Christmas best of all.

Things began early in the morning.

"Get up, lazy bones!" Janet shook Phyllis, deaf to her protests. "You
can't lie in bed this morning," she admonished.

Phyllis sat up and opened two sleepy eyes and yawned, then, memory
asserting itself, she jumped out of bed with one spring.

"Of course I can't," she cried. "We have to go and get the Christmas
tree. I was forgetting."

"Look out of the window," Janet directed.

Phyllis looked. The ground was covered with snow, and the world, as
far as she could see anyway, was decked in its Yuletide white.

They hurried with their dressing and, much to Martha's concern, with
their breakfasts as well.

"Here they come!" Phyllis cried, "and, oh, Jan, they are in a sleigh.
I can hear the bells."

"Oh, I hoped the snow would be deep enough!" Janet exclaimed; "and it
must be. Three cheers for old Jack Frost!"

They answered Peter's whistle by appearing at the door, and he and Jack
Belding jumped down from the sleigh to greet them. Jack Belding was a
school friend of Peter's. He had come to Old Chester several days
before. He was a tall, lanky youth with nondescript hair and eyes, but
a sense of humor that would have assured him a welcome in any company.

Phyllis and Janet had liked him at once, much to Peter's relief and his
own secret satisfaction. He always addressed them as, "You, Janet, or
you, Phyllis," and then shut his eyes until the right one came, for he
could not tell the one from the other.

"Was there ever such a day?" Phyllis demanded as she jumped on to the
big sleigh with Peter's help.

"Never in all this world," he replied seriously.

They started off at a smart gait, stopping at the rectory for Alice and
Mildred Blake and at the Waters' for Harry. Then away they went along
an old back road that wound up into the hills.

When they stopped they were all glad to get out and stretch. The girls
walked up and down to get warm, and the boys made short work of
chopping down a tall bushy Christmas tree.

The ride back was exciting, for they had to hold the slippery tree on
the sleigh and stay on themselves. As Janet was driving at top speed
this was not easy, but they reached the little church at last and
carried the tree triumphantly into the Sunday-school room.

Then they flocked into the rectory for luncheon. Janet and Peter
dropped behind.

"What does it make you think of?" Peter asked, laughing.

"Don't," Janet plea