ter the two
little girls.

"Here, Susy! here, Katy!" said he, "here are some New Year's presents
from Uncle Jolly."

"Who is Uncle Jolly?"

"Well, he's uncle to all the poor little children who have no kind
papa."

"Now, where do you live, little pigeons?--got far to go?--toes all out
your shoes here in January? Don't like it,--_my_ toes ain't out my
shoes;--come in here, and let's see if we can find anything to cover
them. There, now, (fitting them both to a pair,) that's something like;
it will puzzle Jack Frost to find your toes now. Cotton clothes on? _I_
don't wear cotton clothes;--come in here and get some woolen shawls.
Which do you like best, red, green, or blue?--plaids or stripes, hey?

"'Mother won't like it?' Don't talk to me;--mother's don't generally
scratch people's eyes out for being kind to their little ones. I'll
take care of that, little puss. Uncle Jolly's going home with you. 'How
do _I_ know whether you have got any dinner or not?' _I've_ got a
dinner--_you_ shall have a dinner, too. Pity if I can't have my own
way--New Year's day, too.

"_That_ your home? p-h-e-w! I don't know about trusting my old bones up
those rickety stairs,--old bones are hard to mend; did you know that?"

Little Susy opened the door, and Uncle Jolly walked in,--their momma
turned her head, then with one wild cry of joy threw her arms about his
neck, while Susy and Katy stood in the door-way, uncertain whether to
laugh or cry.

"Come here, come here," said Uncle Jolly; "I didn't know I was so near
the truth this morning when I called myself your _Uncle_ Jolly; I
didn't know what made my heart leap so when I saw you there in the
street. Come here, I say; don't you ever shed another tear;--you see I
don't,"--and Jolly tried to smile, as he drew his coat sleeve across
his eyes.

Wasn't that a merry New Year's night in Uncle Jolly's little parlor?
Wasn't the fire warm and bright? Were not the tea cakes nice? Didn't
Uncle Jolly make them eat till he had tightened their apron strings?
Were their toes ever out of their shoes again? Did they wear cotton
shawls in January? Did cruel landlords ever again make their mamma
tremble and cry?

In the midst of all this plenty, did they forget "papa?" No, no!
Whenever little Susy met in the street a tall, princely man with large
black whiskers, she'd look at Katy and nod her little curly head
sorrowfully, as much as to say--"Oh, Katy, I never--never can forget
_my own dear papa