ant
all the beautiful people, so that the pictures will be beautiful."

"You are coming out in a new character, Eva--that of an adroit
flatterer," returned Grandma Elsie, with a look of amusement; "but I am
not at all displeased, my dear child, because I credit it entirely to
your affection, which I prize very highly," she hastened to add, seeing
that her words had called up a blush of painful embarrassment on Eva's
usually placid face.

"Grandma Elsie, we all love you dearly," said Lulu, "but you _are_
beautiful. I'm sure everybody thinks so. Don't they, papa?"

"As far as my knowledge goes," he answered, smiling and pinching her
cheek--for as usual she was close at his side--"and indeed I don't know
how any one could think otherwise."

"Mamma will, I'm sure," said Walter, "because we want her to, and she's
always kind."

"Will what?" asked Violet coming in at that moment.

"Be one in a tableau," replied Walter.

"Yes, of course," said Violet. "Oh we'll make a group with mamma,
grandpa, Sister Elsie and her little Ned, and call it a picture of four
generations. If dear old grandpa were with us still we could make it
five."

"A very nice idea, my dear," the captain remarked with a glance of
affectionate admiration at his young wife, as he rose and handed her a
chair; "and I think we must have the group photographed."

"Oh yes, Lester can do it beautifully! We'll send him word to bring his
apparatus with him."

"Yes," said her mother, "and we will ask him to take us all in family
groups. The pictures will be pleasant mementoes of this holiday season."

"Mamma," said Walter, "I think if you would tell us all about all the
New Years days you can remember, it would be a very interesting way of
spending the evening."

"Yes, mamma, we would all be charmed to hear your story," said Violet,
the others chiming in with, "Oh yes, mamma," "Yes, Grandma Elsie, please
do tell it."

"Since you all seem to desire it, I will try," she answered kindly, "but
I fear my reminiscences will hardly deserve the name of story.

"The first Christmas and New Years of which I retain a vivid
remembrance, were those of the first winter after I had made the
acquaintance of my dear father; for, as I believe you all know, I never
saw him till I was eight years old.

"The occurrences of that Christmas are too familiar to most, if not all
of you, to bear repetition."

"And you hadn't at all a nice New Year's that time, mamma," said Ro