y out of his pocket. "He seems to be a
clever dog round the house."

"I don't know 's I want to harbor him all winter," answered the
excursionist frankly, striking into a good traveling gait as she
started off toward the railroad station.

AUNT CYNTHY DALLETT.

I.

"No," said Mrs. Hand, speaking wistfully,--"no, we never were in the
habit of keeping Christmas at our house. Mother died when we were all
young; she would have been the one to keep up with all new ideas, but
father and grandmother were old-fashioned folks, and--well, you know
how 't was then, Miss Pendexter: nobody took much notice of the day
except to wish you a Merry Christmas."

"They did n't do much to make it merry, certain," answered Miss
Pendexter. "Sometimes nowadays I hear folks complainin' o' bein'
overtaxed with all the Christmas work they have to do."

"Well, others think that it makes a lovely chance for all that really
enjoys givin'; you get an opportunity to speak your kind feelin' right
out," answered Mrs. Hand, with a bright smile. "But there! I shall
always keep New Year's Day, too; it won't do no hurt to have an extra
day kept an' made pleasant. And there 'a many of the real old folks
have got pretty things to remember about New Year's Day."

"Aunt Cynthy Dallett 's just one of 'em," said Miss Pendexter. "She 's
always very reproachful if I don't get up to see her. Last year I
missed it, on account of a light fall o' snow that seemed to make the
walkin' too bad, an' she sent a neighbor's boy 'way down from the
mount'in to see if I was sick. Her lameness confines her to the house
altogether now, an' I have her on my mind a good deal. How anybody
does get thinkin' of those that lives alone, as they get older! I
waked up only last night with a start, thinkin' if Aunt Cynthy's house
should get afire or anything, what she would do, 'way up there all
alone. I was half dreamin', I s'pose, but I could n't seem to settle
down until I got up an' went upstairs to the north garret window to see
if I could see any light; but the mountains was all dark an' safe, same
's usual. I remember noticin' last time I was there that her chimney
needed pointin', and I spoke to her about it,--the bricks looked poor
in some places."

"Can you see the house from your north gable window?" asked Mrs. Hand,
a little absently.

"Yes 'm; it's a great comfort that I can," answered her companion. "I
have often wished we were near enough to ha