e
door. "You two had better stop that love-feast and get down to
breakfast!"

So Marjorie sprang up, and made haste with her bathing and dressing, so
that in less than half an hour she was dancing downstairs to begin her
Lucky Birthday. Her presents were heaped round her plate, and the
parcels were so enticing in appearance, that she could scarcely eat for
impatience.

"Breakfast first," decreed her father, "or I fear you'll become so
excited you'll never eat at all."

So Marjorie contented herself with pinching and punching the bundles,
while she ate peaches and cream and cereal.

"Oh, what _is_ in this squnchy one?" she cried, feeling of a loosely
done-up parcel. "It smells so sweet, and it crackles like silk!"

"Kitty sent that," answered her mother, smiling, "and she wrote me that
she made it herself."

But at last the cereal-saucer was empty, and the ribbons could be
untied.

Kitty's gift proved to be a lovely bag, of pink and blue Dresden silk.

"What's it for?" asked King, not much impressed with its desirability.

"Oh, for anything!" cried Marjorie. "Handkerchiefs,--or
hair-ribbons,--or,--or just to hang up and look pretty."

"Pretty foolish," opined King, but he greeted with joy the opening of
the next bundle.

"Jumping Hornets!" he exclaimed; "isn't that a beauty! _Just_ what I
wanted!"

"Whose birthday is this, anyhow?" laughed Marjorie, as she carefully
unrolled the tissue-paper packing from a fine microscope. Uncle Steve
had sent it, and it was both valuable and practical, and a thing the
children had long wished for.

"Well, you'll let a fellow take a peep once in a while, won't you?"

"Yes, if you'll be goody-boy," said Midget, patronizingly.

Grandma Sherwood's gift was a cover for a sofa-pillow, of rich Oriental
fabric, embroidered in gold thread.

"Just the thing for my couch, at home," said Midget, greatly pleased.

"Just the thing to pitch at you, after it gets stuffed," commented King.
"Go on, Mops, open the big one."

The big one proved to be a case, from Mother and Father, containing a
complete set of brushes and toilet articles for Marjorie's
dressing-table. They were plain shapes, of ivory, with her monogram on
each in dark blue.

"Gorgeous!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands. "Just what I longed
for,--and so much nicer than silver, 'cause that has to be cleaned every
minute. Oh, Mothery, they are lovely, and Fathery, too. Consider
yourselves kissed thirteen hundred tim