things God could give him--this surely was the
best!
"Oh, grandpop," cried little John Leslie 3rd, bolting into the study in
great excitement--"Come see Roger! We kids have made him the
Christmas king and he's got a crown o' holly on and--and a wand and
he's a-tappin' us this way with it to make us Knights. And I'm the
Fir-tree Knight--and Bob--he's a Cedar Knight and Ned's a spruce and
Roger--he says his pretty sister tells him stories like that smarter'n any
in the books. Oh--do hurry!"
The old Doctor held out his hand to his son.
"Well, Doctor Ralph," he said huskily, "suppose we go tell mother."
So while the Doctor told Aunt Ellen, Ralph bent his knee to this excited
Christmas King enthroned in the heart of the fire-shadows.
"Rise--" said Roger radiantly, tapping him with a cedar wand, "I--I dub
thee first of all my knights--the good, kind Christmas Knight!"
"And here," said Ralph, smiling, "here's Sister Madge. What grand title
now shall we give to her?" But as Sister Madge knelt before him with
firelit shadows dancing in her sweet, dark eyes, Roger dropped the
wand and buried his face on her shoulder with a little sob.
"Nothing good enough for Sister Madge, eh?" broke in the old Doctor,
looking up. "Well, sir, I think you're right."
Now in the silence Aunt Ellen spoke and her words were like a gentle
Christmas benediction.
"'Unto us,'" said Aunt Ellen Leslie as she turned the Christmas log,
"'this night a son is given!'"
But Ralph, by the window, had not heard. For wakening again in his
heart as he stared at the peaceful, moonlit, "God-made" hills--was the
old forgotten boyish love for this rugged, simple life of his father's
dwarfing the lure of the city and the mockery of his fashionable friends.
And down the lane of years ahead, bright with homely happiness and
service to the needs of others--was the dark and winsome face of Sister
Madge, stirring him to ardent resolution.
Part Two
In Which We Light the New Log with the Embers of the Old
I
The Fire Again
"Doctor!" said little Roger slyly, "you got your chin stuck out!"
The Doctor stroked his grizzled beard in hasty apology.
"God bless my soul," he admitted guiltily. "I do believe I have. You've
been so quiet," he added accusingly, "curled up there by the fire that I
must certainly have gotten lonesome. And I most always stick out my
chin that way when I'm lonesome."
Roger, by way of reparation, betook himself to the arm of the Doctor's
chair.
The Doctor's arm closed tight around him. A year ago this little adopted
son of his had been very lame. It was the first Christmas in his life,
indeed, that he had walked.
"Out there," said the Doctor, "the winter twilight's been fighting the
alder berries with purple spears. It's conquered everything in the garden
and covered it up with misty velvet save the snow and the berries. But
the twilight's using heavier spears now and likely it'll win. I want the
alder berries to win out, drat it! Their blaze is so bright and cheerful."
Roger accepted the challenge to argument with enthusiasm.
"I want the twilight to win," he said.
The Doctor looked slightly scandalized.
"Oh, my, my, my, my!" he said. "I can't for the life of me understand
any such gloomy preference as that. Bless me, if I can."
"Why," crowed Roger jubilantly, "I can, 'cause the more twilighty it
gets, the more it's Christmas eve!"
The Doctor regarded his small friend with admiration.
"By George," he admitted, "I do believe you have me there--" but the
Doctor's kindly eyes did not fire to the name of Christmas as Roger
thought they ought.
"Almost," he said, "I thought you were going to stick out your chin
again. And you're not lonesome now 'cause I'm here an' pretty noisy."
"Hum!" said the Doctor.
"Man to man, now!" urged Roger suddenly.
This was the accepted key to a confessional ceremony which required
much politeness and ruthless honesty.
"Well, Mr. Hildreth," began the Doctor formally.
Roger's face fell.
"I'm your adopted son," he hinted, "and you said that made my name
same as yours."
"Mr. Leslie!" corrected the Doctor, and Roger glowed.
"Well, Mr. Leslie," went on the Doctor thoughtfully, "I'm chuck full of
grievances. There's the rheumatism in my leg, for instance. That's no
sort of thing to have at Christmas."
"But that's better," said Roger. "You said so this morning. I 'spect you
been thinkin' too much about it like you said I did when my leg was
stiff."
"Ahem! And I did hope somebody would come home for Christmas. I
like a house full of romping youngsters--"
Roger pointed an accusing finger.
"Aunt Ellen
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