was planning something. She went to see Job Easter
that night. He promised to make two small sleds for the pair of socks
she was knitting.

When the sleds were finished she dyed them red and drew a yellow
horse upon each one. Grandma called them horses, but no one would have
suspected it. Then the night before Christmas she drew on her great
socks over her shoes to keep her from slipping, put on her hood and
cloak, and dragged the little sleds over to Peter and Timmy's house.

She hitched them to the door-latch, and went home laughing all the
way.

MAMA'S HAPPY CHRISTMAS.

It had seemed to the little Wendell children that they would have
a very sad Christmas. Mama had been very ill, and papa had been so
anxious about mama that he could not think of anything else.

When Christmas Day came, however, mama was so much better that she
could lie on the lounge. The children all brought their stockings into
her room to open them.

"You children all seem as happy as if you had had your usual Christmas
tree," said mama, as they sat around her.

"Why, I _never_ had such a happy Christmas before," said sweet little
Agnes. "And it's just because you are well again."

"Now I think you must all run out for the rest of the day," said the
nurse, "because your mama wants to see you all again this evening."

"I wish we could get up something expressly for mama's amusement,"
said Agnes, when they had gone into the nursery.

"How would you like to have some tableaux in here?" asked their French
governess, Miss Marcelle.

"Oh, yes," they all cried, "it would be fun, mama loves tableaux."

So all day long they were busy arranging five tableaux for the
evening. The tableaux were to be in the room which had folding-doors
opening into Mrs. Wendell's sitting-room.

[Illustration: MAMA'S HAPPY CHRISTMAS]

At the proper time Miss Marcelle stepped outside the folding-doors
and made a pretty little speech. She said that some young ladies and
a young gentleman had asked permission to show some tableaux to Mrs.
Wendell if she would like to see them. Mrs. Wendell replied that she
would be charmed.

Then mademoiselle announced the tableaux; opening the doors wide for
each one. This is a list of the tableaux: First, The Sleeping Beauty;
second, Little Red Riding Hood; third, The Fairy Queen; fourth, Old
Mother Hubbard; fifth, The Lord High Admiral.

Miss Marcelle had arranged everything so nicely, and Celeste, the
French maid