remembered. Indeed, it
would be strange if she did not know, for Dora
had borrowed the book five times since September.
Father had bought her the “Story of
Doctor Dolittle.”</p>
<p>“It <em>was</em> the biggest surprise, Mother!”
Dora said, when she had thanked Father again
and again and looked at the pictures for about
the fortieth time.</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[225]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>“Oh, that isn’t the surprise,” said Mrs. Merrill.</p>
<p>“It <em>isn’t</em>!” said Dora. “What can it be?”</p>
<p>She got down from Father’s knee and took
her limp stocking from the knob. In the toe
was still a small package.</p>
<p>In the toe of hers, Lucy had just found the
white Chinese kitten and was speechless with
pleasure. She liked it better than Dora’s blue
one.</p>
<p>“Because there really are white kittens,” she
said.</p>
<p>“There are blue ones, too,” said Dora.
“Aunt Margaret told me so. Blue Persian
cats.”</p>
<p>“I don’t think they are just like yours,” said
Lucy.</p>
<p>Dora had never seen a Persian blue, so she
did not say anything. Besides, she was wondering
what Miss Chandler had given her.</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[226]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>It was a little gold ring set with a blue stone
which Mr. Merrill thought was an aquamarine.</p>
<p>Dora didn’t care about the name, but she
liked the ring exceedingly. She slipped it on
her finger. It just fitted.</p>
<p>“This must be the big surprise,” she said to
Mother.</p>
<p>“The ring is a surprise to me,” said Mrs.
Merrill, “for I didn’t know what was in that
package. But it is not the surprise I
mean.”</p>
<p>Dora again felt her stocking and discovered
a tiny wad of tissue paper. She untwisted it
and her eyes and mouth both opened.</p>
<p>“Mother!” she exclaimed after a second,
“oh, Mother! Mother! is it really Arcturus,
my Arcturus? Where did he come from?
Oh, Mother, my bear, my own little silver
bear!”</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[227]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>“You can never guess where we found him,”
said Mrs. Merrill.</p>
<p>“Did somebody find him at the beach? Did
Uncle Dan go over again?” asked Lucy, as
excited as Dora.</p>
<p>“Arcturus came home from the beach when
we did,” said Mrs. Merrill. “He has been in
Westmore all the time, though not in our
house.”</p>
<p>“Where was he?” Dora asked eagerly.</p>
<p>“He was found last week,” said Mrs. Merrill,
“but I thought since it was so near Christmas
he might as well come back in your stocking.
You remember that I went to the church
to help pack a missionary barrel?”</p>
<p>The children remembered perfectly. They
had carried some shoes to the church to go in
that barrel.</p>
<p>“When we came to pack the things,” said
Mrs. Merrill, “there was that straw hat of<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[228]</SPAN></span>
Olive’s, the one with the pink roses. The
flowers were faded, but the hat was really too
good for Olive to give away, and I told
her so.”</p>
<p>“While we were turning the hat about and
looking at it,” Mrs. Merrill went on, “Dora’s
silver bear dropped out of a fold of velvet. I
can’t account for his getting into it, but that is
where he was.”</p>
<p>The children knew how he got there. Lucy
remembered picking up Olive’s hat from the
sand the very morning Arcturus ran away.
All the time he was hiding in the velvet, so the
sifting of the sand didn’t make him appear.</p>
<p>“Arcturus has come home!” said Dora happily.
“How nice that he came on Christmas
morning. I felt dreadfully when he ran away,
but if he hadn’t, probably I would never have
had the Chinese kitten. I hope Arcturus won’t
be jealous of Vega.”</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[229]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>“Mother,” said Lucy, “it’s your turn now.
You and Father open your presents.”</p>
<p>“Not until I am dressed,” said Mrs. Merrill.
“This sitting about in a kimono is chilly
work.”</p>
<p>“My feet <em>are</em> cold,” Lucy admitted.</p>
<p>“You and Dora run and get into your
clothes,” said Mrs. Merrill. “Come, Father.”</p>
<p>Dora made no motion to start. “My feet
are cold, too,” she said. “Father, do you think
if a person had only one foot, it could possibly
be so cold as two?”</p>
<p>“I’m sure I don’t know,” said Mr. Merrill.</p>
<p>“I will ask Uncle Dan,” said Dora. “And
I must tell him that Arcturus has come home.
How surprised he will be! I can’t see how
Uncle Dan can sleep on Christmas morning.
I woke him once, but he must have gone to
sleep again. Father, did you know that the<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[230]</SPAN></span>
star of Bethlehem was shining this morning?”</p>
<p>“Over in the east?” asked Father Merrill.
“Yes, Dora, I saw it.”</p>
<p class="titlepage">THE END</p>
<div style="break-after:column;"></div><br />