or him.

"Give Roddy his present now," Winifred urged Charlie. "Hurry, I tell
you."

Silently Charlie held out a little paper bag of candy.

"I had all I could do to keep him from eating it on the way here," his
sister explained. "He just loves candy!"

Brother took the bag of candy and put it with his other gifts on the
table. Then the children began the peanut hunt, which was the first
game Louise and Grace had planned for them.

This was played outdoors, and it was fully half an hour before all the
peanuts had been discovered. Then, as several of the girls wanted to
start the old, old game of "Going to Jerusalem," and Grace offered to
play the music, they all trooped back to the living-room.

"Why, Roddy, your candy is gone!" announced Sister in surprise. "When
did you eat it?"

Brother came up to her where she stood by the table of presents.

"I didn't eat it," he said wonderingly. "I left it right there on top
of that book. Isn't that funny!"

"Well, it's gone," asserted Sister. "Someone ate it!"

Winifred had heard, and now she turned on the unfortunate Charlie.

"Charles Eldridge Raynor!" she said sternly. "Did you eat Roddy's candy
that you brought him? Did you?"

Charlie nodded miserably. He had slipped into the room, unnoticed
during the peanut hunt, and unable to longer withstand the temptation,
had calmly eaten up his birthday gift.

"I hope," stammered Winifred with very red cheeks, "I hope you will
excuse him, Mrs. Morrison. I never knew him to do such a thing before!"

"Oh, it isn't anything so very dreadful," declared Mother Morrison,
smiling. "Any laddie with a sweet tooth might easily do the same thing.
Come, children, Grace is waiting to play for you."

They played "Going to Jerusalem" and "Drop the Handkerchief," and all
the time there was the mysterious fishpond back of the table! But they
could not fish till after they had had ice cream.

As they were playing a noisy game of "Tag" out on the lawn, Molly came
to the door to ask them to come into the dining-room.

Such a pretty table met their eyes! It seemed to be all blue and white,
and in the center was the big birthday cake--iced as only Molly could
ice it, and showing no trace of the starch Sister had tried to cover it
with. Six candles twinkled merrily on the top.

"Make six wishes, Brother," said Mother Morrison.

"Then he blows, and as many candles as he blows out he will have wishes
come true," explained Sister quaintl