ap'n Bangs'll give it to me, anyhow. He gives me
most anything, if I tease for it."

Thankful shook her head. "You see, Georgie," she said, "it pays to be
a good boy. If Santa had caught you hidin' under that sofa and watchin'
for him last night you might not have got any of these nice things."

Georgie did not answer immediately. When he did it was in a rather
doubtful tone.

"There ain't any soot on 'em, anyhow," he observed. "And they ain't wet,
either."

Imogene clapped her hand to her mouth and hurried from the room. "You
can't fool that kid much," she whispered to Emily afterward. "He's the
smartest kid ever I saw. I'll keep out of his way for a while; I don't
want to have to answer his questions."

There were other presents besides those given to Georgie; presents for
Emily from Thankful, and for Thankful from Emily, and for Imogene from
both. There was nothing costly, of course, but no one cared for that.

As they were beginning breakfast Jedediah appeared. His garments, which
had been drying by the kitchen stove all night and which Imogene had
deposited in a heap at his bedroom door, were wrinkled, but his face
shone from the vigorous application of soap and water and, as his sister
said afterward, "You could see his complexion without diggin' for it,
and that was somethin'."

His manner was subdued and he was very, very polite and anxious to
please, but his appetite was in good order. Introduced to Imogene he
expressed himself as pleased to meet her. Georgie he greeted with some
hesitation; evidently the memory of his midnight encounter with the boy
embarrassed him. But Georgie, when he learned that the shabby person
whom he was told to call "Uncle Jed" was, although only an imitation
Santa Claus, a genuine gold-hunter and traveler who had seen real
Esquimaux and polar bears, warmed to his new relative immediately.

When the meal was over Jedediah made what was, for him, an amazing
suggestion.

"Now," he said, "I cal'late I'd better be gettin' to work, hadn't I?
What'll I do first, Thankful?"

Mrs. Barnes stared at him. "Work?" she repeated. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I want to be doin' somethin'--somethin' to help, you know. I
don't cal'late to stay around here and loaf. No, SIR!"

Thankful drew a long breath. "All right, Jed," she said. "You can go
out in the barn and feed the horse if you want to. Kenelm--Mr.
Parker--generally does it, but he probably won't be here for quite a
spell yet. Go