ed stove-pipe hat."

"We'll give him a cigarette and a Derby," said Patty. "Oh, here comes
the mail! Let's have that before we go after our snow-man."

The chauffeur came in from a trip to the post-office, with his hands
and arms full of mail,--parcels, papers, and letters,--which he
deposited on a table, and Jim Kenerley sorted them over.

"Heaps of things for everybody," he said. "Belated gifts, magazines,
letters, and post cards. Patty, this big parcel is for you; Daisy,
here are two for you."

"May take letters! Let baby May be postman!" cried the infant
Kenerley.

"Let her, Jim,--she loves to be postman," and Adele put the baby down
from her arms, and she toddled to her father.

"Great scheme!" said Hal. "Wait a minute, midget; I'll make you a
cap."

With a few folds, a newspaper was transformed into a three-cornered
cap and placed on the baby's head.

"Now you're a postman," said her uncle. "Go and get the letters from
the post-office."

"Letters, p'ease," said the baby, holding out her fat little hands to
her father.

"All right, kiddums; these parcels are too big for you; you're no
parcel-post carrier. But here's a bunch of letters; pass them around
and let every one pick out his own."

Obediently, the baby postman started off, and passing Daisy first,
dumped the whole lot in her lap.

"Wait a minute, Toddles," said Daisy. "I'll pick out mine, then you
take the rest on."

Daisy selected half a dozen or more, and gave the rest of the lot back
to the little one, who went on round the circle, letting each pick out
his own letters.

Patty had about a dozen letters, and cards and greetings of various
sorts. Some she tore open and read aloud, some she read to herself,
and some she kept to open when she might be alone.

"Have you opened all your letters, Patty?" asked Jim, looking at her,
quizzically.

"No; I saved father's and Nan's to read by myself, you people are so
distracting."

"Oho! Father's and Nan's! Oho! aha! And are those the only ones you
saved to read by yourself, young lady?"

"I saved Elise's, also," said Patty, looking at him, a little
surprised. "Aren't you the inquisitive gentleman, anyway!"

"Elise's! Oh, yes, Elise's! And how about that big blue one,--what
have you done with that?"

"I don't see any big blue one," said Patty, innocently. "What do you
mean, Jim?"

"Oho! _what_ do I mean? What, _indeed_!"

"Now, stop, Jim," said his wife. "I don't know what you're teas