ew into their
clothes!

Quick as a flash Joel and Davie were down and dancing around the
chimney.

"Mammy! mammy!" screamed Phronsie, hugging her stocking, which Ben
lifted her up to unhook from the big nail, "Santy did come, he did!" and
then she spun around in the middle of the floor, not stopping to look in
it.

"Well, open it, Phronsie," called Davie, deep in the exploring of his
own; "oh! isn't that a splendid wind-mill, Joe?"

"Yes," said that individual, who, having found a big piece of molasses
candy, was so engaged in enjoying a huge bite that, regardless alike of
his other gifts or of the smearing his face was getting, he gave himself
wholly up to its delights.

"Oh, Joey," cried Polly, laughingly, "molasses candy for breakfast!"

"That's prime!" cried Joel, swallowing the last morsel. "Now I'm going
to see what's this--oh, Dave, see here! see here!" he cried in intense
excitement, pulling out a nice little parcel which, unrolled, proved to
be a bright pair of stout mittens. "See if you've got some--look quick!"

"Yes, I have," said David, picking up a parcel about as big. "No, that's
molasses candy."

"Just the same as I had," said Joel; "do look for the mittens. P'r'aps
Santa Claus thought you had some--oh, dear!"

"Here they are!" screamed Davie. "I have got some, Joe, just exactly
like yours! See, Joe!"

"Goody!" said Joel, immensely relieved; for now he could quite enjoy his
to see a pair on Davie's hands, also. "Look at Phron," he cried, "she
hasn't got only half of her things out!"

To tell the truth, Phronsie was so bewildered by her riches that she
sat on the floor with the little red stocking in her lap, laughing and
cooing to herself amid the few things she had drawn out. When she came
to Seraphina's bonnet she was quite overcome. She turned it over and
over, and smoothed out the little white feather that had once adorned
one of Grandma Bascom's chickens, until the two boys with their
stockings, and the others sitting around in a group on the floor
watching them, laughed in glee to see her enjoyment.

"Oh, dear," said Joel, at last, shaking his stocking; "I've got all
there is. I wish there were forty Christmases coming!"

"I haven't!" screamed Davie; "there's some thing in the toe."

"It's an apple, I guess," said Joel; "turn it up, Dave."

"'Tisn't an apple," exclaimed Davie, "tisn't round--it's long and thin;
here 'tis." And he pulled out a splendid long whistle on which he ble