for money, and
glad to have the value of the house in his pocket again.

So another year passed over 'em all, and the end of the strange business
of 'Santa Claus' came on another Christmas Eve, when he dropped in to see
the Fords and express his friendship and good wishes. They'd quite slipped
back into the old, kindly understanding, and Joseph felt long since
convinced that his stern dealing had been the salvation of the man--a fact
Teddy himself often declared, without shame. They cared for him a lot by
now, and Minnie never tired of singing his praises, and the child never
felt a day well spent if his friend didn't come into it.

Joey was in bed and asleep before Pegram called in his character of 'Santa
Claus'; but he'd not forgot his gift and produced a fine box of sweets, to
be put on top of the child's stocking along with a Christmas card. He
looked in on sleeping Joey also and smiled to see the child in the land of
dreams with his dog asleep beside him. And then he gave Minnie a gift
also--a piece of very fine cloth to make herself a gown. And he promised
to come and eat his Christmas dinner along with them, which Joseph
insisted he should do. Ford was on night duty at the time and he left the
house with the old poacher and saw him to his own home, while good words
passed between them. Then young Ford went to his beat and wondered as he
walked at such a fine reformation, and felt proud of himself to think he'd
had a hand in it. Yet, though seldom it came uppermost in his thoughts, by
some chance, the ancient, awful look on Teddy's face rose to his mind that
Christmas Eve. Joseph had a theory, sure founded on Scripture, and he
stoutly believed that the poacher had harboured a devil in him in the
past.

"Yet now without a doubt it has been cast out," thought Joseph, "and no
man will ever see it look out of his eyes no more, because it have gone,
thank God."

His duty done he went home to rest; but the man's sleep was broken just
after peep-o'-day by the awfullest scream ever he heard.

His child it was. Joey slept in a little room alongside his parents and,
of course, Minnie was up to him like a flash of lightning, with Joseph
after her. He said at a later time that 'Santa Claus' had got in his
dreams and he had suffered all night from a great uneasiness; but he was
sleeping sound enough when, just after six o'clock, the child screamed and
screamed again. And still he screamed when his mother got to him and his