trifling.

When Christmas eve arrived everybody came to see Aunt Matilda's
Christmas tree. Kate and Harry were inside superintending the final
arrangements, and about fifty or sixty persons, colored and white, were
gathered around the closed door of the old cabin. When all was ready
Aunt Matilda made her appearance, supported on either side by Dick Ford
and John Walker, while Uncle Braddock, in his many-colored
dressing-gown, followed close behind. Then the door was opened, and Aunt
Matilda entered, followed by as many of the crowd as could get in. It
was certainly a scene of splendor. A wood fire blazed in the fireplace
at one end of the cabin, while dozens of tallow candles lighted up the
tree. The gold and silver stars glistened, the many-colored glass balls
shone among the green pine boughs; the shoulder of bacon glowed like a
bed of flowers, while the jug of molasses hung calm and serene,
surrounded by its glittering beads. A universal buzz of approbation and
delight arose. No one had ever seen such a Christmas tree before. Every
bough and every branch bore something useful as well as ornamental.

As for Aunt Matilda, for several moments she remained speechless with
delight. At last she exclaimed:

"Laws-a-massey! It's wuth while being good for ninety-five years to git
such a tree at las'."

CHAPTER VIII.

A LIVELY TEAM.

"I want you to understand, Harry," said Mr. Loudon, one day, "that I do
not disapprove of what you and Kate are doing for old Aunt Matilda. On
the contrary, I feel proud of you both. The idea was honorable to you,
and, so far, you have done very well; better than I expected; and I
believe I was a little more sanguine than any one else in the village.
But you must not forget that you have something else to think of besides
making money for Aunt Matilda."

"But, don't I think of other things, father?" said Harry. "I'm sure I
get along well enough at school."

"That may be, my boy; but I want you to get along better than well
enough."

This little conversation made quite an impression on Harry, and he
talked to Kate about it.

"I suppose father's right," said she; "but what's to be done about it?
Is that poor old woman to have only half enough to eat, so that you may
read twice as much Virgil?"

Harry laughed.

"But perhaps she will have five-eighths of enough to eat if I only read
nine-sixteenths as much Latin," said he.

"Oh! you're always poking arithmetic fun at me," sai