he folds of a blue eiderdown
bathrobe, Arline's Christmas present to her. There were slippers to go
with it, she declared, proudly thrusting forth a felt-incased foot for
their inspection. A most mysterious thing had happened, however. The
night before she had gone on her vacation two large boxes had been
delivered to her by a messenger. One of them contained a beautiful navy
blue cloth suit, the other a dark blue velvet hat. On a plain card were
written the words, "'Take the goods the gods provide.' I Wish you a
Merry Christmas."

"Have you the card?" Grace asked, after the first exclamations regarding
the mysterious boxes had subsided.

Ruth opened the top drawer of her bureau and took out a card. Then going
to her wardrobe she displayed the blue suit on its hanger, then took the
new hat from the shelf. "Here they are," she said.

The three girls praised the suit and hat so warmly that a flush of pure
pleasure in her clothes rose to Ruth's face. Grace, however, examined
the inside of the coat and the lining of the hat with the utmost care.
Every telltale mark had been removed. Even the boxes themselves were
plain. The giver had evidently wished his or her identity to remain a
mystery. The writing on the card was not particularly distinctive. There
was only one thing of which Grace made mental note. The s's were
unfinished and the a's were not closed at the top. This in itself
amounted to little, and Grace decided that as far as she was concerned
the mystery would have to remain unsolved. So she said nothing about
this unimportant discovery, and handed Ruth's treasures back to her
without comment.

"I thought Arline might have sent it," declared Ruth, "but she swears
solemnly she knows nothing of it, and has given me her word that she had
nothing whatever to do with it."

"You'll find out some day if you have patience," declared Miriam.
"Sooner or later good deeds like that are sure to come to light."

"I wish I knew," sighed Ruth, "but if I had known, then I couldn't have
accepted them, you see."

"Evidently the person who sent them was aware of that," reflected Anne.
"Therefore, it is some one who knows all about Ruth Denton's pride."

The flush on Ruth's face deepened. "I can't help it," she said. "I don't
like to feel dependent on any one."

On the way to Wayne Hall, the mysterious presents formed the main
subject for discussion.

"We ought to have Elfreda's opinion," laughed Miriam. "She would find a