as unique--a beaten-biscuit gentleman, some
twelve inches tall, who was certainly most "fearfully and wonderfully"
made. The eyes, which had been so carefully put in with a fork, were
a little too close together, and the dough nose, which had been so
anxiously applied, had risen unduly in the baking, to the great
detriment of the biscuit gentleman's appearance. The mouth was all
right, however--big and smiling. His legs looked very much like he had
a bad case of locomotor ataxia, but the buttons on his coat were quite
regular and his arms hung at his sides like ramrods.

After careful inspection which occasioned considerable laughter, the
beaten-biscuit man was rolled up in tissue paper and placed in a
Christmas box "just his size." On the card was this message: "The Bible
says, 'Love your enemies'--here is an enemy for you to conquer," for it
was a well-known fact that grandfather found it hard to overcome his
dislike of the "hardtack," as he denominated the beaten biscuit prepared
for him.

[Illustration: AUNT BETTIE'S CONTRIBUTION WAS UNIQUE--A BEATEN-BISCUIT
GENTLEMAN, SOME TWELVE INCHES TALL.]

The doctor's turkey was next inspected--a nice little brown roasted fowl
in appearance, but in reality one of the cunning little pasteboard
devices that Alsie had so often seen in the confectioners' shops. There
was plenty of stuffing too, for Dr. Emerson had filled it full of pills
and capsules. There were pink pills and blue pills and green pills and
lavender pills, and hidden among them was the prescription, with one
end sticking out of the opening. It read: "For Captain Gordon--Pills
of every color, size, and variety, warranted to cure every known pain
or ache--to be taken with your Christmas pie." The little turkey was
carefully wrapped in tissue paper and garnished with a spray of holly.

Next came the tiny basket of fresh eggs from the merry little next-door
neighbor, whose big, fine chickens had been coaxed to lay a dozen eggs
for the Christmas pie. The basket would not hold the dozen--O no! for
its greatest capacity was four; but the remaining eight were set away in
a safe corner of the pantry. The four eggs were laid in a perfect nest
of red and white tissue paper, and holly and ribbon were twined round
the edges and handle of the basket. On the card was written the
following bit of rhyme:

"Now, what can be nicer
Than for folks to remember
The friends that they love
With _fresh eggs_ in December?"