was to run over after him. This kept
the trio of friends from Poketown close to the railroad station all the
afternoon; but the interval was spent quite pleasantly.

Mrs. Maltby and her daughter came over, through the snow, to visit a
while with Janice--and to bring Marty the pie!--and several other
villagers dropped in. News of Janice's reason for being at Popham
Landing had been spread abroad, and the people who came were more than
curious--they were sympathetic.

The pastor of one of the churches, who was well acquainted with Mr.
Middler, left his own family for half an hour and came to the station to
ask if he could do anything of practical use for Janice. Had it been
wise the trio from Poketown could have accepted half a dozen invitations
for supper and evening entertainment.

"People _are_ so good!" Janice cried again to Haley and Marty. "I never
realized that mere strangers could be so very, very nice to one."

"Huh!" grunted Marty. "Ain't _you_ always nice to folks--an' doing
something for 'em? How do you like it yourself?" which remark made
Janice and Nelson Haley laugh very heartily.

So, after all, it _was_ a real Christmas, as Janice said. It was an odd
one, perhaps, but there were some very enjoyable things about it. For
instance, Janice and the young school-teacher got far better acquainted
than they had ever been before--and Janice had always liked Nelson
Haley.

In this present situation, Nelson stood out well. He was generous,
sympathetic, and helpful. The fact that he was inclined to pursue the
way of least resistance, and considered it right to "let well enough
alone," did not impress one so deeply at the present moment.

Janice learned that the young man had neither father nor mother, and
that his nearest relative was an old aunt who had supplied the money for
his college tuition--at least, such money as he had not been able to
earn himself. Nelson Haley, however, desired to be self-supporting, and
he felt that he had accepted all the assistance he should from the old
aunt, whose patrimony was not large.

"Old Aunty Peckham is just as good as she can be," he confided to
Janice; "but I realize now--have realized for some years, in fact--that
if she had not had me to worry about, she could have enjoyed many more
good things in life than she has. So I told her I'd come to the end of
accepting money from her whenever my own purse got low.

"I'll teach school in Poketown a couple of years and sa