Christmas with Grandma Elsie | Page 4

interested them--their studies, sports, plans for
the purchase or making of Christmas gifts, and what they hoped or
desired to receive. "I want jewelry," said Sidney Dinsmore. "I'd rather
have that than anything else. But it must be handsome: a diamond pin
or ring, or ear-rings."
"Mamma says diamonds are quite unsuitable for young girls," said
Rosie. "So I prefer pearls: and I'm rather in hopes she may give me
some for Christmas."
"I'd rather have diamonds anyhow," persisted Sydney. "See Maud's
new ring, just sent her by a rich old aunt of ours. I'm sure it looks
lovely on her finger and shows off the beauty of her hand."
"Yes, I've been admiring it," said Lulu, "and I thought I'd never seen it
before."
Maud held out her hand with, evident pride and satisfaction, while the
others gathered round her eager for a close inspection of the ring.
They all admired it greatly and Maud seemed gratified.

"Yes," she said, "it certainly is a beauty, and Chess says it must be
worth a good deal; that centre stone is quite large, you see, and there
are six others in a circle around it."
"I should think you'd feel very rich," remarked Lulu; "I'd go fairly wild
with delight if I had such an one given me."
"Well then, why not give your father a hint that you'd like such a
Christmas gift from him?" asked Sydney.
"I'm afraid it would cost too much," said Lulu, "and I wouldn't want
papa to spend more on me than he could well afford."
"Why, he could afford it well enough!" exclaimed Maud. "Your father
is very rich--worth his millions, I heard Cousin Horace say not long
ago; and he knows of course."
Lulu looked much surprised. "Papa never talks of how much money he
has," she said, "and I never supposed it was more than about enough to
keep us comfortable; but millions means a great deal doesn't it?"
"I should say so indeed! more than your mind or mine can grasp the
idea of."
Lulu's eyes sparkled. "I'm ever so glad for papa!" she said; "he's just the
right person to have a great deal of money, for he will be sure to make
the very best use of it."
"And for a part of it, that will be diamonds for you, won't it?" laughed
Maud.
"I hope the captain will think so by the time she's grown up," remarked
Rosie, with a pleasant look at Lulu; "or sooner if they come to be
thought suitable for girls of her age."
"That's nice in you Rosie," Lulu said, flushing with pleasure, "and I
hope you will get your pearls this Christmas."
"I join in both wishes," said Evelyn Leland, "and hope everyone of you

will receive a Christmas gift quite to her mind: but, oh girls, don't you
think it would be nice to give a good time to the poor people about us?"
"What poor people?" asked Sydney.
"I mean both the whites and the blacks," explained Evelyn. "There are
those Jones children that live not far from Woodburn, for instance: their
mother's dead and the father gets drunk and beats and abuses them, and
altogether I'm sure they are very, very forlorn."
"Oh yes," cried Lulu, "it would be just splendid to give them a good
time!--nice things to eat and to wear, and toys too. I'll talk to papa
about it, and he'll tell us what to give them and how to give it."
"And there are a number of other families in the neighborhood
probably quite as poor and forlorn," said Lora Howard. "Oh I think it
would be delightful to get them all together somewhere and surprise
them with a Christmas tree loaded with nice things! Lets do it, girls.
We all have some pocket money, and we can get our fathers and
mothers to tell us how to use it to the best advantage, and how to
manage the giving."
"I haven't a bit more pocket money than I need to buy the presents I
wish to give my own particular friends," objected Sydney.
"It's nice, and right too, I think, to give tokens of love to our dear ones,"
Evelyn said, "but we need not make them very expensive in order to
give pleasure;--often they would prefer some simple little thing that is
the work of our own hands--and so we would have something left for
the poor and needy, whom the Bible teaches us we should care for and
relieve to the best of our ability."
"Yes, I daresay you are right," returned Sydney, "but I sha'n't make any
rash promises in regard to the matter."

CHAPTER II.

In the parlor the older people were conversing on somewhat similar
topics: first discussing plans for the