h with
its Christmas-y smell from the pine cones that were saved through the year
for the Christmas Day fire; the tree in the angle near the fireplace where
the afternoon sun touched it into a blaze of glory; the party for the poor
children that had been such fun to plan for--would anything in Chicago
ever be half the fun of Christmas in the old home? But Mary Jane was soon
to discover that Christmas doesn't need certain houses or fires or trees
to make it perfect; that Christmas is made in folks' hearts and that
wherever there is a Christmas heart, there will be a happy day--in village
or city, the place makes no difference.

When she went home from school that afternoon and announced that Miss
Treavor said Christmas was so very near, she found that mother wasn't even
a little surprised.

"Why to be sure Christmas is coming," laughed Mrs. Merrill, "and here I've
been waiting and waiting and _waiting_ for you to talk about it till,
actually, I thought I'd had to begin myself, if you didn't wake up pretty
soon." And then everybody began to talk at once.

"Do they have trees in Chicago?" asked Alice.

"Are there any poor folks who would like parties?" asked Mary Jane.

"Is anybody coming to see us?" demanded Mary Jane.

"Here! Here! Here!" exclaimed Mr. Merrill, "one at a time, ladies, one at
a time! If you doubt that there will be trees in Chicago, you should see
what I saw this morning as I went down to work. A train load of Christmas
trees--yes, sir!" (for he noticed the girls could hardly believe him) "a
whole train load of trees. And I see by the paper this evening that a boat
load has arrived, too, so there will be no shortage of trees."

"Then we can have one," said Mary Jane, with a satisfied sigh.

"And let's put it in front of this foolish little gas log," suggested
Alice, "then we won't think about a real fireplace."

"And there are plenty of poor folks," said Mrs. Merrill, going back to
Mary Jane's question, "only they will not be so easy to get together, as
back at home. How would you like to take a Christmas party to some family
instead of having a party at home as we did last year?"

The girls hardly knew what to say about that new idea so Mrs. Merrill
explained further. "I telephoned to the Associated Charities this very
day," she said, "and they gave me the names of a fatherless family in
which there are two girls about your ages, and one boy. I thought we could
plan a fine Christmas for them an