them some
foolishnesses--just silly things that all children enjoy and that no one
ever seems to think it worth while to give to youngsters in an
institution."

"Will they have a tree?"

"Our church always sends a tree over there, but I must say it's a pretty
lean tree," commented James. "It has pretty lights and a bag of candy
apiece for the kids, and they stand around and sing carols before
they're allowed to take a suck of the candy, and that's all there is to
it."

"The Young Ladies' Guild has an awfully good time dressing it,"
testified Margaret.

"So did I winding up Dicky's mechanical toys last Christmas," said Roger
rather shamefacedly. "I'm afraid the poor kid didn't get much of a
look-in until I got tired of them."

"In view of these revelations, Madam President," began Tom, "I move that
whatever we do for the orphans shall be something that they can join in
themselves, and not just look at. Anybody got an idea?"

"Our minds have been so full of the Christmas Ship that it has squeezed
everything else out, I'm afraid," admitted Della, with a delicate frown
drawing her eyebrows.

"Why can't we continue to make the Christmas Ship useful somehow?"
inquired Dorothy.

"Meaning?"

"I hardly know. Perhaps we could have our presents for the children in a
Christmas Ship instead of on a tree."

"That's good. They'll have one tree anyway; this will be a novelty, and
it can be made pretty."

"Can we get enough stuff to fill a ship?"

"Depends on the size of the ship."

"It wouldn't have to be full; just the deck could be heaped with
parcels."

"And the rigging could be lighted."

"How can we ring in the children so they can have more of a part than
singing carols?"

"Why not make them do the work themselves--the work of distributing the
gifts?"

"I know," cried Helen. "Why not tell them about the real Christmas Ship
and then tell them that they are to play that they all went over with it
on its Christmas errand. We can dress up some of the boys as sailors--"

"Child, you don't realize what you're suggesting," exclaimed Margaret.
"Do you know there are twenty or twenty-five boys there? We couldn't
make all those costumes!"

"That's true," agreed Helen, dismayed. Her dismay soon turned to
cheerfulness, however. "Why couldn't they wear an arm band marked
SAILOR? They can use their imaginations to supply the rest of the
costume."

"That would do well enough. And have another group of them marked