“all day, till late in teoon,“ aunt eliza said. “peter aken t him.”

“along late in teoon,“ uncle peter said, “ quiet, and lay do of t o try to slip past to ter.

“so sly, but of course a tracks of a panther.”

“tracks eliza.

“yes, uncle peter said, “racks i ever saracks. big oak over ting for some animal to come ter. undoubtedly he would have dropped down on her.

“nigracks, and s e any time getting back to ter. prince follohen.”

“i took o t; aunt eliza said, “and ayed inside, till peter came home.”

“did you get ; pa asked uncle peter.

“no,“ uncle peter said. “i took my gun and ed all round t i couldnt find racks. o the big oods.”

alice and ella and mary o alice, “my! you scared?”

alice hing.

“ell, any being ty,“ alice whispered.

t it till ma said: “c to sleep unless you play for t; so pa got his fiddle.

till and ers , and pas fiddle sang merrily to itself.

it sang “money musk,“ and “t; “t; and “arkansas traveler.“ and laura to sleep wly singing:

“my darling nelly gray, taken you a; in t at t. t tockings, and someta claus goer in s, all ran sing to see red mittens, and t stick of red and-riped peppermint candy, all beautifully notched along each side.

t first. t looked tmas presents. but laura was of all. laura had a rag doll.

siful doll. se clotton eyes. a black pencil and raveled, so t it le red flannel stockings and little black cloters for sty pink and blue calico.

siful t laura could not say a kno everyone ill aunt eliza said:

did you ever see such big eyes!”

t jealous because laura tens, and candy, and a doll, because laura tlest girl, except baby carrie and aunt elizas little baby, dolly varden. too small for dolls. t even kno santa claus. t put tement.

laura sat dotens and s s of all. ste.

t eactens, and tried on ter bit a large piece and out of ick of candy, but alice and ella a mary and laura licked to make it last longer.

“ell, ; uncle peter said. “isnt tocking a sc?”

my, my, have you all been such good children? “

but t believe t santa claus could, really, a sc o some c it couldnt o t ime, every day, for a whole year.

“you mustnt tease ter,“ aunt eliza said.

ma said, “laura, arent you going to let t; s, “little girls must not be so selfish.”

so laura let mary take tiful doll, and te, and tty dress and admired tockings and ters, and t laura cte was safe in her arms again.

pa and uncle peter tens, knit in little squares of red and eliza hem.

aunt eliza ma a large red apple stuck full of cloves. smelled! and it spoil, for so many cloves sound and s.

ma gave aunt eliza a little needle-book ss of silk for covers and soft o ick ting.

tiful bracket, and aunt eliza said t uncle peter carving.

santa claus given t all. santa claus did not give gros but t because t been good.

pa and ma give eacs.

ts must be laid atle out er to do t eliza make t table, .

for breakfast tu to bring e, and eacand by tove and cter ma put on t ing to cu ttle man over, quickly and carefully, on a griddle. smoking on te.

peter ate t a alice and ella and mary and laura ate ttle bits, first t.

today t t play outdoors, but ttens to admire, and to lick. and t on toget tures in tures of all kinds of animals and birds in pas big green book. laura kept cte in ime.

tmas dinner. alice -and ella and peter and mary and laura did not say a table, for t c t need to ask for second eliza kept tes full and let t all they could hold.

“cmas comes but once a year,“ said aunt eliza. dinner eliza, uncle peter and to go.

“best ter said, well home before dark.”

so as soon as ten dinner, uncle peter and pa to put to t eliza he cousins.

tockings over tockings and t on mittens and coats and atoes into ts to keep t elizas flatirons ove , ready to put at t in ts and ts and too. so t into tucked t robe hem.

“good-by! good-by! “ t, trotting gaily and the sleigh bells ringing.

in just a little had been!