discouraged, it made her feel
worse if the children were noisy, and so they would keep quiet and
speak in whispers.

"Does Santa Claus bring dolls?" asked Mary, suddenly, of Jack.

"Oh yes; dolls with pretty dresses on; and little bunnits and pink
shoes; and little cubberds to keep their clothes in, and chairs, and
everything," said Jack, enthusiastically.

"Oh, my!" sighed Mary, as she looked dolefully at their poor little
heap of toys.

Reader, their dolls were cobs, with square pieces of calico tied around
them for dresses; and after hearing what Jack said, it wasn't so much
fun playing, and the little girls soon went to bed. After they were
asleep, Mrs. Boyd said, reproachfully:

"Jack, I wish you wouldn't say anything more about Christmas to the
children."

"Why, is it bad?" asked Jack, so astonished that he stopped whittling.

"No, of course not; but you're getting their heads full of notions
about fine things they never can have."

Jack's eyes twinkled.

"Oh, but you don't understand, mother," said he; "may be Santy Claus
will come this year."

His mother shook her head.

"You know I caught one quail to-day?" whispered Jack.

"Well!" said his mother.

"Well, I'm going to save 'em all the week, and Saturday take 'em to the
meat-man in the village. I guess he'll buy 'em. I heard that quails
were fetching two cents apiece. And I'm going to get enough money to
buy the girls something nice, and you must make 'em hang up their
stockings, mother, and then we'll put the things in after they get
asleep."

His mother smiled quite cheerfully. "Well," said she, "do the best you
can."

Their father was away that evening. He was generally away evenings,
because most of the neighbors had cozier firesides than his, besides
apples, and sometimes cider; and so he passed many a pleasant hour in
gossip and farm-talk, while his own little family shivered gloomily at
home.

By Saturday morning Jack had ten quails. The four traps had not been as
fruitful as they ought to have been, perhaps, but this was doing very
well, and he trudged joyfully to town with his game hanging on a stick
over his shoulder. The meat-man did indeed give two cents apiece for
quails, and he invited Jack to bring as many more as he could get.

The next Saturday was only two days before Christmas, and how beautiful
were all the stores on the village street! Even the groceries had
Christmas toys and Christmas trees. A good many boys and gi