CHAPTER XXVI
Christmas Eve
IN Lakeville, Christmas always began at exactly four o'clock theafternoon of the twenty-fourth; for the young people of that littletown--even the very old young people with gray hair and youthfuleyes--always indulged in an unusual and extremely enjoyable custom. Themoment that marked this real beginning of Christmas found each personwith gifts for her neighbor sallying forth with a great basketful ofparcels on her arm. If one had a great many friends and neighbors itoften took until ten o'clock at night to distribute all one's gifts.As each package was wrapped in white tissue paper, tied with ribbonand further adorned with sprigs of holly or gay Christmas cards,these Christmas baskets were decidedly attractive; and the streets ofLakeville, from four to ten, were certain to be full of gayety andgenuine Christmas cheer.
On all other days of the year, the Cottagers traveled together; buton this occasion each girl was an entirely separate person. Bettie,wearing a fine air of importance, went alone to Mabel's, to Jean's andto Marjory's to leave her gifts for her three friends. Although, atall other times, it was her habit to run in unceremoniously, to-dayshe rang each door-bell and was formally admitted to each front hall,where she selected the package designed for each house. Jean and theother two, likewise, went forth by themselves to leave their mysteriouslittle parcels. But when this rite was completed all four ran to theirown homes, added more parcels to their gay baskets and then congregatedin Mrs. Mapes's parlor.
They had gifts for dear little Anne Halliday, the Marcotte twins,Henrietta Bedford, Rosa Marie, Mr. Black, Mrs. Crane, some distantcousins of Jean's and for all their school-teachers that had not goneout of town for the holidays. Besides, their parents had intrusted themwith articles to be delivered to their friends and Mabel had a gift forthe dust-chute Janitor, a silver match-safe with the date of the fireengraved under his initials.
"We'll go to Henrietta's first," decided Jean, "because that's thefarthest."
"And to the Janitor's next," said Mabel, "because I want to get it overand forget about it."
To make things more exciting for Henrietta, the girls went in singlyto present their offerings, the others crouching out of sight behindthe stone balustrades that flanked the steps. Each time the bell rang,Henrietta was right at Simmons's heels when he opened the door. Then,after a brief wait outside, all four again presented themselves toinvite Henrietta, who had gifts for Rosa Marie, to go with them to Mr.Black's and all the other places. Henrietta was glad to go, becauseshe herself was too new to Lakeville to have very many friends to favorwith presents. The five had a very merry time with their baskets; butthey were much too excited to stay a great while under any one roof.They shouted merry greetings to the rest of the basket-laden populationand paused more than once to obligingly pull a door-bell for someelderly acquaintance who found that she needed more hands than she hadstarted out with.
"How jolly everybody is!" remarked Henrietta. "I never saw a moreChristmassy lot of people. It must be lovely to have a long, long listto give to."
"Father says this is an unusually nice town," offered Bettie. "Thepeople seem actually glad to have folks sick and in trouble so they cansend them flowers and things to eat."
"What a charitable place," laughed Henrietta, gaily. "I hope nobody'slonging for _me_ to come down with anything. I'd rather stay well thaneat flowers--they're too expensive just now."
"My!" exclaimed Mabel, after all the gifts had been distributed and thegirls, with their empty baskets turned over their heads, had startedhomeward, "won't to-morrow be a lively day. First, all our stockings;very early in the morning at home. Next, all our Christmas packages toopen--I've about ten already that I haven't even squeezed--that is, not_very_ hard, except one that I know is a bottle. Then our dinners----"
"Too bad we can't have all our dinners together," mourned Marjory, "butof course your mothers and my Aunty Jane and Henrietta's grandmotherwould be too lonely if we did; and all the families in a bunch wouldmake too many to feed comfortably."
"And then," proceeded Mabel, "a tree at Mr. Black's just as soon asit's dark enough to light the candles, and supper and another tree atHenrietta's in the evening, and a ride home in the Slater carriageafterwards, because by that time we'll surely be too tired to walk."
"And I've trimmed a tree for the boys at home," said Bettie. "Therewon't be anything on it for you, but you can all come to see it."
"Aunty Jane says that Christmas-trees shed their feathers and make toomuch litter," said Marjory, "but with three others to visit I don'tmind if I don't have one."
"You can have half of mine," offered Mabel, generously. "I shan't havetime to trim more than half of it, anyway, so I'd like somebody tohelp."
"I suppose," said Marjory, doubtfully, "that we ought to do somethingfor the poor, but I don't know where to find any since our washwomanmarried the butcher."
"I'm glad you don't," laughed Henrietta. "I've nine cents left and it'sgot to last, for I shan't have any more until I get my allowance thefirst of January, unless somebody sends me money for Christmas."
"I guess," giggled Jean, fishing an empty purse from her pocket, "therest of us couldn't scare up nine cents between us; but I have an unclewho always sends me a paper dollar every year. I've spent it in atleast fifty different ways already. I always have lovely times withthat dollar _before_ it comes, but it just sort of melts away intonothing afterwards."
"I wish," breathed Mabel, fervently, "_I_ had an uncle like that."
"Yes," agreed Henrietta, "a few uncles with the paper-dollar habitwouldn't be bad things to have."
"I caught a glimpse of your tree, Henrietta," confessed Marjory. "Istood on the balustrade outside and peeked in the window when Jean wasinside. It's going to be perfectly grand; but of course I didn't _mean_to peek. I just got up there because I was too excited to stay on theground."
"So did I," owned Bettie.
"I wonder," said Mabel, "where Mr. Black's tree is. We were in all thedownstairs rooms and I didn't see a sign of it."
"Probably," teased Henrietta, "he's forgotten to order one. Unless oneforms the habit very early in life, one is very apt to overlook littlethings like that."
"Mr. Black never forgets," assured Bettie.
"Probably it's some place in the yard," ventured Marjory, not guessinghow close she came to the truth.
"No," declared Mabel, positively. "I looked out the windows and therewasn't a single sign of a tree anywhere. I pretty nearly asked aboutit, but I wasn't sure that that would be polite."
"Don't worry," soothed Jean. "There'll _be_ one if Mr. Black has toplant a seed and grow it over night. He and Mrs. Crane are more excitedover Christmas than we are. They can't think of anything else."