Parks, so I've give
you the turkey."

The four gray eyes, releasing the waistcoat buttons opposite, glanced
furtively over the table, and opened wide. Never had the Sill farm
seen a Christmas dinner like this. "Ma" had liked a good set-out, but
she aimed to be saving, holidays and all days. They always had a turkey,
but it was apt to be the smallest hen in the flock, and the rest was to
match. But here,--here was the Big Young Gobbler, the pride and glory of
the poultry yard, no longer ruffling it in black and red, but shining in
rich golden brown, with strings of nut-brown sausages about his portly
breast. Here was cranberry sauce, not in a bowl, but moulded in the
wheat-sheaf mould, and glowing like the Great Carbuncle. Here was an Alp
of potato, a golden mountain of squash, onions glimmering translucent
like moonstones, the jewels of the winter feast, celery tossing
pale-green plumes--good gracious! celery enough for a hotel, Mr. Sam
thought; here beside each plate was a roll--was this bread, Mr. Sim
wondered, twisted into a knot and shining "like artificial?" and on
each roll a spray of scarlet geranium with its round green leaf. And
what--_what_ was that in the middle of the table? The twins forgot the
waistcoats; forgot the waste too, forgot even each other, and stared
with all their eyes. A castle! a real castle, towers and battlements,
moat and drawbridge, all complete, all sparkling in crystal sugar. From
the topmost turret a tiny pennon floating; in the gateway a knight on
horseback, nearly as large as the pennon, with fairy lance couched. It
was the triumph of Mr. Ivory Cheeseman's life.

[Illustration: MARY SANDS.]

"You take that to your lady friend," he said, "and say the man as made
it wishes her well, and you too, friend Parks, you too!"

Mary Sands was gazing at it with delighted eyes.

"Did you ever, Cousins?" she said. "Now _did_ you ever see anything so
handsome as that? It's a Christmas present from Mr. Parks, and it beats
any present ever I had in my life. I declare, this _is_ a Christmas,
isn't it, Cousins? and look at you both dressed up to the nines, and
lookin' real--" she caught Calvin's eye over the turkey, and
faltered,--"real nice, I'm sure! And each one of you changin' his vest
for Christmas! I'm sure it's real smart of you. Cousin Sim's got on his
new slippers, Cousin Sam! Cousin Sim, you see Cousin Sam's got the seal
on, and don't it look elegant? Why, I'm just as proud of you both!