s."

The rose and violet were deepening over the snow-fields, and stars were
piercing the golden veil of sunset. Calvin filled the brown horse's
nose-bag and hung it over his head, and covered him carefully with the
buffalo robe.

"You rest easy a spell, hossy!" he said. "This is trade, you know.
Christmas Eve, you can't expect to get to bed real early."

Hossy shook himself, whinnied "All right!" and addressed himself to his
supper. Calvin pulled out one drawer after another, studying their
contents with frowning anxiety. "She's goin' to have the best there is!"
he said. "There's a look in that lady's eyes that puts me in mind of
Miss Hands; and take that with her bein' afflicted and all--I guess
we'll give her a good set-off, hossy. I guess--that--is--what we'll do!"

While he spoke, he was piling box upon box, jar upon jar, holding the
pile firm with his chin. Entering the house again, he deposited them
carefully on the table, and proceeded to spread them out.

"There!" he said. "I guess you'll find what you want here. All the
candies, stick, drop and fancy; tutti-frutti and pepsin chewing-gum,
chocolate creams and marshmallow goods. You didn't say what amount you
was calc'latin' to lay out--?"

Miss Fidely looked round her carefully. "I didn't care to say before the
little gal!" she said. "My neighbors is real careful of me, and they
grudge my spendin' so much money. I tell 'em it's my circus and fair and
sociable and spring bunnet all in one. There! I calc'late to spend five
dollars, and I've got it to spend. I'm a stranger to you, sir, and mebbe
you'd like to see it before we go any further."

"I guess not!" said Calvin Parks. "I guess I know a straight stick when
I see one--" his eyes fell on the twisted outlines covered by the brown
calico skirt, and he finished his sentence in silence. "Your one
comfort," he said, "is that it ain't likely the Lord made another fool
like you when he see the way you'd act."

"That's a handsome sum of money," he added aloud. "You'll get a handsome
set-out for it."

"I've got no one belongin' to me," said the lame woman simply; "and I'm
far from church privileges. I never touch my burial money, but I do feel
that I have a right to this. Well! you have got elegant goods, I must
say. Now we'll get down to business, if agreeable to you."

It was most agreeable to Calvin Parks, and he made it so to Miss Fidely.
She must taste every variety of sugar-plum, so that she could kn