ur friends, how would calendars do?
You make beautiful water-coloring. Miss White shows me her pretty work,
and always zere is one of your drawings. Cardboard is easy to get; a
little bunch of flowers or some ozer design in colors, maybe a picture
of yourself, and zat makes a nice gift."

"I had thought of pictures at first, but good ones cost so much that I
couldn't get enough to go around."

"Pictures? Photographs, you mean. But maybe some friend has a camera and
will take a--what you call it?--snap-shot? I know such a boy. He does
excellent work and I am sure Miss Pomeroy will let you go there some
day with me. He charges very low. I sink one dollar would be all. Zen
see! You have still one dollar and a half left out of your five dollars
to buy ribbon, tissue paper, Christmas cards, postals or what you will,
and all your friends are planned for."

Tabitha stared at the neat list with unbelieving eyes, then with a
little jump of delight, she threw both arms around Madame's neck, crying
happily, "Oh, you darling, you witch! I have been wondering and puzzling
for a week to know how I could possibly get thirty-three presents out of
five dollars, but it looks as easy as _a, b, c_, now. Thank you a
thousand times! I am going to begin right away on my gifts, so
everything will surely be finished in time."

"But you must attend to the lessons first," warned the teacher, shaking
her finger playfully at the excited girl.

"Oh, I will, I surely will," she promised, gathering up book and papers.
"I am so glad this is Saturday, for I can commence work at once. All my
Monday's lessons are learned, Chrystobel and Cassandra have gone home
for Sunday, and there is nothing to interfere."

"Then mind you don't work too hard, or I shall be sorry I helped you
stretch your little gold mine."

"I will be very careful, but I _must_ hurry, for there are only seven
weeks before Christmas."

With a parting smile she slipped out of the door and rushed away to her
own room, eager to make with her own hands the pretty lace Madame had
begun for her; and from that moment all her leisure time was devoted to
crocheting ties or painting calendars for her loved ones' Christmas Day.
With the first gleam of dawn she was up in the morning, busy with brush
or hook long before the breakfast bell called them to the day's routine;
at recess and during the noon hour, she was hidden away with Bertha or
Carrie in some nook of the great gardens, making f