Marjories New Friend | Page 7

forgotten that?"
"You didn't forget it, Uncle Steve," said Kitty, "for I see bundles
sticking out of every one of your pockets!"

"Bless my soul! How odd! Santa Claus must have tucked them in, as I
came through his street. Well, I'll put them away until to-morrow.
They're of no use to-night."
"Put them in here, Steve," said Mrs. Maynard, opening a cupboard door,
for there was a possibility that the good-natured gentleman might be
persuaded to unwrap them at once.
Meantime Grandma was reviewing the small Maynards. Marjorie she
had seen in the summer, but the others had been absent a longer time.
"You've all grown," she said, "but I do believe I like you just as well
bigger."
"Good for you, Grandma!" cried King. "'Most everybody says, 'Why,
how you've grown!' as if we had done something wrong."
"No, the more there is of my grandchildren, the more I have to love, so
go right on growing. Marjorie, Molly and Stella sent love to you, and
they also sent some little gifts which I will give you to-morrow."
The Maynards did not follow the custom of having their tree on
Christmas eve.
Mrs. Maynard thought it unwise, because the children often became so
excited over their gifts and their frolic that it was difficult for them to
settle down to sleep until "all hours."
So it was the rule to go to bed rather early on Christmas eve, and have a
long happy day to follow.
But the dinner, on the night before Christmas, always assumed a little
of the coming festivities. On this occasion, the table was decked with
holly and flowers, and the dishes were a little more elaborate and
festive than usual.
"Ice cream, oh, goody!" exclaimed Kitty, as dessert appeared. Kitty's
fondness for ice cream was a family joke, but all welcomed the little

Santa Clauses made of orange ice, and carrying trees of pistache cream.
After dinner a game of romps was allowed.
Mrs. Maynard, Grandma and Baby Rosy did not join in this, but went
off by themselves, leaving the living-room to the more enthusiastic
rompers.
"Fox and Geese" was a favorite game, and though there were scarcely
enough of them to play it properly, yet that made it all the more fun,
and Uncle Steve and Mr. Maynard seemed to be little, if any, older than
Kingdon, as they scrambled about in the frolic. Then Kitty begged for
just one round of Puss in the Corner.
Kingdon and Midget thought this rather a baby game, but they
willingly deferred to Kitty's choice, and the grown up men were such
foolish, funny pussies in their corners that everybody fell a-laughing,
and the game broke up because they were too exhausted to play any
more.
"Now to quiet down pleasantly, and then ho, for bed," said Mr.
Maynard. So when they had recovered their breath, Mrs. Maynard and
Grandma returned, Rosy Posy having already gone to her little crib.
Mrs. Maynard sat at the piano, and they all gathered round and sang
Christmas carols.
The children had clear, true voices, and the grown-ups sang really well,
so it was sweet Christmas music that they made. They sang many of the
old English carols, for the children had sung them every Christmas eve
since they were old enough, and they knew them well.
Grandma loved to hear the music, and after it was over the three
children were kindly but firmly requested to retire.
"We hate awfully to have you go, dear friends," said Mr. Maynard.
"We shall be desolate, indeed, without your merry faces, but the time is
ripe. It's nine o'clock, and Christmas morning comes apace. So flee,
skip, skiddoo, vamoose, and exit! Hang up your stockings, and perhaps
Santa Claus may observe them. But hasten, for I daresay he's already

on his rounds."
Laughing at their father's nonsense, the children rather reluctantly
backed out of the room and dawdled upstairs.
But there was still the fun of hanging up their stockings, and then, after
that nothing more but to hurry to get to sleep that Christmas might
come sooner.
Rosy Posy's tiny socks were already in place, and soon three more pairs
of long, lank stockings were dangling emptily, and then, in a jiffy the
Maynard children were all asleep, and Christmas Day was silently
drawing nearer and nearer.

CHAPTER III
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
The sun waited just about as long as he could stand it on Christmas
morning, and then he poked his yellow nose above the horizon to see
what was going on. And everything that he saw was so merry and gay
and full of Christmas spirit, that he pushed the rest of himself up, and
beamed around in a glad smile of welcome and greeting. As he gave a
flashing