sat down. It was an old-fashioned meal, for while
the brother helped to the ham and eggs and fried potatoes, Aunt Susan
served the quince preserves and passed the hot biscuit, and Alice poured
the tea. The table too had a Christmas touch, for around the mat where
the lamp stood was a green wreath brightened with clusters of red
berries. It was all a charming picture, and not the least of it was the
fair girl who so graciously played the hostess. When the meal was over
she said:

"Now you two gentlemen must go into the parlor and smoke, and I'll join
you later. I command you to smoke," she added imperiously, "for I want
the house to smell as if there was a man around."

When she came in later, wearing her new house-dress, she drew her chair
close to her brother's and resting her elbows on his knee and her chin
in her open palms she looked up and said with a witching smile:

"Now, Bertie, I've fed you nicely, haven't I? and I've done all I could
for your comfort, so now please tell me what is in that long flat box
you brought."

It was charmingly done, but the big brother was proof against her wiles.
"You are a bewitching coaxer, sis," he answered, "but I am hard-hearted.
I'll make a trade with you, though. First tell us all about your
school-teaching and sing us all the songs I ask for, and then I'll open
the box."

"You are very modest in your wants," she replied archly, "but like all
men you must be humored to keep you good-natured, I presume."

"I wish you would tell us about your school, Miss Page," put in Frank;
"you are not a bit like the schoolma'am of my boyhood, and I would like
to know how you manage children."

"Well, it was a little hard at first," she answered, "for boys and girls
of ten and twelve have surprisingly keen intuitions, and it seemed to me
they made a study of my face from the first and concluded I was
soft-hearted. I had one little boy that was a born mischief-maker, but
he had such winsome ways I had to love him in spite of it. But he had to
be punished some way, and so one day I kept him after school and then
told him I must whip him hard, but not at that time. I explained to him
what I was going to punish him for, 'but,' I said, 'I shall not do it
to-night. I may do it to-morrow or the day after, but I will not tell
you when the whipping is to come until I am ready to do it.' My little
plan was a success, for the next night he waited till all the rest had
gone, and then came to me w