ghed. "They were black to begin with," said Jim. "All they
had to do was to shake themselves."

"And how do you suppose Santa Claus keeps so clean?" asked the little
girl, nothing daunted.

That was a poser. No one could quite tell.

"We used to burn out our chimney," announced Aunt Patience.

"Burn it out?"

"Yes. We'd take a rather lowering day, or start in just as it was
beginning to rain. We'd put a heap of straw in the fireplace and kindle
it, and the soot would soon catch. Then some one would go up on the roof
to see if the sparks caught anywhere. We never let it get very dirty.
But presently they passed a law that no one should do it on account of
the danger. But sometimes chimneys caught fire by accident," and Aunt
Patience laughed.

"Why, it was like the wolf in little Red Riding Hood," declared Hanny.

Then they all talked of the old roads and streets and the Collect which
was a great marshy pond, and the canal through Lispenard's meadows over
to the North River, where present Canal Street runs. In the Collect
proper there was a beautiful clear lake where people went fishing. A
great hill stood on Broadway, and had to be cut down more than twenty
feet.

Father Underhill recalled his first visit to the city when he was
nineteen, and going skating with some cousins. And now it was all graded
and finished streets, houses, and stores.

But Aunt Patience said it was time to go home, and they planned for the
Morgan cousins to come and spend the day. They were to bring the little
girl with them.

They had a light supper and then John escorted the ladies home. Benny
Frank wanted his father to tell some more incidents of the old times.
The little girl was tired and sleepy and ready to go to bed, but she had
one wish saved up for next Christmas already--a set of dishes.

CHAPTER XI

THE LITTLE GIRL IN POLITICS

A whole week of holidays! Jim and Benny Frank had their mother almost
wild, and Martha said "she would be dead in another week. If Christmas
came twice a year there would be no money nor no people left. They would
be all worn out."

It was splendid winter weather. Sunny and just warm enough to thaw and
settle the snow during the day and freeze it up again at night. Then
there came another small fall of snow to whiten up the streets and make
the air gayer than ever with bells.

The Morgan cousins had to go down and call on Miss Dolly Beekman, and
were very favorably impressed with her.