n on
her desk with the tiniest sigh.

Gyp's face clouded; that was too true to be disputed. Her own clothes
would not fit Jerry but Isobel's----

"We'll ask Isobel to let you----"

"No--_no_!" cried Jerry vehemently. Her face flushed. "Don't you
_dare_!"

Gyp looked aggrieved. "I don't see why not, but if you feel like
that--only, it'll spoil the whole party. Oh----" she suddenly sniffed.
"_What's_ that woodsy smell? Where did you get it?"

And the pine and the berries made Gyp and Jerry forget, for the moment,
the Everett party.

The holiday frolics began with the appropriate ceremony of consigning
all the school books to the depths of a great, carved chest in the
library, turning the curious old key in the lock and handing it over to
Mrs. Westley. Jerry had demurred, but she recognized, behind all the
fun, a real firmness. "Every book, my dear! Not one of you children must
peep inside of the cover of even a--story, until I give back the key."
Mrs. Westley pinched Jerry's cheek. "I want to see red rosies again, my
dear girl."

Christmas eve brought a glad surprise to the family in the unexpected
arrival of Robert Westley. Jerry had wondered a little about Gyp's
father; it was very nice to find him so much like Uncle Johnny that one
liked him at the very first moment. He had, it seemed, resorted to all
sorts of expedients to get from Valparaiso to his own fireside in time
for Christmas, but everyone's delight had made it very worth while.

"That's one thing that makes up for father being away so much,"
explained Gyp. "He 'most always just walks in and surprises us and
brings the jolliest things from queer places."

On Christmas morning Jerry opened sleepy eyes to find soft flurries of
snow beating against her windows, a piney odor in her nostrils and Gyp
in a red dressing-gown by the side of her bed.

"Merry Christmas!" In her arms Gyp carried some of the contents of her
own Christmas stocking. "Wake up and see what Santa has brought you!"

On the bedpost hung a bulging stocking; queer-shaped packages, tied with
red ribbon, were piled close to it, and across the foot of Jerry's bed
lay a huge box.

"Open this first. What _is_ it? I don't know." Gyp was as excited as
though the box was for her. Jerry untied the cord and lifted the cover.
Within, beneath the folds of tissue paper, lay two pretty dresses, a
blue serge school dress and a fluffy, shimmery party frock; beneath them
a gay sweater and tam o'shan