rl of my own some day."

"Your mother'll come back," Maida said.

CHAPTER XIV: CHRISTMAS HAPPENINGS

Maida was awakened early Christmas morning by a long, wild peal of
the bell. Before she could collect her scattered wits, she heard
Rosie's voice, "Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!
Oh, Granny, won't you please let me run upstairs and wake Maida?
I've got something dreadfully important to tell her."

Maida heard Granny's bewildered "All roight, child," heard Rosie's
rush through the living-room and then she bounded out of bed,
prickling all over with excitement.

"Maida," Rosie called from the stairs, "wake up! I've something
wonderful to tell you."

But Maida had guessed it.

"I know," she cried, as Rosie burst into the room. "Your mother's
come home."

"My mother's come home," Rosie echoed.

The two little girls seized each other and hopped around the room in
a mad dance, Maida chanting in a deep sing-song, "Your mother's come
home!" and Rosie screaming at the top of her lungs, "My mother's
come home!" After a few moments of this, they sank exhausted on the
bed.

"Tell me all about it," Maida gasped. "Begin at the very beginning
and don't leave anything out."

"Well, then," Rosie began, "I will. When I went to bed last night
after leaving you, I got to thinking of my mother and pretty soon I
was so sad that I nearly cried my eyes out. Well, after a long while
I got to sleep and I guess I must have been very tired, for I didn't
wake up the way I do generally of my own accord. Aunt Theresa had to
wake me. She put on my best dress and did my hair this new way and
even let me put cologne on. I couldn't think why, because I never
dress up until afternoons. Once when I looked at her, I saw there
were tears in her eyes and, oh, Maida, it made me feel something
awful, for I thought she was going to tell me that my mother was
dead. When I came downstairs, my father hugged me and kissed me and
sat with me while I ate my breakfast. Oh, I was so afraid he was
going to tell me that mother was dead! But he didn't! After awhile,
he said, 'Your Christmas presents are all up in your mother's
bedroom, Rosie.' So I skipped up there. My father and Aunt Theresa
didn't come with me, but I noticed they stood downstairs and
listened. I opened the door."

Rosie stopped for breath.

"Go on," Maida entreated; "oh, do hurry."

"Well, there, lying on the bed was my mother. Maida, I f