sure she was out of
sight. He heard her humming as she passed down the hall to her room and
then he rubbed his head vigorously as though rallying his wits in
readiness for the invasion, and flung open the door.

The two young Amzis and little Susan greeted him effusively and he
yielded himself with avuncular meekness to their embraces. They had come
bearing gifts which they bestowed upon him noisily, while the remainder
of the delegation crowded in. His three sisters kissed him in
succession, in the ascending order of age, and he shook hands with his
brothers-in-law.

"Morning, Amzi!"

"Morning, Lawrence!"

"Morning, Amzi!"

"Morning, Paul!"

"Morning, Amzi!"

"Morning, Alec!"

These greetings were as stiff as those that pass between a visiting
statesman and the local yeomanry at a rural reception. Lawrence, Paul,
and Alec undoubtedly hated this perfunctory annual tribute to the head
of the house of Montgomery, but Amzi liked the perpetuation of his
father's house as a family center. It did not matter that greed and
sentimentalism were back of his sisters' stubborn devotion to the
Montgomery tradition; with him it was an honest sentiment; and as to
their avarice, to which he was not insensible, it should be said that
charity was not least among his rugged virtues.

He made a lark of opening his gifts for the delight of the children. A
truce had been effected between the Fosdicks and Watermans by which each
of the young Amzis bestowed a box of neckties of approximately the same
value upon their uncle. Little Susan gave him a muffler; the sisters had
joined in a new easy chair which Jeremiah now carried in; their husbands
had combined in their usual tribute of cigars. A toy and a five-dollar
gold-piece for each child; the little chamois-skin bags of gold-pieces
for the sisters; a book for each brother-in-law, completed Amzi's
offerings. He announced to the children that he was going to build a
toboggan in the back yard for their joint use just as soon as spring
came. This was a surprise and called forth much joyous chorusing from
the youngsters, whose parents viewed this pendant to the expected gifts
with satisfaction, as indicating the increasing warmth of Amzi's
affection for their children.

"You are always generous, Amzi," said Mrs. Waterman fervidly. "You can
put the toboggan on our lot if you like."

"And cut down the trees! I should rather do without it than destroy a
single one of the old beeches,