remembered the importance of making a favourable impression. But she
could not quite keep the alarm and excitement out of her voice as she
called Stephen, and Stephen knew that something had gone wrong as he
came quickly through the hall. "Is the turkey burned, Lexy?" he cried.

"Burned! No, it's ten times worse," gasped Alexina. "It's gone--gone,
Stephen. And the pudding and the mince pies, too. Oh, what shall we
do? Who can have taken them?"

It may be stated right here and now that the Falsoms never really
_knew_ anything more about the disappearance of their Christmas dinner
than they did at that moment. But the only reasonable explanation of
the mystery was that a tramp had entered the kitchen and made off with
the good things. The Falsom house was right at the end of the street.
The narrow backyard opened on a lonely road. Across the road was a
stretch of pine woods. There was no house very near except the Tracy
one.

Stephen reached this conclusion with a bound. He ran out to the yard
gate followed by the distracted Alexina. The only person visible was a
man some distance down the road. Stephen leaped over the gate and tore
down the road in pursuit of him. Alexina went back to the doorstep,
sat down upon it, and began to cry. She couldn't help it. Her hopes
were all in ruins around her. There was no dinner for Uncle James.

Josephine Tracy saw her crying. Now, Josie honestly thought that she
had a grievance against Alexina. But an Alexina walking unconcernedly
by with a cool little nod and her head held high was a very different
person from an Alexina sitting on a back doorstep, on Christmas
morning, crying. For a moment Josie hesitated. Then she slowly went
out and across the yard to the fence. "What is the trouble?" she
asked.

Alexina forgot that there was such a thing as dignity to be kept up;
or, if she remembered it, she was past caring for such a trifle. "Our
dinner is gone," she sobbed. "And there is nothing to give Uncle James
to eat except vegetables--and I do so want to make a favourable
impression!"

This was not particularly lucid, but Josie, with a flying mental leap,
arrived at the conclusion that it was very important that Uncle James,
whoever he was, should have a dinner, and she knew where one was to be
had. But before she could speak Stephen returned, looking rueful. "No
use, Lexy. That man was only old Mr. Byers, and he had seen no signs
of a tramp. There is a trail of grease right acr