hen to go away if it wished.

Pets were scarce on the prairie, and the girls were delighted. Nothing
papa could have brought them would have given them so much happiness.

They thought no more of the dinner, but hurried to dress themselves and
feed the birds, which were quite tame from hunger and weariness. But
after a while they saw preparations for dinner, too. Mamma made a crust
and lined a deep dish--the chicken pie dish--and then she brought a
mysterious something out of the cupboard, all cut up so that it looked
as if it might be chicken, and put it in the dish with other things, and
then she tucked them all under a thick crust, and set it down in a tin
oven before the fire to bake. And that was not all. She got out some
more cornmeal, and made a batter, and put in some sugar and something
else which she slipped in from a bowl, and which looked in the batter
something like raisins; and at the last moment Willie brought her a cup
of snow and she hastily beat it into the cake, or pudding, whichever you
might call it, while the children laughed at the idea of making a cake
out of snow. This went into the same oven and pretty soon it rose up
light and showed a beautiful brown crust, while the pie was steaming
through little fork holes on top, and sending out most delicious odours.

At the last minute, when the table was set and everything ready to come
up, Willie ran up to look out of the scuttle, as he had every hour of
daylight since they were buried. In a moment came a wild shout down the
ladder.

"They're coming! Hurrah for old Tim!"

Mamma rushed up and looked out, and saw--to be sure--old Tim slowly
coming along over the crust, drawing after him a wood sled on which were
two men.

"It's papa!" shouted Willie, waving his arms to attract their attention.

"Willie!" came back over the snow in tones of agony. "Is that you? Are
all well?"

"All well!" shouted Willie, "and just going to have our Christmas
dinner."

"Dinner?" echoed papa, who was now nearer.

"Where is the house, then?"

"Oh, down here!" said Willie, "under the snow; but we're all right, only
we mustn't let the plum-pudding spoil."

Looking into the attic, Willie found that mamma had fainted away, and
this news brought to her aid papa and the other man, who proved to be a
good friend who had come to help.

Tim was tied to the chimney, whose thread of smoke had guided them home,
and all went down into the dark room. Mrs. Barnes soon reco