the courage of the little household. Nora had
openly lamented that to-night was Christmas Eve, and no Christmas dinner
to be had. Tot had grown very tearful about her "waisins," and Mrs.
Barnes, though she tried to keep up heart, had become very pale and
silent.

Willie, though he felt unbounded faith in papa, and especially in Tim,
found it hard to suppress his own complaints when he remembered that
Christmas would probably be passed in the same dismal way, with fears
for papa added to their own misery.

The wood, too, was getting low, and mamma dared not let the fire go out,
as that was the only sign of their existence to anybody; and though she
did not speak of it, Willie knew, too, that they had not many candles,
and in two days at farthest they would be left in the dark.

The thought that struck Willie pleased him greatly, and he was sure it
would cheer up the rest. He made his plans, and went to work to carry
them out without saying anything about it.

He brought out of a corner of the attic an old box-trap he had used in
the summer to catch birds and small animals, set it carefully on the
snow, and scattered crumbs of corn-bread to attract the birds.

In half an hour he went up again, and found to his delight he had caught
bigger game--a poor rabbit which had come from no one knows where over
the crust to find food.

This gave Willie a new idea; they could save their Christmas dinner
after all; rabbits made very nice pies. Poor Bunny was quietly laid to
rest, and the trap set again. This time another rabbit was caught,
perhaps the mate of the first. This was the last of the rabbits, but the
next catch was a couple of snowbirds. These Willie carefully placed in a
corner of the attic, using the trap for a cage, and giving them plenty
of food and water.

When the girls were fast asleep, with tears on their cheeks for the
dreadful Christmas they were going to have, Willie told mamma about his
plans. Mamma was pale and weak with anxiety, and his news first made her
laugh and then cry. But after a few moments given to her long pent-up
tears, she felt much better and entered into his plans heartily.

The two captives up in the attic were to be Christmas presents to the
girls, and the rabbits were to make the long anticipated pie. As for
plum-pudding, of course that couldn't be thought of.

"But don't you think, mamma," said Willie eagerly, "that you could make
some sort of a cake out of meal, and wouldn't hick