still raging. The children wakened and
went wild with delight over their stockings. The little mother found
her envelope and tried to utter thanks and broke down; and nobody knew
what to say or do, when the conductor fortunately came in and made a
diversion by telling them they might as well resign themselves to
spending Christmas on the train.

"This is serious," said the khaki boy, "when you consider that we've
no provisions. Don't mind for myself, used to half rations or no
rations at all. But these kiddies will have tremendous appetites."

Then Aunt Cyrilla rose to the occasion.

"I've got some emergency rations here," she announced. "There's plenty
for all and we'll have our Christmas dinner, although a cold one.
Breakfast first thing. There's a sandwich apiece left and we must fill
up on what is left of the cookies and doughnuts and save the rest for
a real good spread at dinner time. The only thing is, I haven't any
bread."

"I've a box of soda crackers," said the little mother eagerly.

Nobody in that car will ever forget that Christmas. To begin with,
after breakfast they had a concert. The khaki boy gave two
recitations, sang three songs, and gave a whistling solo. Lucy Rose
gave three recitations and the minister a comic reading. The pale shop
girl sang two songs. It was agreed that the khaki boy's whistling solo
was the best number, and Aunt Cyrilla gave him the bouquet of
everlastings as a reward of merit.

Then the conductor came in with the cheerful news that the storm was
almost over and he thought the track would be cleared in a few hours.

"If we can get to the next station we'll be all right," he said. "The
branch joins the main line there and the tracks will be clear."

At noon they had dinner. The train hands were invited in to share it.
The minister carved the chicken with the brakeman's jack-knife and the
khaki boy cut up the tongue and the mince pies, while the sealskin
lady mixed the raspberry vinegar with its due proportion of water.
Bits of paper served as plates. The train furnished a couple of
glasses, a tin pint cup was discovered and given to the children, Aunt
Cyrilla and Lucy Rose and the sealskin lady drank, turn about, from
the latter's graduated medicine glass, the shop girl and the little
mother shared one of the empty bottles, and the khaki boy, the
minister, and the train men drank out of the other bottle.

Everybody declared they had never enjoyed a meal more in their l