he owner of the full
moon, still beaming, as he set down the box and leaned against a
building to rest a moment.

"Nobody hurt, I guess," said Tom.

"Been down to the ice?" asked the boy, eagerly. "I could see the
skaters from Patton's store. O, I see, you got some new skates for
Christmas! Ain't they beauties, now?" And he beamed on the despised
"Jolly Ramblers" with his heart in his little blue eyes.

"A pretty good little pair of skates," said Tom, in Ralph's
condescending tone.

"Good! Well I should guess yes! And Christmas ice just made o'
purpose!" In spite of his ill humor, Tom could not help responding to
the warm interest of the shabby boy at his side. He knew him to be
Harvey McGinnis, the son of a poor Irish widow, who worked at Patton's
department store out of school hours. Looking at the great box with an
awakening interest, he remarked, kindly, "What you been doin' with
yourself on Christmas day?"

"Want to know, sure enough?" said Harvey, mysteriously, his round face
beaming more brightly than ever, "Well, I've been doin' the Santy
Claus act down at Patton's store.

"About a week ago," he went on, leaning back easily against the tall
building and thrusting his hands down deep into his well worn pockets,
"about a week ago, as I was cleaning out the storeroom, I came on
three big boxes with broken dolls in 'em. Beauties they were, I kin
tell you, the Lady Jane in a blue silk dress, the Lady Clarabel in
pink, and the Lady Matilda in shimmerin' white. Nothin' wrong with 'em
either only broken rubbers that put their jints out o' whack and set
their heads arollin' this way and that. 'They could be fixed in no
time, I ses to myself, 'and what a prize they'd be fer the kids to be
sure!' For mom and me had racked our brains considerable how we'd
scrape together the money for Christmas things for the girls.

"So I went to the boss and I asked him right out what he'd charge me
for the three ladies just as they wus, and he ses, 'Jimmie,' he ses
(I've told him me name a dozen times, but he allus calls me 'Jimmie'),
'Jimmie,' he ses, 'if you'll come down on Christmas day and help me
take down the fixin's and fix up the store for regular trade, I'll
give you the dolls fer nothin',' he ses.

"So I explained to the kids that Santy'd be late to our house this
year (with so many to see after it wouldn't be strange) and went down
to the store early this morning and finished me work and fixed up the
ladies es good