a fact," Laura contented herself with
saying, and the next minute the entrance of the other girls laden with
parcels put anything else out of her mind.

Rhoda's box, much to the girl's uneasiness, had been delayed, but had
come that night just before dinner. Now she deposited it unopened on a
chair.

"I thought it would be fun to open it here and see what blessings it had
in store for us," she explained, as she proceeded to open and unpack it.

"Blessings!" echoed Nan. "Well, I should say they were," she added, as,
one after another, a big layer cake, a small fruit cake, some cakes
prettily iced, bottles of choice olives, salted almonds and peanuts,
jars of jelly and marmalade, fruit, and a big package of fresh assorted
bonbons were drawn from the box.

"Oh, for pity's sake, girls, let's hurry and get at them," cried Laura.
"My mouth's fairly watering for them."

As she spoke, she drew Nan's spirit lamp from its shelf and soon had the
water for cocoa boiling in a small saucepan.

"Why in the world," said Grace as she set the plates and cups and
saucers on the table, "did we go and buy all these things? If we'd only
known what that box was going to hold we wouldn't have needed half of
them."

"No matter, the sandwiches and ice cream will come in well," said Laura.
"That is," she added, "if there's anything of the ice cream left. I put
it outside the minute we got it here, but it's had a long time to wait."

"It won't have to wait much longer," exulted Bess, as the girls gathered
around the table and the feast began.

"Hey! don't let Grace cut that fruit cake yet," said Nan, her mouth full
of cream cheese sandwich. "There won't be a raisin left for the rest of
us."

"If you eat many more sandwiches," laughed Grace, "you won't have room
left for even a raisin." And she calmly proceeded not only to cut the
cake, but to help herself to a very generous slice.

"Um-um--this is good," she said. "Fruit cake is my special weakness."

"Yes, and it's our duty to help you conquer that weakness," remarked
Laura virtuously, as she drew the fruit cake over to her side of the
table.

"Now where did I put that sugar bowl?" asked Bess, as she finished
pouring her third cup of cocoa.

"Here it is," replied Rhoda, as she accommodatingly handed over a small
glass bowl from which Bess helped herself to a generous double spoonful.
One swallow of her cocoa, and she began to sputter and gasp, and finally
made a frantic grab fo